Image courtesy of user leighty (Ryan Leighty) on Flickr

This spring San Diego downtown will be buzzing with scientific discussions as our city hosts a number of major scientific symposia.  We are excited to attend and soak in all the science that will be shared during these two months.  Our own Mary Canady will also be participating in a panel discussing on the triumphs and trials of Transitioning from Academia to Industry at the Annual meeting of the Biophysical Society on Tuesday, February 28, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.

We hope that you are planning on attending at least some of these events, and to help you plan your attendance, we outline below pertinent information about each conference:

*SDBN may host a tweetup if none will be planned by meeting organizers.  Stay tuned.

The spring will be exciting for science in San Diego, add our Google calendar to yours so you won’t miss out on any local events. We hope you can set aside some time to take advantage of the presence of these major conferences in our city, we’ll be posting updates if you can’t. Some of the conferences have free or reasonable exhibit hall passes, and we’ll also post after hours events on our Facebook page so you can do some networking.

Comprendia is giving free social media consultations for your life science business, contact us to schedule one while you’re in San Diego.

What a great turnout last week!  Thanks to all who attended SDBN’s first Happy Hour event, and thanks to our sponsor Avitus Group. As always we enjoyed seeing many familiar as well as new faces within the local scientific community.

Congratulations to Ramy Aziz, Visiting Scientist at UCSD Systems Biology Research Group, who was the big winner. A social butterfly collecting more than 25 business cards, he collected the prize of a $50 Amazon gift card – thanks Avitus Group!

We appreciate everyone who was able to participate in our LinkedIn Profile recommendations, it was a definite hit.

With so many ways to improve a LinkedIn profile it’s not easy to narrow down the ideas.

Whether you’re a scientist looking for a job, or trying to increase your reputation within your industry, spiffing up your LinkedIn page to reflect where you are and what you can offer can be invaluable to your career growth.

We saw some great examples of LinkedIn pages. And since we saw several recurring themes of areas where people could use help, in this blog post I’ll stick with some of the basic improvement areas.

Before getting into it, here was a common question we heard – “Why should I care if I’m not currently a job seeker?”  Answer – because if you wait until you absolutely need a network to leverage, you will find yourself a few months behind the game.  If you can build a foundation now, you’ll have it when you need it, and more than that, you never know when or where new opportunities will come from….

Below is a summary of five (5) characteristics common to profiles that:

• have a likely chance of being found through a LinkedIn search, or
• that act as an engaging, interesting, and informative personal marketing piece for professional deliverables and qualifications

Top LinkedIn Profile Improvements – Starting Points

1. Have a photo – A headshot where you’re not holding a beer is the path you want to take.  You wouldn’t have a bag over your head at a networking event, and you shouldn’t here.  LinkedIn is a conversation waiting to happen – be friendly and you’ll start the conversation on the right foot.
2. Get a Customized URL – Take advantage of personalizing your URL – make it shorter and more memorable – here’s how:

   Option 1	Option 2
   Go to your Profile Page At the bottom of the grey box with all of your information is a Public Profile line You should see an “Edit” link next to your URL Click “Edit” and enter your personalized URL (then save)	Adapted from LinkedIn Help Center Go to Settings and click “Edit your public profile” In the “Your public profile URL” box on the right, click the “Customize your public profile URL” link Type the last part of your new custom URL in the text box Click Set Custom URL and enter your personalized URL (then save)

 

3. Professional Headline – Your Name and Professional Headline are the only two things that others will see in the some places in LinkedIn.

   For example, people mouse over your name for this information within Group discussions, in the Q&A section (if you ask / answer a question), and in connections lists.

