Can you believe 2023 is quickly coming to a close?!

But what a year it’s been for Life Sciences, for us, and for you, the Meet community. 

With over 1,135 of you finding new career paths, even more of you reaching career milestones, and more businesses partnering with us to inform their talent strategies, we’re feeling grateful you decided to take us along for the ride. 

We’ve also had quite the year ourselves, from being noted as the 49^th largest direct hire staffing firm, the 28^th largest contract staffing agency, and the #1 fastest growing Life Sciences recruitment company to Hannah, our CEO, being recognized in SIA’s Global Power 150 Women in Staffing as well as Staffing 100 Europe. 

But these accolades are not just our own – they’re a testament to you, the cornerstones of our success who continually choose us, trust us and partner with us. 

As we take a moment to look back on the last 12 months, we’ve compiled 10 of our greatest hits – the bits you loved, the things we’re proud of, and the ones we achieved together…

1.    We launched a podcast, Affected

With the market changing and a wealth of talent in-house, we thought we’d put our teams’ expertise to good use! 

Each monthly episode features our recruitment industry experts alongside our host, Owen Beynon, for 30-minute discussions that delve into every aspect of the Life Sciences recruitment industry, giving you the tools to thrive in the ever-changing economic landscape. 

So far, we’ve covered a spectrum of topics, from navigating personal branding and standing out in a challenging job market to first-class hiring practices that attract top talent and the value of comprehensive onboarding to ensure the best employee experience.

For all of our top tips, market knowledge and industry insights, you can catch up on every episode of Affected for free here.

2.    Our first white paper, Women in Leadership in Life Sciences, was born

Earlier this year, it came to our attention that the gender pay gap within Life Sciences had doubled, from 8% in 2022 to 16% in 2023. This alarming statistic prompted us to dig deep into the matter to truly understand gender disparity throughout the industry. 

But we didn’t do this alone… Over 4,600 of you stepped forward, lending your voices and providing us with invaluable insight into the diverse challenges faced when reaching senior positions in your respective subsectors of the industry.

Today, we’ve reached nearly 1,200 downloads, with some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies reaching out and wanting to talk about how we can work together to close this gap. In fact, even just last week, Fierce Pharma referenced the report in an article spotlighting 2023’s fiercest women in Life Sciences. 

None of these impactful conversations would have been possible without your willingness to share your opinions and experiences – again, thank you.

If you’re yet to grab your copy of our Women in Leadership in Life Sciences 2023 Report, you can download it for free here.

3.    Dr. Tia Lyles-Williams opened up about her experience of being a Queer Black Woman within Life Sciences 

Dr. Tia is a trailblazer in the Life Sciences space. With a legacy that includes founding two companies and standing as a keynote speaker on prestigious stages at The White House, she tirelessly advocates for more inclusivity and diversity within the industry.

We were lucky to have the chance to sit down with her and pick her brain about her impressive 20+ year career. She also shared her thoughts on the importance of creating accessible drugs, how she’s felt as a Black woman in a predominantly White industry and what we can do to better support our peers from marginalized backgrounds within the Life Sciences community. 

To find out more, read the full article: In Conversation with Dr. Tia Lyles-Williams, The Very First Queer Black Woman to Lead a Large-Scale Biomanufacturing Company.

4.    AI was embraced by the industry to discover new molecules 

2023 was the year that AI took the world by storm – and Life Sciences was no exception. 

As we all embrace a more digital reality, AI has become a driving force that is being leveraged right across the value chain, enabling life-changing therapies to come to market much faster and much cheaper. 

So, with over two dozen drugs already developed with AI assistance, we showcased three promising studies that offer hope for patients grappling with cancer, bacterial infections and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). 

Click here to read 3 Times AI Has Dreamt of Drugs That Humans Are Yet to Discover.

5.    Life Scientists went on a mission to find non-addictive pain management alternatives to opioids

In the face of the unrelenting opioid epidemic, 2023 was the year that Life Scientists embarked on a crucial mission: to develop non-addictive alternatives for pain management to address the crisis that has persisted for decades. In fact, 2023 sadly saw drug overdose deaths reach one of the highest figures ever recorded. 

Acknowledging these alarming statistics and an overreliance on highly addictive prescription opioids for chronic pain, the FDA launched an initiative to promote the development of non-addictive pain medications. Once we heard about this industry-wide push, we went digging to find four studies that were moving the dial to reduce patient risk, remove barriers, and most importantly, save countless lives. 

