LEAD Reverse Mentoring Pair
Chris Olalekan Akinsulie and Michael P. Maher
Chris Olalekan Akinsulie, DVM, MS, Reverse Mentor
Chris Olalekan Akinsulie is a first-generation doctoral student from Nigeria with a background in Veterinary Medicine. He holds two master’s degrees: one in Biochemistry and another in Infectious Diseases and One Health from the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. He is a doctoral candidate in Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Washington State University Pullman. His research focuses on characterizing the functional immune response to an intracellular bacterium, Anaplasma marginale, to identify candidates for downstream vaccine development.
What new skills do you seek to gain as a reverse mentor?
I look forward to building my people skills, which include efficient communication skills and empathy stemming from emotional intelligence, active listening, tolerance, conflict resolution, and persuasion. I believe this would ultimately improve my leadership capacity.
How is mentoring important to your career development?
Mentoring is essential for clarifying achievable career goals and directing my energy toward areas of strength. More so, it’s a useful opportunity to build a strong professional network for career advancement. It would also help me learn new perspectives and assess my skills and experiences from a different lens.
How does diversity and inclusivity impact your leadership style?
A culture of diversity and inclusivity is essential to make everyone feel valued, worthy, and super motivated to do what they need to do regardless of their race, orientation, and background. I believe leading a diverse set of people would encourage new perspectives, support innovation, and expand the frontiers of knowledge and productivity.
Chris Olalekan Akinsulie is a member of American Physiological Society and American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, FASEB member societies.
Michael P. Maher, PhD, Reverse Mentee
Michael P. Maher is a scientific director at The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. He leads a team of researchers who are dedicated to discovering and developing new therapies for psychiatric disorders. Maher has over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with an emphasis in neuroscience and expertise in cell biology, biochemistry, and pre-clinical studies.
Maher's mission is to translate scientific insights into innovative solutions that can improve the lives of patients and their families. He has contributed to several drug discovery projects, from target identification and validation to lead optimization and candidate selection, using various tools and techniques such as electrophysiology, cell culture, and high-throughput screening. He also collaborates with internal and external partners, including academic institutions, biotech companies, and CROs, to advance scientific knowledge and accelerate the drug development process.