5 Questions With Kathleen McLaughlin, Area Manager, PHC Biomed, Ambassador of Buzz, Philly Socializing Scientists Organizer

November 8, 2023

This article is part of our 5 Questions With series, one of our ongoing People & Places Features. We love it because despite the consistent questioning, the answers are all unique. Be sure to FOLLOW us on LinkedIn to tell us what you think.

1. What did you want to be when you grow up? How’d you get from there to here? 

Oh boy; I feel like this might take a while, not to mention a fairly circuitous route. In my family, my generation is the first that went to college after high school. My great-grandmother (who lived into her 90s and into the late 90s) left school in the sixth grade to work in a factory. My grandmother left school in tenth grade. My mom finished high school and took a hiatus before going back to school in her 30s, earning her master’s degree and some extra credits (I know she would point those out as she is proud, and I’m proud of her). 

There is a large world out there, full of different career paths (even more now), and not everyone is aware of that. To illustrate this point, I was under the misguided impression that if you went to college you primarily went to become a doctor, a lawyer, or a teacher. Out of these three things, I wanted to be a teacher. Side note: through play as a child, I wanted to be a restaurateur, construction worker, or mechanic. You have to admit toy tools—even in their basic (as in primary) colors are the best.

Teacher felt right though. I love buying new notebooks. I love new pens and colorful pens. Stickers that bring smiles. Writing on the board. Helping kids get that “Aha!” moment. In playing with friends, if there was school, I was the undisputed teacher. Chalkboards and red pens were my tools of the craft. I enjoyed the role. I thrived in it as a child. 

When I went to college (a small liberal arts school where the majors were limited), I decided to test out education classes. Boy, could I tell you a story about my experience there. It’s embarrassing and seeing as how this will be out there for all posterity, I’m forgoing its inclusion in this. If you knew the story you wouldn’t blame me.

Fast forward to the end… it was a disastrous fall semester in education, so I took a step back and thought about what I liked. Well, I enjoyed chemistry in high school. So I went with majoring in chemistry and biochemistry. Fast forward to senior year of college, the real world was fast approaching.

I wasn’t quite ready to give up learning, but I wasn’t ready for the laboratory either. (They weren’t as nice as Biolabs in Philly, with all the light, windows, colors, and office opossum). Knowing myself, I wanted to try teaching. I figured I could work on a master’s (yay more school) and work for a private school (they didn’t require certification). And so, the day after graduation I began my master’s and that fall I started my career as a high school chemistry teacher.

During my tenure as a teacher, I started a doctoral program in educational leadership. (I like to say this means I can take over the world, but choose not to do so). I also worked at three different schools. I kept hoping that maybe the magic of teaching was tied to the school. So I tried a few in hopes of finding that spark I had at the beginning.

After seven years, I found myself in my classroom one day thinking, ‘I can’t do this for another 30 years.’ There was a lot I loved about being a teacher, but there was a lot that I found emotionally draining. It wasn’t a sustainable career for me. I decided to leave at the end of the school year, without anything lined up (I couldn’t commit to students knowing I was trying to leave them…they deserve someone committed to the full year with them). I moved home and continued my doctoral program, because I mean I was so close. Plus, who doesn’t like checking Dr. off on forms that ask for your title? That’s when I found my second career. 

I took a scattershot approach to finding a new career. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, or what I was qualified to do. One would think that if you can wrangle over 30 teenagers on a Friday afternoon and teach them chemistry, you can do anything. (Kudos to all teachers. If you can teach, then you can do so many things). 

There are so many skills that people don’t always realize that teachers have. They can triage the importance of objectives. They can speak to any group at their level. They know how to prepare and ascertain if their goals are on track, and so many more. I stumbled upon an opening for Fisher Scientific and decided to apply. 

Sales isn’t in my nature, but supporting people and helping them achieve goals is. That’s how I started my career in sales and science. I have the satisfaction of contributing to society and breakthroughs. I get to talk with a variety of people and learn about what they are doing. I get to solve problems for people by identifying a product that will meet their needs. 

After years with Fisher Scientific, I looked for a new challenge and moved to PHC of North America.  We’re known for the PHCbi brand. In addition to the aforementioned I was getting from my job, I know have the added bonus of knowing that the products I stand behind are sustainable (seriously, check out our—80 that runs about the same as the fridge in your kitchen—consider my mind blown!).

I’m happy where I am and proud of what I do. I met BioBuzz, and found a group that is devoted to fostering community. I meet many wonderful people and find out amazing things that are happening in science. I consider myself incredibly lucky to be where I am now and to have traveled the path I’m on. I’m excited to see where I go, and all the people I’ll meet along the way.

2. How are you helping to build a more connected community? 

BioBuzz’s mission is simple: to be more connected. Our regionally-focused storytelling, programs, events and experiences create, connect and amplify impact across the life science workforce in growing biohubs. We vibe with people who value community and connection like us. We’d love for you to share how you’re building a more connected community… and any support that you need from our community to continue to accomplish this mission.

Community is a big deal. I think that most of us realized this during the pandemic if we didn’t already know it; without community, there is something missing in our lives. I’ll be honest, during COVID, when I was working at home, my cat was my ever-present companion (he claimed real estate on my desk, and loved making cameos that made me feel awkward for some unknown reason). I remember sitting there looking at him staring at me from my desk. He has a fairly serious face, and I looked down at my non-video day outfit (I think it was my Dinosaur comic sweatshirt that says “You’re doing a good job and your hair looks nice” (it’s incredibly adorable, so here’s a link – Shop Dinosaur). I looked at him and seriously considered if I should get him a little vest and tie because we needed to up our game for our video calls.  Note: I did not act on this impulse, despite the fact that he would look adorable and amazing.

