Social Change

As the Vice President and Director of Scientific and Public Health for GSK’s Vaccines practice, Dr. Len Friedland has a very rewarding job, but his sense of purpose extends beyond his day job to support people in poor health as well as those with limited access to quality healthcare, as a volunteer. “Helping patients feel better and live longer aren’t just words to me—they’re part of who I am. The way I see it, having great science at the company is fantastic, but it means nothing unless we make sure this science benefits the right people,” said Len.

Four years ago, a disease that rarely made headlines — Ebola — raged in West Africa. There was no vaccine, treatment or cure. Though the initial response was slow, the international community ultimately mobilized resources, developed scientific innovations and promised to make sure a tragedy on the same scale would never happen again.

In 1992, as a young HIV/AIDS researcher in her native Netherlands, Hanneke Schuitemaker, Ph.D., now Vice President, Global Head of Viral Vaccine Discovery and Translational Medicine, Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., was devoted to learning as much as she could about the disease—and saw her role as that of a researcher, rather than someone who closely interacted with people who were living with HIV.

More businesses are becoming a force for good in society. Sound like an alternate reality? Check out the notable moments from the last year that brought us here.

This year, Hallmark chose a movie with a largely African-American cast, Christmas Everlasting, for its coveted Thanksgiving weekend premiere.

On this day in 1953 – Dec. 17 – the iconic national community improvement nonprofit organization Keep America Beautiful was founded when a group of corporate, civic and environmental leaders gathered to unite the public and private sectors to foster a national cleanliness ethic. Sixty-five years later, the remarkable scope and influence of Keep America Beautiful still touches millions of Americans every year in its effort to end littering, improve recycling and beautify America’s communities.

Graduate school completely changed this guest author’s thoughts about sustainability issues, and equipped her with a toolkit for analyzing environmental challenges and implementing circular economy solutions.

Lexington, Kentucky, was once one of the largest slave auction sites in the U.S. Today, the same site where African American men, women, and children were once sold as property is telling a different story, thanks to the civic art project “I Was Here.”

Make a difference this holiday season by taking small steps that can make a meaningful difference by reducing waste and your carbon footprint. And since it’s the season of giving, share these eco-friendly tips with family and friends!

Shift President and Co-Founder Caroline Rees talked with the Erb Institute about how companies can measure social performance, the mission of Shift and its most recent flagship project, Valuing Respect.