Kendall Murphy, PhD, Business Analyst at AUST Business Solutions and Katie Whitehead, PhD, Professor in Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University
As a fifth-year PhD student studying polymer drug delivery vehicles, I attended a talk at the 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineering annual meeting in Orlando, Florida that I specifically remember four years later. While the research on strawberry-enabled oral protein delivery was incredibly interesting, there is another reason I remember this presentation all these years later. The presenter, Dr. Katie Whitehead, Professor in Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and prominent leader in the drug delivery field, was pregnant.
It’s not a secret that being a career-minded parent in the STEM field is challenging, and research has shown that these challenges can push women out of the field1. Personally, this memory of Dr. Whitehead encouraged me while I was pregnant during my postdoc in 2021 and now as a toddler mom working at AUST Business Solutions, a consulting firm supporting companies focused on nanoparticle-based therapeutics. It’s an honor to use this platform to highlight not only Dr. Whitehead’s personal and professional accomplishments, but to also showcase her honest and raw perspective of being a mom and professor so that others may learn from her experiences.
Figure 1. An outline of Dr. Whitehead’s professional journey intertwined with her motherhood journey.
Upon completion of her NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship in the lab of Drs. Bob Langer and Dan Anderson at MIT, Dr. Whitehead initiated her own independent research program aimed at her overall research passion, engineering drug delivery vehicles so that the drug is delivered exactly where it’s needed in the body with no off-target side effects. Her lab has contributed significantly to the field of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery of mRNA2–6, including the establishment of novel LNP tissue targeting strategies7–10 and the development of mRNA LNPs for use in maternal and fetal medicine applications11–13, evident by her accrual of over 12,000 publication citations and public interviews with CBS Evening News and Nature. Furthermore, she gave a captivating Ted talk on lipid nanoparticle delivery that I highly recommend if you want to learn more about the basics of these “tiny fat balls.” In the 12 years of her independent career, she has mentored 5 postdoc researchers and graduated 7 doctoral students, 14 master’s students, and 23 undergraduate students. Her commitments to her research and her students have been recognized through numerous accolades, including the Carnegie Science Center Emerging Female Faculty award, NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, and election as Fellow to both the Controlled Release Society and American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Her achievements speak to her impressive career, but for me, the most inspiring is the professional impact she has created during her journey through motherhood, as outlined in Figure 1. During her career, she has battled the hardships of infertility and miscarriage, gave birth to her two children in 2017 and 2020, and now cares for her two young children with her partner. How does she manage to do it all?
KM: What are the 3 most important ways that a new mom can set her scientific career up for success postpartum?
KW: 1. Set expectations in advance. For me, this was one of the few things easier with a second child than the first because I knew what I was getting into. Tell your colleagues what you will and will not do when you’re out and what types of issues warrant contact. This will not fix everything, but it can make it clear that others need to do more without you.
2. Say no way more than you did before, starting from the moment you know you’re pregnant. You must be merciless about cutting out low-return activities. I have a Twitter thread on effective ways of saying no.
3. Be kind to yourself. Career-minded people are over-achievers, and we are competitive. You will look at others who don’t have kids or have partners that take care of the kids, and you will feel like you are at a disadvantage. In some ways, you are. But you will also come to work with a new perspective and life experiences that will positively shape your career. And you’ll be more efficient!
KM: How have you personally been inspired by other moms working in the STEM fields?
I once went to a women's networking event at a conference, where the keynote – an industry veteran and proud mother – said, “women can have it all, just not all at once”. I think about that a lot. She convinced me to view my life as a set of chapters, each one unique in how I engage with work, family, and personal growth.
KM: How do you manage your career responsibilities when dealing with infertility and miscarriage, childcare issues, and sick children?
KW: During my infertility journey, which included an early miscarriage, sharing my experiences and seeking support made things more manageable. My department was aware of my challenges, and I had chosen to work in a department capable of empathy and patience. I’m glad that I spoke out about this – others dealing with similar issues now feel comfortable seeking similar support.
With regard to childcare challenges and sick kids, it affects my work timelines, so I just tell people what’s going on. For the most part, people understand. And if they don’t, I don’t care, because my kids are part of who I am. But sometimes I cry. Time is a zero-sum game, and I've lost a staggering 30 working days already this year due to child illness. I’ve had to let things go, do less than my best on things that aren’t a priority, and do less overall. My career, technically, has suffered. But my life hasn’t. It’s a compromise.
KM: How has your strategy of balancing parenting and your career changed as your children have gotten older? Is there anything that you have gotten better at over the years that you initially struggled with?
Post-tenure and promotion to full professor, I care less about my overflowing work when I get home. My unread emails just can’t compare to being told that I am “the sweetest guy (sic) in the whole world” by my 3-year-old. I still work for an hour or two most nights after the kids go to bed, but now when I’m with my family, I don’t feel the same sense of guilt. I wish I could have done this sooner in my career.
KM: Were there opportunities that you missed out on because of parental responsibilities or situations that impacted your career trajectory?
Plenty. Probably the worst was that, after the birth of my second child in the spring of 2020 during the pandemic, I experienced severe depression. I had to take care of myself, and it took a long time to get back up and running. Meanwhile, my field of research (mRNA lipid nanoparticles) was taking off and I was unable to write proposals and capitalize upon that newfound interest like my colleagues in the same field of research. I quickly fell behind.
KM: At this point in your career, how are you supporting your own health and wellbeing?
KW: I was fortunate to be awarded tenure and promotion to full professor in 2022. However, that accomplishment came as a significant cost to my mental and physical health and quality time with my family. With the help of an academic coach, I defined my values and reshaped my approach to my job to better align with those values. It will take marked willpower to override the years of training I’ve had to please others, but it’s time now to focus on activities that bring *me* joy and fulfillment.