   • Your headline should be a marketing phrase, not just your current title (current title appears under “Current” in the information section anyway)
   • You are allowed 120 characters in this field so try to add some detail to let people know who you are and what you can do for them, in a nutshell

 

4. Join more groups – You get 50 for free, take advantage. Find the most relevant LinkedIn groups in your industry that will help you meet your goals. You may join because you get something from their discussions or you may join because an influencer or connection at a company you’re interested in is in that group. Over time you can filter out the groups that offer you little or nothing.
   • Find jobs in groups – people post these things, especially in job seeker groups within your industry (see some suggested groups in the last bullet)
   • Groups are a great place to find others who are having discussions in your field, about topics of interest to you.  And if you need help with anything, it’s a perfect place to ask for advice.  Ask questions – you’ll learn and it raises your profile in LinkedIn.
   • Listen – The great thing about groups is you don’t have to talk at all.  This is probably the best way to get a feel for the topics and content valued in your primary groups of interest, which leads to the next point -
   • You don’t have to follow everything in every group – just pick a few most interesting or valuable to you
   • Want to showcase your expertise in your field? Giving advice within groups builds your reputation in your industry
   • Reach many more people directly – within your field.  And when you want to LinkIn with someone, you can use a group as a point of connection when sending the invitation
   • Here are some LinkedIn groups we at SDBN recommend for scientists (job-seeking or not) –
     

     Group	No. of Members
     American Chemical Society	9,085
     BIO International Convention	1,534
     BIOCOM	1,299
     Biospace	3,987
     Biotech & Pharma Professionals Network	97,687
     Biotechnology/Pharmaceuticals	18,816
     Drug Discovery 2.0	542
     Life Science Talk	5,055
     The Life Science Executive Exchange	14,716
     Lifesciences Opportunities in US	29,762
     LiMS forum – Laboratory Informatics Institute user’s group for LIMS, Scientific & Health Informatics	31,406
     myBIO Community – Biotechnology connections	17,137
     Pharmaceutical Jobs Biotech Life Sciences & Medical Devices	54,869
     Professionals in the Pharmaceutical and Biotech Industry	64,471
     San Diego Biotech Pharma Professional Social Network	1,299
     San Diego Biotechnology Network	5,179
     SoCal Science Cafe: Career Cafe	105

 

5. More Recommendations – One of the best ways to stand out to employers, recruiters, or potential business partners is through testimonials of others who have done business or worked side-by-side with you.
   • Ask for a recommendation from as many people as possible and be sure to return the favor
   • What you say about others can also inform on if you work and play well with other scientists.  And these also show up on your Profile page so don’t just “form-letter” your recommendations – make them personal, interesting, and genuine.

So basically, the idea to remember is to fill our your LinkedIn profile page out as completely as you would your resumé . Since you want your LinkedIn profile to be more succinct than your resumé , go through and add sections manually rather than relying on the resumé upload function. I haven’t tried it myself but have heard that it can mess up the formatting you’ve already created. Plus you’ll have to go back and edit it anyway, so you may as well just start there.

We hope these tips help you to improve your LinkedIn profile through some relatively painless starting points. Please leave any tips you have in the comments below – and we’ll be sure to follow this post up with some intermediate and advanced tips for LinkedIn profile improvement, stay tuned.

The Pathway Genomics business model is based on bridging a gap in personalized medicine.  As Ed MacBean, their VP of Product Development, explained at SDBN’s August 16th event, in a nutshell they connect clients through their physicians with their own genetic information.   For those interested in self-monitoring, tracking and the impact of personal genetics, a genetic report could teach you how your genetic data can act as a guide in defining a personally-optimized lifestyle.

Pathway Genomics is a genetic and diagnostic health services company based in San Diego. Genotyping and sequencing services are performed using technology platforms from Illumina and Fluidigm, and Sequenom. From only two ml of your saliva, Pathway Genomics will provide you with your genetic profile, tailored to one of several customized Reports.

MacBean explained that their tests they are currently available only through physicians until FDA regulations are determined.

Services

Inside your individual report is information you can use to create a personalized healthy lifestyle using your genetic data as a guide.  This isn’t the place to review all the details about each report, because much can be found on their website, but below are highlights of each plus some insights offered by MacBean.

Report 1 – Complex Health Conditions

This testing series analyzes how a person’s genetics impacts complex diseases like diabetes, various forms of cancer and heart disease.  Some notes:

• Report is an analysis of many factors
• The test is ethnic and gender specific (e.g., it may be difficult, but you must choose – Caucasian, Asian, etc.)
• No monogenic disease testing, no highly predictive testing such as Huntington’s, breast cancer
• Challenge – Due to high turnover by patients. healthcare providers are less than willing to shell out expenses for prevention that may not be seen for 15 years (well after they predict you will leave them for another provider)

Report Results: Pathway Genomics results are presented within categories.  For example, if you are otherwise totally healthy with no recognized genetic risks showing up for a certain area, you could see a “Live a Healthy Lifestyle” recommendation.  This recommendation consists of suggested ways you could use these particular genetic testing results to leverage your diet, behavior, and exercise potential.