This year, when I started my new job with PHCbi brand (click here, because you know you want to know what I do for work), I was back in the field. I eventually remembered that you need shoes to leave the house. That feeling of pants not just being pajamas (you know you can understand this… well unless you still work at home). I began to go back outside. I started to go out to offices, labs, and academic settings, and seeing people! Real, live people, in person. We could shake hands, we were syncing out voices and our movements. It was pretty unreal. This is the scenario I found myself in, and to get familiar with my territory (PA, DE, and southern NJ), I was doing quite a bit of networking events; thank you BioBuzz, QIAGEN, and the Science Center to name a few!  

Going to all of these events was great.  Meeting my customers was also great. There was something I noticed though, there seemed to be a lack of socializing outside of work. People that I thought would get along great, have amazing organic conversations, people that could be resources and sounding boards for each other… had no socializing forum. I’m not talking about the networking events. I’m speaking about opportunities to meet people in a casual setting that doesn’t require you to share your work history. In Philadelphia, there are so many universities and biotech companies. We welcome new talent all the time. I wanted to provide a support group for people that might not have anyone in the area, as well as give people with the commonality of science (no matter the branch) to come together and do something like miniature golf.  

This led me to create Socializing Scientists, and two editions of it at that. The first is Philly Socializing Scientists, which focuses on the Greater Philadelphia area and in-person events. It’s slowly getting off of the ground, and if you’re interested, please reach out! I am also happy to work with people who want to go to events, and post them, so others can go too.

I then realized that people registering were from outside of the area. I saw another need. One for the science community of the world (or at least the East Coast, since I do all EST times). Then the birth of Virtually Socializing Scientists happened. This one is more focused on virtual connections. We have the monthly book club (you can see my take on the books via BioBuzz), monthly Science Shorts (45 minute chats about the news in the scientific world), and (currently) monthly Thirsty for Knowledge events.  

I think my greatest hope is currently for the Thirsty for Knowledge events, because of how I hope they evolve. I want it to be a live forum for researchers to ask each other questions about struggles they’ve had, problems they are facing or have faced, and sounding boards for new approaches to research questions. My soft spot though is the book club, because I love books and learning. Plus, I’m the Queen Bee of Books thanks to BioBuzz. We might not be a hive of readers yet, but we’re still young.

3. What are currently buzzing about? Anything and everything…   

Oh goodness.  What am I buzzing about? This is like asking a pixy stick how many grains of delicious sugar are inside! I’m going to go with a bullet list here. Also, I will keep it to 3 personal things, because otherwise, this might go on for like… a year.

• The Pandas at the DC Zoo. I’m a fan of bears (as you’ll learn from my second bullet point being about bears too). If you live in the DC area, you need to go see the Pandas. I took a trip there just to go see the pandas. I’m pretty sure I saw Tien Tien, and it was amazing. He looks animatronic to my eyes. It’s stunning. Well, my obsession with them is buzzing right now, because they are leaving the zoo to head back to China. If you want to see a panda (and you do, you might not know it though), now is the time. It’s free, but you need to register online.  Parking is $30 for a car.  They also have great panda swag.  I picked up a tee shirt, and mug.  The mug is adorable, it’s white with a panda face, and it has little ears that are sticking up!  LOVE it.
• Fat Bear Week. What is Fat Bear Week? Well, let me tell you. It is the best BRACKET on earth. Like, if I had to pick a sport with brackets, I would pick this. It’s held by Katmai National Park in Alaska. (Best Week Ever) The park has bear cams (so does the Zoo, so if you want to watch pandas panda-ing about, you can!), where you can watch the bears live. I like the Brooks Falls camera. You watch these bears catch salmon, some more successful than others, and watch them get ready to hibernate. I’m biased and think Otis is the best bear ever. I seriously love Otis. So, if my family is reading, I need a new Otis tee… my current one is incredibly worn. If you missed voting for Otis this year as Fat Bear, please join me next year.
• Laurel Hill Cemetery. A cemetery? Yes, a cemetery. Laurel Hill Cemetery is not just a place for the dead, but also the living. They keep to this tradition, and one of my favorite events is coming up. (So favorite, I already purchased my ticket, since I know they sell out.) The Soul Crawl. This event is a flashlight tour through the cemetery where you learn about current residents of the cemetery. They actually say that, “current residents.” I always want to ask about their past residents, but haven’t… yet. It might seem weird to some that I enjoy events at the cemetery, but I assure you it’s not. To me, at least. They have had many events at their site and their sister site, such as Market of the Macabre, goat walks (you get to walk goats who eat the grass), murder mystery dinners, tours, plays, and more. See this link for events currently scheduled: click here for Laurel Hill.

4. If you could travel back in time – what early career advice would you give yourself?

• It’s okay to not know what you want to do. I always remember telling my grandmother “I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up,” and she would conspiratorially tell me that she didn’t know either. If you think you know what you want to do, try it. In today’s world, many skills are transferable, and you’re not locked into any one career. Many of us evolve through our careers.
• This is more of a life one. Start saving for retirement on that first paycheck.
• Develop working relationships, these people in your industry (if you stay within that realm, even if it’s a different type of role) can help you throughout your career.  

5. FUN question. Given that our Book Club extraordinaire, we’d love to know your top 10 best books of all time.

Kathleen’s answer was so in-depth, and so incredible, that we made it an article all to itself. Enjoy the read!

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One of our FAVORITE things about 5 Questions With is all the things we get to learn about the individual and what they bring to our community. We surround ourselves with likeminded people… and people people. So be sure to reach out to Kathleen on LinkedIn to say “Hi!”