Kelly Schlemm, Vice President and Head of Corporate Affairs at Servier Pharmaceuticals, shared a post by Islam Hassan, Global Head of Development (Neuro-Oncology) at Servier Pharmaceuticals on LinkedIn:
“Sometimes it takes a stark reminder to show you why you wake up every day.
Why you work. Why you tell your children what you do.
Moments like this remind me that every choice, every challenge, and every effort matters.
Winning a Prix Galien medal for innovation in rare disease hopefully isn’t the pinnacle — but it’s one of those moments that refuels your sense of purpose.
Servier Pharmaceuticals has shown me what happens when a company commits to science, to patients — fully, relentlessly, and with heart.
P.S. You can hear me scream in the video (very on brand), but you don’t see me in the photos jumping up to hug and congratulate everyone — because in that moment, the first thing I did was text Susan Pandya, M.D.., one of the best mentors I’ve ever had and someone I truly look up to. Not to mention the woman who fought to make this medicine a reality.
Except I didn’t. I accidentally texted my friend Susan Vong— another amazing woman in science — and she cheered me on without missing a beat. Somehow, that feels exactly right.
My heart is full.”
Quoting the Islam Hassan’s post:
“There are moments in one’s life when words simply fall short. Not Molière, not Shakespeare, Saramago, Faulkner or Arthur Miller could put into meaningful writing how it truly felt.
Just hearing the announcement that we had won the Prix Galien for rare and orphan drugs, life stopped for a second. You could hear your own breath in a crowded hall, your heart racing as your mind filled with images: a father who now has the chance to enjoy another field trip with his daughter, a graduate tossing their cap in the air after finishing their dream degree, a mother in tears as she waves back at her child who is graduating high school.
‘Breakthrough’ is a wonderful word, but it only earns its meaning from the lives it can preserve.
You look around and you are surrounded by colleagues who have all contributed to this breakthrough, who kept you focused and helped you navigate both the good and the difficult times. You see the eyes of your leadership, the leadership that had the vision to give you the room and the freedom to act, while setting only one non-negotiable rule: ‘to the patients, for the patients, with the patients.’
Together we serve, together we deliver. To the true champions, to the true winners, this award goes to you: today for our patients with IDH mutant glioma, tomorrow for them again, and in the future for all patients with brain tumors.”
More posts featuring Islam Hassan.