Life Science Cares Bay Area

12/16/2025

We are thrilled to welcome Shreya Jani to our board of managers, which has fiduciary responsibility for the ongoing operations of Life Science Cares Bay Area.

Shreya Jani is the Senior Vice-President, Public Affairs at Gilead Sciences. In this role, Shreya leads the public affairs function globally with a focus on growth strategies and innovative approaches to drive impact.

Shreya Jani is an accomplished corporate affairs leader with 20+ years of experience, with an expertise in building high performing teams during periods of growth. Prior to joining Gilead, Shreya was at BeOne (formerly BeiGene) where she built and led the global corporate affairs function, playing a pivotal role advancing the company’s reputation into new international growth markets. Earlier in her career, Ms. Jani spent almost 15 years at Pfizer, holding several roles with increasing seniority, ultimately leading the corporate affairs function for a range of therapeutic areas.

Shreya is excited to join the board of Life Science Cares Bay Area and further cement the collaboration between Life Science Cares and Gilead. Fighting Poverty locally and globally is important to the Gilead mission and Life Science Cares is also thrilled to partner with a mover and shaker like Shreya.

12/15/2025

We want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible generosity and community spirit of our corporate partner at Pulse Biosciences.

This holiday season, the Pulse Biosciences team embodied what it means to give back:
🎁 71 toys donated to bring joy to children at Family House
🥫 Hands-on support distributing food to community members at South Hayward Parish
🧶 22 no-sew blankets created to provide warmth and comfort for clients at HealthRIGHT 360

These efforts reflect more than just numbers—they represent compassion in action, teamwork with purpose, and a genuine commitment to uplifting our community.

We are deeply thankful for Pulse Biosciences’ continued partnership and dedication to making a meaningful difference. Together, we’re ending the year on a powerful note and setting the tone for even greater impact in the year ahead.

Thank you, Pulse Biosciences, for leading with heart and inspiring positive change.

12/15/2025

We are thrilled to share a huge thank you to our incredible corporate partners at BioMarin! Their team came together to assemble over 2,000 STEM kits for Scientific Adventures for Girls—and just in time for winter break.

This season, students will be heading home with Igloo Dome and winter-themed Slime STEM Kits, giving them the chance to keep exploring, building, and experimenting long after the school doors close. These hands-on experiences spark curiosity, strengthen problem-solving skills, and help girls see themselves as future scientists, engineers, and innovators.

Because of BioMarin’s generosity and commitment to expanding STEM access, thousands of young learners will continue discovering the joy of STEM at home this winter. ❄️🔬✨

Thank you, BioMarin, for investing in the next generation of changemakers and supporting our mission to make STEM exciting, inclusive, and accessible for all girls.

12/09/2025

We’re in the final stretch of our Virtual Food Drive — and thanks to our incredible community, we’ve already collected nearly 200 food items have already been contributed! 💙

Your support is helping HealthRIGHT 360 provide nutritious meals to individuals and families across the Bay Area this holiday season. Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far!

With just a few days left until the December 12 deadline, we’re calling on our network to help us reach our goal of 500 items. Every contribution moves us closer to ensuring our neighbors have the nourishment they need.

Together, we can make a powerful impact.
Join the effort today!

🔗 Support the Virtual Food Drive

Let’s finish strong — because when our industry comes together, we can do more. 💙✨

12/09/2025

We are excited to end the year with our final community event to celebrate one of our flagship projects for the year and allow you to learn more about its programmatic impact and the legislation that it inspired.

Watch this brief video enhanced for us by High School student intern Everett Yun

Come join us on Wednesday to celebrate and learn more. Register below.

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/x65bmup/lp/10783010-b75b-4a49-88c3-020dba96c0cc

This is "Health Equity in Action" by Life Science Cares Bay Area on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

12/03/2025

🌟 Calling All Life Science HR Professionals! 🌟

Project Onramp Bay Area’s Student Success Partner, Diversity By Doing (DxD), is excited to launch the Pathways in Healthtech program—an initiative created to expand access to meaningful careers in the life sciences.

At Project Onramp, our mission is simple yet powerful:
To create life-changing opportunities for talented students from first-generation, low-income, and under-resourced backgrounds by connecting them to paid internships across the life sciences industry.
We believe that equity in access creates equity in outcomes—and we’re committed to widening the doorway.

As we prepare to welcome our next cohort, we are seeking a passionate Life Science Human Resources professional to join us during our program kick-off on January 18th at approximately 1:30 PM.

Your Role:
Meet with our Pathways in Healthtech students and teach them how to tailor their resumes to be life sciences–ready. Your insight could be the spark that helps a student launch their career.

