Leen Kawas On Balancing Motherhood With a BioTech Career

Leen Kawas on Juggling Motherhood and a Successful Career

Dr. Leen Kawas, the former Athira Pharma CEO, truly stands out as a remarkable overachiever. Inspired by the unfortunate deaths of her two mentors, her mother and grandmother, to cancer and degenerative disease, Leen took it upon herself to transform the medical field. She began by pursuing and completing her undergraduate studies in pharmacy and later achieving a doctorate in molecular pharmacology.

Later on, she successfully cofounded Athira Pharma and became its CEO in 2014. During her time heading the company, she guided the firm through its IPO and the final phases of researching potentially game-changing treatments for neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. For her exploits, she was recognized as the Startup CEO of the Year at the 2019 GeekWire Awards.

Following her departure from Athira Pharma, she went on to cofound Propel Bio Partners LP, a worldwide equity investment company that seeks to support healthcare startups.

Kawas On Motherhood

Impressively, Leen Kawas is doing all this while caring for two small kids. She feels her accomplishments demonstrate that women can simultaneously achieve professional and personal goals. And contrary to common belief, Kawas claims that motherhood has improved her communication and leadership skills.

Invalidating the “Working Mom” Guilt

Striking a balance between a flourishing profession and raising a family is especially difficult for mothers. This is a result of the internal tension and guilt they feel because they cannot fully cater to both their careers and families.

Kawas heavily disputes this line of thinking and argues that women nowadays aren’t forced to choose between raising children and advancing their careers. As such, they should try their hand at both.

Ask For Help

Kawas stresses the importance of seeking support, which can be in the form of finding individuals willing to help with time-consuming duties like caring for children, preparing meals, and cleaning. For Leen Kawas, that person came in the form of her husband, who has been her greatest pillar of support.

Leen Kawas on Juggling Motherhood and a Successful Career Dr. Leen Kawas, the former Athira Pharma CEO, truly stands out as a remarkable overachiever. Inspired by the unfortunate deaths of her two mentors, her mother and grandmother, to cancer and degenerative disease, Leen took it upon herself to transform the medical field. She began by…