And what if you are someone who exhibits genetic factors that suggest strongly increased risk for certain diseases or conditions?  Then you may receive a recommendation like “Take Action” which would suggest specific lifestyle choices, nutrition, and exercise regiments that would not only be valuable to you based on your genetic profile, but which would be most helpful to you in negating some of your higher risk areas.

Report 2 – Pre-pregnancy Planning
The effects of the diseases tested here are generally not experienced by the person being tested – this test is about what you could potentially pass on to your children.

• Currently 76 total recessive genetic diseases are analyzed, including cystic fibrosis
• Carriers of recessive genetic diseases are more common than you think – about 50% of clients do carry a recessive genetic condition
• Challenges in distributing testing like this include reluctance on the part of the payers, claiming only “medically necessary” testing is covered.  Comprehensive testing such as this, can be commonly excluded, regardless of price.

Report Results: Discusses your potential for passing on any of the Pathway Genomics panel of recessive genetic diseases to your offspring.

Report 3 – Medication Response

• Your analyzed genome can help you determine how you may react to certain medications.
• Replaces a one-size-fits-all approach to medications
• Improvement in overall patient health can stem from the genetic determination of reactions to medications that may be encountered throughout one’s lifetime
• Currently about 70 FDA-labeled “black box” drugs exist that do not require genetic testing to be performed but which contain recommendations to do so

Report Results: Your genetic profile reveals potential sensitivity to certain drugs, the effect of your metabolism on that drug (determining effective dose and frequency), toxicity, and other adverse effects.

Report 4 – Pathway Fit
Pathway Genomics’ newest Report, this test focuses on personalizing aspects of your health such as your nutrition, rather than only personalizing your medicine. Recommendations include sharing the type of diet that may be benefical for optimizing your health based on information in your genetic profile.

The report also accounts for, and makes suggestions based on behavioral aspects of your profile, such as inability to feel satiated when eating food in general. Here are some other results you can see:

• Specific recommendation of type of diet&em;low-fat, low-carb, Mediterranean diet, or balanced diet
• Exercise – does your profile suggest that high intensity or endurance is best for your long-term health results?
• Your risk for developing certain types of injuries
  Disease risks associated with obesity such as high cholesterol and diabetes

Challenges
Regulatory – As MacBean noted, “The pace of knowledge, discovery and information, as it is becoming available and technologically capable of being done, is incredibly outpacing government regulations’ ability figure out how to manage it and how to keep up with it.”

Pathway Genomics is still waiting on guidance from Laboratory Diagnostic Testing (LDT) from a year ago, while advances in the industry continue to develop.
Medical / Bioethical – Although bioethics discussions surrounding genetic testing encompass a wide range of concerns, Pathway Genomics notes that current technology and testing services can be used to lower the cost of healthcare and improve the lives of patients worldwide.

Even with these benefits, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) in place, issues are complicated with real issues such as anxiety among employers and employees regarding sharing information this detailed and sensitive. Although GINA is designed to protect people from improper use of their genetic information, issues surrounding these boundaries are still working themselves out.

What Personal Genetic Testing Means for Scientists and Patients
People continue to search for ways that technology can help us improve lifestyle and health outcomes – add personal genetic testing to the list. As our guests from Quantified Self San Diego already know, the more you know, the more you can improve about yourself.

As MacBean noted, more data can now be collected for less money than ever before. Both scientists and patients can benefit from the rise in the use of diagnostic testing (and “opinion diagnostics”) as the global population gains more access to personalized medical choices and the industry grows.

Several interesting conversations followed during the networking afterwards – ranging from bioethics discussions to potential for job growth.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the many topics surrounding genetic testing – as it relates to the biotech and healthcare industry, and as a diagnostic tool.