Pictured from left to right: Rosemary Smith, Magdalena Blaszkiewicz, and Kristy Townsend
Pictured from left to right: Rosemary Smith, Magdalena Blaszkiewicz, and Kristy Townsend. Townsend and her colleagues developed Neuright, Inc., a University of Maine biotech spinout focused on the early diagnosis and treatment of peripheral neuropathy.

McCoy, Townsend speak at the fourth annual Women in Bioscience event

October 28, 2021 Faculty Spotlight, Gateway News, Program Highlight

The fourth annual “Women in Bioscience” event was held on Sept. 30. The event, which was hosted by the Bioscience Association of Maine (BioME), featured a virtual interactive workshop led by Shannon McCoy, University of Maine associate professor of psychology.

BioME is a trade organization that aims to advance economic growth and opportunities within the life sciences community in Maine.

The interactive workshop “Imposter Syndrome: Understanding and Coping with a Potential Barrier to Success” delved into the psychological processes that may pose barriers to success. Imposter syndrome involves perceiving the self as incompetent despite objective evidence of competence and often occurs among those who are high achieving.

McCoy led the discussion, covering topics such as the fear of failure, feeling excluded in the workplace, perfectionism, feeling unworthy, and developing coping strategies to internalize and focus on success were highlighted.

The event kicked off with a virtual panel discussion, Women in Leadership, moderated by Kristy Townsend, UMaine alumna, associate professor of neurobiology at Ohio State University and member of the Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering faculty. Panelists included Aileen Huang-Saad from the Roux Institute, Melissa Glenn from Colby College, Stacey Harris of Consigli Construction Co. and Joan Gordon from Maine Molecular Quality Controls.

Contact: gateway@maine.edu

Written by Tilan Copson