For the month of June, we'll be featuring LGBTQIA+ staff and residents in the LabCentral community. This month features Paul Yaworksy, CSO at Mediar Therapeutics!

How do you celebrate pride and what does it mean to you?
For me, Pride has many meanings. It’s a time of gratitude for those who came before us and fought for equitable treatment. It’s a call to action for us all to continue raising our voices and demand equal protections under the law. And, it’s a time to celebrate and support diversity in all of its forms.

What is your favorite part of working with Mediar?
No question⁠—it’s the team. It’s a joy to come to work every day knowing that each person is using their expertise and talents to advance Mediar’s mission to bring novel anti-fibrotic therapies to patients. Every day I feel like we are making positive advances with our science and that can only be accomplished by a great team effort. (Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the office is always jam packed with candy!)

If you had to pick one type of food to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I would be thrilled with Japanese food every day!

What is your favorite movie?
Coming back to Pride, I recently re-watched Moonlight and I’m still thinking about it. It won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2016. With great compassion, it tells the coming-of-age story of a young man through three stages of his life. It will resonate with anybody who has struggled with identity or to find connections in a lonely place.