This is a meaningful opportunity to:

Give back to the next generation of diverse talent

Strengthen our region’s life sciences and healthtech workforce

Share practical, actionable insights with students eager to grow

If you or someone in your network is interested, please sign up here: Volunteer Sign Up Requests

Let’s continue building pathways for those who need them most.

12/03/2025

Halloween returned to Laurel Elementary this year thanks to Exelixis and our partners at Safe Passages. 🎃

Exelixis hosted a Trunk-or-Treat celebration for over 400 students in the after-school program at Laurel Elementary, with nearly two dozen of their employee volunteers supporting the event and helping turn the school playground into a safe, festive space for students to dress up and trunk-or-treat.

Students got visits from Batman, Jessie from Toy Story, a unicorn on roller skates, and an ice princess, along with balloon art and themed stations that made the afternoon extra special.

We’re grateful to Exelixis for making this celebration possible again this year and to Safe Passages for partnering with us to connect Laurel Elementary students to this experience.

12/02/2025

We’re excited to highlight our partnership with Larkin Street Youth Services!

This week, the Project Onramp Bay Area team had the opportunity to host an info session with Larkin Street students to share more about who we are and the incredible opportunities available within the life sciences industry.

At Project Onramp, our mission is to open doors for talented, first-generation college students by connecting them to paid internships at leading life sciences companies — helping them gain industry experience, mentorship, and a pathway to meaningful careers.

A big thank-you to the Larkin Street team for welcoming us and to the students for their engagement and curiosity. We’re excited about what’s ahead and look forward to continuing to support emerging talent together!

If you’re an organization or company interested in partnering with Project Onramp to expand opportunities for students, reach out to us at jenell.potts@lifesciencecares.org! Together, we can help build a more diverse and inclusive future for the life sciences industry.

12/02/2025

Project Onramp Bay Area was proud to partner with the Foundation for a College Education (FCE) to host a Virtual Interview Skills Workshop for their students!

A special thank you to Nick Perez, HR Leader in the Life Sciences Industry and a 2025 Project Onramp mentor, for volunteering his time and expertise to guide students through effective interview strategies and professional storytelling.

At Project Onramp, our mission is to open doors to life sciences careers for under-resourced and first-generation college students by connecting them with paid internships, mentorship, and career development opportunities across the industry.

We’re grateful for student success partners like FCE and volunteers like Nick who help make this mission possible — equipping the next generation of diverse talent to thrive in the life sciences.

Interested in volunteering?
Learn more about how you or organization can partner with Project Onramp Bay Area to provide career opportunities: Contact jenell.potts@lifesciencecares.org

12/02/2025

Internship Success Story!

We’re thrilled to celebrate Kaitlyn Lara, who transitioned from her Project Onramp internship at Dynavax to being hired as a Contract Finance & Accounting Consultant! 🎉

Kaitlyn shared,

“This experience confirmed my passion for contributing to impactful, science-driven organizations and showcased how finance plays a crucial role in advancing life-changing healthcare solutions. I am proud that my work was valued, and I’m grateful to have been offered a contracted position following my internship, which further affirms my commitment to continue growing within this industry.”

At Project Onramp, our mission is to create life-changing paid internships in the life sciences for college students who are under resourced in the industry, opening doors to meaningful careers and lasting impact.

Congratulations, Kaitlyn, on your incredible achievement!

Join us in building pathways for the next generation of life science leaders.
Learn how you can get involved as a host company, partner, or supporter by emailing jenell.potts@lifesciencecares.org

12/02/2025

Just in… Life Science Cares Bay Area is deploying $1.3 million in grants this month to our grantee nonprofit partners addressing poverty in the Bay Area! That’s new support for health equity, food security, workforce development, STEM education, youth empowerment, childcare, mental health services and much more. We are supporting our partners to build equitable communities to benefit us all.

We have a goal of giving $5 million in grants (since we launched in 2021) and we need your help to get there. On this Giving Tuesday will you donate to help us fight poverty in the Bay Area?

https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/donor-form/?svcid=tcs&formId=07d74799-d77d-4779-832a-c2bfa30dbc64&envid=p-q9yn-8HrmEyZsIqEXsTI7Q&zone=usa

12/02/2025

Just in… Life Science Cares Bay Area is deploying $1.3 million in grants this month to our grantee nonprofit partners addressing poverty in the Bay Area! That’s new support for health equity, food security, workforce development, STEM education, youth empowerment, childcare, mental health services and much more. We are supporting our partners to build equitable communities to benefit us all.

We have a goal of giving $5 million in grants (since we launched in 2021) and we need your help to get there. On this Giving Tuesday will you donate to help us fight poverty in the Bay Area?