KM: What are the most important ways that a co-worker can support a mom that is on their team?
KW: Ask in advance what the mother needs. These needs may or may not be reality once the child is born. This is somewhat career specific – faculty, for example, can’t really step away from their research. If there is any way that a department or colleague can support that, it would be nice. For faculty, I was fortunate that my department head gave me easy teaching and service assignments in the year following the birth of my second child. She knew I needed some reprieve.
KM: How can scientists who are breastfeeding or pumping be better supported?
KW: They need private space, access to refrigeration and a sink. Perhaps most importantly, all-day meetings without breaks won’t work. A pumping session can easily take 20-30 minutes. Put in breaks when scheduling meetings or seminar visits, ask visitors explicitly if they need any breaks during the day.
KM: How do you think it is viewed to talk about the issues moms in science face? What will make these hard conversations easier?
KW: Perception is a mixed bag. Negative effects are certainly possible – I mean, here I am saying that I do less work because I’m a mom! But more is not necessarily better, and mothers bring a much-needed diversity to the scientific exchange. Talking about these challenges is scary and requires vulnerability, but it also affirms the experiences of others and has the potential to spark change. The more people we have speaking out about their own stories and advocating for others, the more “normal” this will all become. The more mothers will stay in science. And one day, they’ll have it all.
About the Authors
Kendall Murphy, PhD
Throughout her career, Kendall has obtained an extensive technical background in the development and manufacturing of various types of complex parenteral drug delivery systems. At AUST Business Solutions, she uses this technical experience, business acumen, and professional network to support drug sponsors, CDMOs, suppliers, and investors in the cell and gene therapy space. Kendall earned her B.S. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Kentucky and University of South Carolina, respectively.
Kathryn Whitehead, PhD
Kathryn A. Whitehead is a Professor in the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering (courtesy) at Carnegie Mellon University. Her lab develops drug delivery systems for RNA, proteins, and applications in maternal and infant health. She obtained bachelor and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering (Univ. of Delaware; Univ. of California, Santa Barbara) before an NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship at MIT.
Prof. Whitehead is the recipient of numerous awards, including the NIH Director's New Innovator Award, the DARPA Director's Fellowship, and the ASEE Curtis W. McGraw Research Award. She has also received the Controlled Release Society's Young Investigator Award and served on its Board of Directors. Prof. Whitehead is an elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the Controlled Release Society. In 2021, she gave a TED talk on the lipid nanoparticles (i.e., “fat balls”) used in the in the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Her publications have been cited thousands of times, and her patents have been licensed and sublicensed for reagent and therapeutic use.
References
1. Fathima, F. N., Awor, P., Yen, Y. C., Gnanaselvam, N. A. & Zakham, F. Challenges and coping strategies faced by female scientists—A multicentric cross sectional study. PLoS One 15, (2020).
2. Karikó, K., Whitehead, K. & van der Meel, R. What does the success of mRNA vaccines tell us about the future of biological therapeutics? Cell Syst 12, 757 (2021).
3. Ball, R. L., Hajj, K. A., Vizelman, J., Bajaj, P. & Whitehead, K. A. Lipid Nanoparticle Formulations for Enhanced Co-delivery of siRNA and mRNA. Nano Lett 18, 3814–3822 (2018).
4. Hajj, K. A. et al. A Potent Branched-Tail Lipid Nanoparticle Enables Multiplexed mRNA Delivery and Gene Editing in Vivo. Nano Lett 20, 5167–5175 (2020).
5. Hajj, K. A. & Whitehead, K. A. Tools for translation: non-viral materials for therapeutic mRNA delivery. Nature Reviews Materials 2017 2:10 2, 1–17 (2017).
6. Chaudhary, N., Weissman, D. & Whitehead, K. A. mRNA vaccines for infectious diseases: principles, delivery and clinical translation. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 2021 20:11 20, 817–838 (2021).
7. Melamed, J. R. et al. Ionizable lipid nanoparticles deliver mRNA to pancreatic β cells via macrophage-mediated gene transfer. Sci Adv 9, (2023).
8. LoPresti, S. T., Arral, M. L., Chaudhary, N. & Whitehead, K. A. The replacement of helper lipids with charged alternatives in lipid nanoparticles facilities targeted mRNA delivery to the spleen and lungs. J Control Release 345, 819 (2022).
9. Friis, K. P. et al. Spray dried lipid nanoparticle formulations enable intratracheal delivery of mRNA. Journal of Controlled Release 363, 389–401 (2023).
10. Strelkova Petersen, D. M., Chaudhary, N., Arral, M. L., Weiss, R. M. & Whitehead, K. A. The mixing method used to formulate lipid nanoparticles affects mRNA delivery efficacy and organ tropism. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics 192, 126–135 (2023).
11. Fein, K. C., Arral, M. L., Kim, J. S., Newby, A. N. & Whitehead, K. A. Placental drug transport and fetal exposure during pregnancy is determined by drug molecular size, chemistry, and conformation. J Control Release 361, 29 (2023).
12. Chaudhary, N. et al. Lipid nanoparticle structure and delivery route during pregnancy dictate mRNA potency, immunogenicity, and maternal and fetal outcomes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121, e2307810121 (2024).
13. Chaudhary, N., Newby, A. N. & Whitehead, K. A. Non-Viral RNA Delivery During Pregnancy: Opportunities and Challenges. Small 2306134 (2023) doi:10.1002/SMLL.202306134.