A Spotlight on DA4S
As an organization, we’ve always valued unique perspectives and have taken pride in our status as a woman-owned business. That’s why Avant Healthcare joined the Diversity Alliance for Science (DA4S) seven years ago. The mission of DA4S is to “provide a platform to identify, attract, and develop small and/or diverse businesses to drive inclusive procurement practices in corporate, academic, and governmental entities within the life science and healthcare industries.”
DA4S connects diversity-owned suppliers with buyers at some of the biggest life sciences companies. They’re the leading diversity organization for the life sciences industry and they hold two large meetings each year, where diverse suppliers can watch presentations by industry leaders, take part in workshops to develop their pitch and grow their business, as well as numerous opportunities to connect with diversity representatives and buyers. Our CEO Deborah Wood says this organization is a win-win for diverse suppliers and buyers.
“It’s much smaller than your average industry conference, more intimate,” Deborah said. “Those relationships do manifest into results. You have the opportunity to really get to know people.”
The year after Avant Healthcare first joined, Deborah was asked to be a member of the Board of Directors and in the last year of her three-year term she served as Vice President of the Board. Every year since joining, we have attended their East and West Coast meetings and from 2018-2019, Deborah was asked to lead the organization’s strategic planning efforts. Additionally, in 2017, Avant Healthcare’s parent company, DWA Healthcare Communications Group, won the Supplier of the Year Award—one of the organization’s most prestigious and coveted awards. These activities reflect a passion Deborah has for the success of diversity-owned suppliers.
“I used to think of diversity accreditation as mostly a check of the box,” Deborah said. “But DA4S ignited my passion about diversity-owned businesses. These organizations are innovative, fresh-thinking, and passionate about what they’re doing in their communities.”