Interview with Lab Manager, Erin Falkenham
Erin Falkenham is the Lab Manager at Biomedica Diagnostics Inc.
I (Roshni) met Erin in 2016 during a co-op work term and I was so excited to have the opportunity to reconnect with her and talk about her career! Erin was essentially my in-lab supervisor and taught me so much, including how to navigate being a woman in the workplace. Erin works at BioMedica Diagnostics Inc (https://biomedicadiagnostics.com), which is an Atlantic Canadian medical diagnostic company that manufactures specialty blood coagulation products for clinical and research applications, and also has contract research and development services with many clients in the US and the European Union.
Roshni (R): What is your job and what does it entail?
Erin (E): My current title is Lab Manager, and I coordinate project timelines within my department, have my own contract R&D (research and development) projects, help Production troubleshoot whenever necessary, and I work with undergraduate students.
R: When did you first start becoming interested in your field?
E: That’s a funny question because my background is not very research heavy, I did my bachelor’s degree in animal sciences. I moved to a new location with my husband and I did some odd jobs but found a lab job through a program in the community. I was so keen to work in the field of biology but I didn’t hear back for 6 months. It was there that I met Dr. Diane Jette, who was a great mentor and taught me everything on the job, I even followed her to a different company some years later. I bounced around to a few different companies over the years, all in the field of coagulation science and all in Nova Scotia. But the field of coagulation and diagnostic skills I wasn’t really exposed to before working at these companies and my knowledge mostly comes from on-the-job training.
R: It’s surprising that there are so many biotechnology companies in Nova Scotia, and even in New Brunswick and PEI considering their size.
E: It's strange that there are two coagulation companies in this small province. There’s so many tests and different styles of products, so there’s lots of room for two entities. You don’t think of Atlantic Canada as a hub until you realize how much is here.
R: What was the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career thus far?
E: I had different challenges at different stages. At the start of my career, finding confidence in yourself to do the job is something I really struggled with. You have an idea that everyone is above you and you’re like “how am I going to do this?” I had a chat with myself and went back to the books if I was unsure of something. It’s taking a deep breath and sitting down and reteaching myself. My mentor was a great help and she taught me some really important things that I use every time I get a student. Horses taught me how to establish confidence and carry myself with confidence. Physically, I am small and my whole life I was underestimated, so even when I didn’t feel brave I put on the posturing that made me feel brave.
As I got older I was more confident, and it is managing my work-life equilibrium that is the biggest challenge on this end of my career. Over the years I have had some very fortunate experiences and some not so fortunate experiences. Things get easier as you establish who you are.
“The key to making it successful is having people and support”
R: How do you manage your work-life equilibrium?
E: It’s a constant dodge and weave. You’re looking at 2 things that are extremely important in your life, but I have to be honest, I work to live. I do not live to work. I have a really long commute because of where I chose to live, and it’s additional 3 hours a day. I have a wonderful partner and that has a lot to do with it, and I’ve never been one that sits well – maybe I should learn how to relax more. As my children grew up their needs changed, so now I’m more hands-free but it took 19 years to get here. At first, I felt a lot of guilt about not being there to get them off to school, but it made them more independent. It changes all the time, there’s no equation that works every day. We have a really good support system with our family and community, the key to making it successful is having people and support. We’re also gentle on ourselves if things don’t work out perfectly. I probably should sleep more, and I don’t watch TV because I just don’t have time, I guess I’ve given up a few things to make this happen.
I’m going to interject to give readers more context: Erin is not only a scientist but also is a professional photographer (https://www.erinfalkenham.com), has a small farm, has a wonderful (emphasis on “full”) home full of kids and animals (this interview was interrupted twice by a curious cat and several barking dogs), and I’m sure there’s more that I don’t know about.
R: Did you model your leadership style after anyone?
E: Interesting question, this catches me off guard because my first thought is “oh crap I’m a leader??” I always responded well to leaders who are in the trenches with you. I don’t think you can be a leader and make the people working with you feel less than you. I learned so much from Dr. Jette, she never micromanaged, which I liked and that’s what I do too. I’ve always been able to talk and connect with people and relationships are super key. Thinking about how I responded to leadership styles, I don’t like ego and pestering. I just communicate, work with people, handle everything with honesty, show people you’re beside them when times are tough. There’s no job beneath you. Trying to ram and smash your way into a role doesn’t always work, especially because women are put under a different microscope. I never realized that being able to connect with people and talk to people was a valuable skillset, until a co-worker with a PhD who I really admired, came to me one day and asked me how I do it. You can have hard conversations once you establish a reputation of respect, honesty, and accountability.
R: How has your experience been with women-available spaces through your career? Women-available spaces are environments and workplaces go beyond a superficial “women are welcome here” statement, and actually have the necessary resources to welcome women into the space. Some examples are the availability of personal protective equipment that is designed for women’s bodies, the availability of a private to semiprivate washroom in the workplace, and a privacy curtain around an emergency shower.
E: I’m really just a lab rat so I stay in a building all the time. So far I have always had the necessary things as a woman in the workplace. We don’t have a privacy curtain around our safety shower, and thankfully it has never been needed, but I’m glad that we discussed what we should do during an occupational health and safety meeting. Our company is quite small and we definitely feel like family, but I’m glad that we do have a protocol to shield someone if they do have to use the emergency shower. Thankfully I have been in very welcoming environments, and I didn’t really have glass ceilings to break since I was usually one of the first hires in the small companies I have worked at. It hasn’t all been great and there have been some men acting unacceptably, but the work culture of all the employees has usually squashed that or protected me from it. The key is shutting it down or calling them out, and ultimately making them uncomfortable to act in that manner.
“Once you find your confidence, everything else tends to fall into place”
R: What advice would you give to other young women hoping to pursue a path similar to yours?
E: Being confident in yourself, that is the big one. Knowing that you can do the job and you don’t have to put up with situations you find unacceptable. Once you find your confidence everything else tends to fall into place. Honesty in life, which is a no-brainer, but even in reporting data. If something doesn’t work, then you address it and move forward. If you make a mistake, take responsibility. Accountability is something that, once I understood what it meant, changed my entire perspective on life and it’s something that I taught my daughters from a very young age. As a result, I’ve seen them handle situations better than 55-year-olds. But also be gentle on yourself. If you can build relationships in your workplace where people know to trust you, that is one of the biggest things you can do for yourself. Don’t let anyone underestimate you. It happens, but you can get past that and succeed. I’ve never succeeded by diminishing others, you just bring them along with you. Don’t be afraid to be a badass.
This interview was conducted and transcribed by Roshni Kollipara, President of WISE GSS (2022/2023). The blog post was prepared and published by Reem Abdelrahim, Vice President WISE GSS (2022/2023).
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