Nothing to Debate About It

Fired Up Friday with Hannah Lexer '22
Nothing to Debate About It

Meet Susan Alexander, Biogen’s Chief Legal Officer and Secretary. Last week, members of the Biogen Executive Staff, MDs, and Board of Directors met to debate a neurological drug created to treat Alzheimer’s patients. They discussed heated questions such as, “Is it unethical to deliver this drug to Alzheimer’s patients?”
 
Racing around the clock, the debate ignited when the already hot topic became direr. Up at 2 AM, Susan learned that Alzheimer’s was rapidly spreading and the need for a cure was becoming emergent in order to save the world from a pandemic crisis. 
 
STOP. Put out the fire. This was the challenge for SCH senior Hannah Lexer at the Model UN on the Crisis Simulation Committee. 
 
This was Hannah’s first try at Model UN, and she was fired up. Down to the detailed 14-page background doc, this imagined scenario created a heated roundtable discussion with her and fellow delegates from California to New Jersey. “While Model UN may seem like an excuse to argue, it really is an excuse to challenge yourself and make new friends,” says Hannah. With an interest in computer engineering, becoming Biogen’s legal voice was a step outside of Hannah’s comfort zone, but, in pandemic world, imagining how to solve for a new one felt oddly-familiar, fun, and a little unexpected. Happy #FiredUpFridays—may you find your fire in the familiar and the unexpected. 

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Our 2021-22 social media campaign, Fired Up Fridays, pays tribute to the message engraved in the stone mantelpiece above the fireplace in the Henry Library that reads: “Kyndle yr awne ffyre” (Kindle Your Own Fire). Each Friday we will shine a light on members of the school community whose passion runs deep for a particular interest, activity, class, or hobby. #FiredUpFridays posts on Insta and Facebook, so be sure to follow along! 

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