This year the theme of International Women’s Day on March 8^th is #Choosetochallenge – encouraging people to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality.

Inequality in the workplace is still, in some areas and markets, sadly still apparent. Here at Covance, Leeds we are encouraging all our team to show their support and raise their hands to show they’re in. 

Gender inequality simply should no longer be an issue but whilst unfortunately it still exists we need to make sure that everyone is confident to call it out if they do feel it is happening in their place of work.

At Covance we are a diverse team and that is why, we believe, we work well. Different experiences make more informed decisions. Our unit is led by Heather Davis who is passionate about all the team having opportunities in their work life to thrive and best suit their life choices.

One valued team member is Syeda Lipi Begum who works in Good Manufacturing Practice Quality Assurance at Covance – in short this is the pharmaceutical manufacturing part of the business. Syeda is making sure the necessary systems and process are in place to ensure quality, safety and efficacy of the drug we manufacture

Syeda has worked at Covance since graduating in 2006. Coming from a traditional Asian background, her ambition to follow a career in science was not really the norm for a young girl. However encouraged by her parents, she decided to keep on doing what she enjoyed and went to University in Bradford to study for a BSC in Pharmaceutical Management. Following her graduation she joined Covance.

She initially joined the company as a Pharmacy Technical Assistant. During this time she completed a qualification in Pharmacy Services, so that she could register as a Pharmacy Technician.

Syeda said: “I can’t quite believe I have been with Covance nearly 15 years now! When I started, I was not entirely convinced that I was going to work in this area for the long term, but I soon became aware of the support and encouragement Covance gives its employees.

“I have been fortunate to work in a company where gender inequality simply does not exist. There are women in all levels within Covance. Women in leadership positions alongside male colleagues is the norm.

“I don’t doubt gender inequality is still active in other areas of work. Everyone needs to #choosetochallenge and stand up to it if they see it happening. If we stay quiet it will carry on. I am proud to support International Women’s Day.”

Syeda’s role today within Covance’s has evolved and she is currently in the process of qualifying to become a QP (Qualified Person). This is a person who is responsible for certifying batches of drug product before it can be released for use. Syeda has been encouraged and supported by Covance throughout this training.

As we embark on a new year, January always seems to have a focus on health. Most of us are full of good intentions.  This year, more than ever, people are conscious about their health and how keeping healthy through diet and exercise can play a huge part in fighting off viruses and diseases.

This January it is Love your Liver month a national campaign led by the British Liver Trust Organisation, focusing on how we should all look after our livers in order to be healthier.

Did you know that the liver is our largest solid organ in our body? It is also vital for our overall health. Look after your liver and it will look after you!  Currently one in three of us are at risk at getting liver disease, when it is in fact pretty simple to prevent with lifestyle changes.

Our livers have a lot of jobs to do to help keep our bodies healthy. One of these jobs is processing the alcohol we drink. The more we drink the harder it is for our liver to process it quick enough, which in turn means damaged cells. So, the obvious advice here is to keep your alcohol intake to the recommended in take (no more than 14 units per week) and try to have three days off drinking any alcohol each week, to give your liver time to repair itself.  

Our livers also process most of the nutrients and fats from the foods we eat. If we’re overweight we can increase the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease which can cause lasting liver damage. Simple steps we can take include eating a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water plus taking at least 30 minutes of exercise each day if you can.

The British Liver Trust has put a simple screening questionnaire on its website for you to see if you’re putting your liver at risk. Nine out of ten liver diseases are preventable, but it’s often detected too late for intervention to make a difference – so we need to be mindful of our livers at all times. Treat them right!

At Covance Leeds we have a trial looking at treatments for liver disease coming up soon. We will be looking for healthy volunteers to get involved. It may be that you’ve had a family member or friend who has suffered from liver disease and you’d like to help future patients. Check out forthcoming trials on our website for more information or get in touch to register your interest and apply to become a volunteer with Covance.

We think this year has gone by so quickly and now we find ourselves in winter again, we wanted to bring you some tips to supercharge your wellness this winter! Here at Covance Leeds, we are all about health and wellbeing and we wanted to share some wisdom with you, to make you feel better in body and mind this winter!

Nutrition

Eating a balanced diet with a healthy amount of protein and carbohydrates is a crucial way of staying healthy this winter. There are plenty of healthy winter recipes to be found in this collection from BBC Good Food – https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/healthy-winter

At this time of year many of us can fall prey to the dreaded common cold, but there are some easy ways you can boost your immune system by adding a few key things to your diet. Citrus fruits are rich in Vitamin C, known to improve the production of white blood cells, which are key to warding off infections.

Antioxidants are found in a variety of sources, such as green vegetables like broccoli and leafy vegetables like spinach and courgettes. The more fruits and vegetables in your diet the merrier as most are rich in vitamins and antioxidants!

Sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is key to feeling good throughout the day and being productive. Lack of sleep affects mood and concentration and it can contribute to more serious health problems such as obesity and diabetes. The NHS has an excellent resource of tips for getting a good night’s sleep on their website : https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/how-to-get-to-sleep/

Exercise

Most of us know the benefits of regular exercise to our health and wellbeing but finding the time to exercise when you lead a busy lifestyle can be difficult. Thirty minutes of brisk walking a few times per week  is a simple way to boost your exercise regime and walking to work or university is a good way to make time for this. Try setting your alarm half an hour earlier or making time for a walk in your lunchbreak during busy times. According to NHS ‘Sometimes overlooked as a form of exercise, walking briskly can help you build stamina, burn excess calories and make your heart healthier.’ Check out these easy ten minute workouts from NHS if you are pushed for time : https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/10-minute-workouts/

Fresh air

Being outside is sometimes less appealing during the winter months due to the weather, but as long as you wrap up warm getting outside is so beneficial to health and wellness. Check out this interesting article from Mental Floss ‘11 Scientific Benefits of Being Outdoors’, which links being outdoors to boosting energy, creativity and the immune system : http://mentalfloss.com/article/70548/11-scientific-benefits-being-outdoors

We hope that you all find these winter wellness tips helpful and thank you for reading our latest blog from here at Covance Leeds!

Here at Covance, we believe that raising awareness of mental health issues is vital. ‘World Mental Health Day’ is this week on Thursday 10th October, and this year’s theme, set by the ‘World Federation for Mental Health’ is suicide prevention. In 2018 there were 6507 deaths in the UK from suicide. Anybody killing themselves is too many.

For those that may be suffering from mental health issues there is a range of support available here in the UK.

The NHS have a superb website called ‘Every Mind Matters’ where you can find useful information about mental health, and get your own ‘Mind Plan’ with advice for how to look after your own mental health, by taking a short quiz. Visit the link to their website to find out more: https://bit.ly/2Iy49s1  

The charity ‘Mind’ does amazing work to break down the barriers surrounding mental health and encourage open dialogue surrounding the topic. You can visit the information & support section of their website here to learn more: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/

A valued colleague and friend of ours here at Covance Leeds, James is helping to raise funds for the Mind charity in Leeds. James is taking part in ‘Rat Race Hell Runner 2019’ on Sunday 12th October in memory of his friend Maud, a young woman who took her own life recently. You can support his fundraising by visiting this link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hell-run-for-maud  

Rat Race Hell Runner is a half marathon, which sees participants running a course of 13 miles through hills, bogs and water, so we want to say a huge ‘good luck’ to James, who is taking part along with a group of his friends to raise money for this worthy cause.