As it so happens, just weeks after our report was published, Hyloris Pharmaceuticals won FDA approval for the very first non-opioid analgesic for acute pain management following positive results in Phase III trials. 

Read Dopesick: The Development of Non-Addictive Alternatives to Opioids for Pain Management here.

6.    Catherine Hoare from Bioscript opened up about her medical writing journey and Meet’s part to play 

Here at Meet, our core focus is on spotlighting the extraordinary people we have the privilege to work with who are making a profound difference to global health every single day. 

In a deeply personal conversation, Senior Medical Writer, Catherine Hoare of Bioscript, opens up to us about her medical writing journey and the integral role Meet played in her story. 

Catherine’s candid discussion takes us through the twists and turns of her medical communications career. She touches on how she lost her way, the challenges she overcame to get to where she is today, and the pivotal role  Chloe Fitzsimons played in helping her regain her confidence and secure her dream role at Bioscript. 

Watch Catherine sharing her remarkable story of resilience and determination here. 

**Trigger Warning: Catherine bravely discusses her experience of being involved in an abusive relationship and finding refuge. 

 7.    The psychedelic renaissance took place to combat the global mental health crisis

This year, the narrative around psychedelics underwent a significant shift from the era of free love and world peace to a focus on their scientific and therapeutic potential, more specifically, their effects on mental health disorders.

The resurgence of interest in exploring the medicinal qualities of mind-altering drugs gained traction with the support of the FDA, indicating their potential to address unmet medical needs. 

Keen to get involved in the discourse, we took a deep dive into several different studies investigating the therapeutic properties of substances such as MDMA, ayahuasca and psilocybin to treat patients suffering from depression, PTSD, OCD and addiction. 

Find out more by reading The New Wave of Psychedelics: Are They Really Altering Mental Health Therapies? 

8.    Personalized cancer vaccines made significant steps forward for cancer therapies

Cancer, or ‘The Big C’, stands as one of the deadliest diseases in the world, claiming the lives of 10 million people each and every year. While our immune systems readily try to fight cancer, they’re often outsmarted, underscoring the urgent need for more innovative therapies. 

As those of you in oncology will know, mRNA technology has been around for decades, researched over and over with the long-term goal of finding a successful cancer vaccine. The surge of mRNA technology post-2020 prompted more and more Life Sciences businesses to begin researching tailor-made vaccines to tackle cancer once and for all. 

And with the personalized treatments only picking up steam over the past 12 months, we delved into three promising clinical trials leveraging mRNA technology to craft genetically tailored vaccines for cancer patients. 

Read Are mRNA Personalized Cancer Vaccines The Future? here.

9.    FemTech came to the forefront to improve health outcomes for women

For far too long, women’s health has been underfunded and overlooked, with women widely underrepresented in clinical trials and research. This has only led to a substantial knowledge gap on conditions and health outcomes that primarily affect women.  

Now, in a transformative shift, technology-driven products and services dubbed ‘FemTech’ have begun bridging these gaps and empowering women to take control over their bodies and their healthcare needs. 

This is a monumental step forward for women all around the globe, and as such, prompted us to explore the rise of FemTech, delving into the digital tools it incorporates, the benefits it offers, the barriers it faces, and the expanding landscape shaping a more promising future for women’s health.  

To learn more, read The Future of FemTech: Revolutionizing Women’s Health Solutions.

10.    We kept our fingers on ‘The Pulse’ with a biweekly roundup of Life Sciences headlines

As devoted followers of the dynamic Life Sciences landscape, we understand that staying up to date with the latest developments can be challenging, especially with the multitude of stories released daily! Recognizing this, it got us thinking: how can we enhance our community’s access to compelling headlines beyond our regular articles? 

The answer: The Pulse – a quickfire biweekly roundup of our favorite Life Sciences stories.

To get things rolling, our content team stepped out from behind the scenes and in front of the camera, reporting on the most captivating newsworthy highlights. 

Keep up with each episode and get a first-hand look at the latest and most intriguing happenings in the world of Life Sciences by following us on LinkedIn.

What a roundup, huh?! 

We want to say an enormous thank you for sticking with us this year. All your hard work and dedication have played a fundamental part in bettering the world around us, and for that, we are truly thankful. We can’t wait to see what you achieve in 2024! 

From all of us here at Meet, we wish you a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous New Year.  

Enjoy your well-earned break, recharge, and come back refreshed – we can’t wait to catch up with you again in the new year!