Wilma Keighley
Senior Director, Primary Pharmacology

Pfizer Global Research and Development, Sandwich, UK

Wilma Keighley heads the team responsible for all Structure Activity Relationship generation in support of therapeutic areas located at the Sandwich site, which include pain, anti-infectives , genitourinary and respiratory diseases. Structure Activity Relationship describes how changes in the chemical structure affect the biological activity of a compound.

Clearly, Structure Activity Relationship wasn't on Wilma's mind when her high school chemistry teacher was making chemicals explode-but that class and the excitement she felt watching the experiments put her on the path to becoming a scientist. In addition to her work in the lab, Wilma is a Pfizer Science Ambassador, and as such she speaks to groups about the role and value of the pharmaceutical industry in bettering health care around the world.

Wilma also enjoys the analytical aspects of trying to figure out why things don't work, which is appropriate as the life of a scientist is marked by many failed attempts at success. As she notes, "I wish people would realize how many disappointments there are and how committed you have to be. Many people will never be associated with a drug that will get to market and that has absolutely nothing to do with their talent or how hard they work. But they still come into work everyday to try to make a difference."

Wilma is married with two teenaged daughters and three cats. Leisure time is spent playing percussion (badly) and gardening.