Julia Levy - In Sight: My Life in Science and Health Innovation

Rotman-UTP Publishing
An imprint of University of Toronto Press
Toronto Buffalo London
utorontopress.com

Julia Levy 2020

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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Title: In sight : my life in science and biotech / Julia Levy.

Names: Levy, Julia G., 1934 author.

Description: Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 2020029895X | Canadiana (ebook) 2020029900X | ISBN 9781487508319 (cloth) | ISBN 9781487537999 (EPUB) | ISBN 9781487537982 (PDF)

Subjects: LCSH: Levy, Julia G., 1934 | LCSH: Microbiologists Canada Biography. | LCSH: College teachers Canada Biography. | LCSH: Chief executive officers Canada Biography. | LCGFT: Autobiographies.

Classification: LCC QR31.L48 A3 2020 | DDC 579.092dc23

ISBN 978-1-4875-0831-9 (cloth)ISBN 978-1-4875-3799-9 (EPUB)
ISBN 978-1-4875-3798-2 (PDF)

Printed in Canada

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario, for our publishing activities.

To Ed, my life partner

Dr. Julia Levy is a remarkable woman with an enviable story, but one that includes great loss. She was a trailblazer in science and the biotechnology industry, seamlessly transitioning between academia and industry. Her story would be just as fascinating if it were happening today, and is even more engaging in that it took shape in the 1960s, at a time when women typically stayed home. It certainly wasnt a time when women pursued PhDs in science, went on to be university professors, and then became CEOs of billion-dollar companies.

Dr. Levy immigrated to Canada from Jakarta after the Dutch surrendered to the Germans. Her British mother gave up her citizenship when she married her Dutch father the norms of the 1940s. Politics and the war provide the backdrop for Dr. Levys immigration to Vancouver, Canada. She portrays herself as different and curious, often getting into trouble as a child. She grew up in a time when most girls were deterred from studying science in university, and she succeeded despite the stereotypes. Her story reflects how people in that era did not typically dwell on the bad, but rather figured out how to make life work.

This very practical approach to life resonates throughout Dr. Levys autobiography. Scientific advances are woven into her own life story. For example, as an undergraduate student, Julia was intrigued with virology and bacteriology after learning how William Jenner made an observation that led to vaccines. Moreover, Julia enjoyed a wonderfully fascinating environment during her PhD and post-doctoral training, as she was surrounded by Nobel laureates.

Dr. Levys biography is honest and reflects a woman with integrity and a deep dedication to science and its application to products that impacted patients lives significantly. Dr. Levy beat all of the odds and was definitely a trailblazer in Canada, North America, and indeed the world. Dr. Levy had a junior faculty position at the University of British Columbia at age twenty-four, already with a baby in tow. This was a remarkable achievement then and would be equally remarkable today.

She developed an idea, brought it to fruition, and built a billion-dollar company along the way.

Dr. Levy emphasizes the importance of a deep scientific grounding as the backbone for the products that she brought to market. Having deep knowledge and understanding of her product made the difference between Dr. Levys success and her competitors failures. These ideas resonate with me and my own pursuits to bring products to market. The innovation economy, on which we all base our future, is built on these ideas modelled by Dr. Levy and at a time before innovation economy was a buzzword.

She describes her life leading up to the founding of QLT in a matter-of-fact tone. Her writing is open and easy to read. We learn about the many trials and tribulations of bringing a blockbuster drug to market. We learn about all the landmines along this journey and we discover that even after success landmines continue to emerge. I enjoyed reading this book once and know that I will return to it repeatedly to get inspiration and guidance as I pursue my own journey to translate ideas into products.

Dr. Levy had the tenacity to succeed in a mans world and the wherewithal to forge a new way of advancing knowledge from the lab to a spin-off company that was one of Canadas great successes of the 1990s and 2000s.

I am grateful to Dr. Julia Levy she cultivated an environment that made it easier for me and my generation to succeed in science. Society has certainly advanced since she forged new ground, yet women still face an undercurrent of discrimination in academia and industry in terms of promotions and leadership opportunities. I have benefited from Dr. Levys wisdom. Ive learned more about science, entrepreneurship, and life and feel richer for having read her autobiography.

Molly Shoichet, PhD, O.C., O.Ont., FRS
Professor, University of Toronto

News that Holland had surrendered to the invading Nazis reached the Dutch East Indies on May 15, 1940. That date was also my sixth birthday.

On May 10, panzers overran the largely undefended border between neutral Holland and Germany while the Luftwaffe flattened the city of Rotterdam. The country surrendered on May 14. My family at that time was living in Batavia (now Jakarta) on the island of Java (now in Indonesia), which was part of the Dutch East Indies.

I remember the day well my expectations were high for the promised party with cake and candles after my sister Pamela returned from school.

But Pamela didnt go to school that day, and my mother was clearly distracted. She spent a lot of time in conversation with the lady who lived next door. And the servants were nowhere to be seen, keeping out of sight in their quarters.

We lived in a comfortable bungalow with large covered verandahs front and back in a middle-class neighborhood. The house servants our amah, a cook, and two maids lived in a separate building at the rear of our back garden, connected to our house with a covered walk.

I knew there was something wrong, and it made me nervous.

My mother told me a few years later that the white population in Indonesia was terrified that day after receiving warnings on radio that the Javanese might well rise up against their Dutch masters now that Holland had been defeated. Women were warned to keep their children close and advised to carry bags of pepper around with them in case they were accosted.

She also told me what a pest I was that day. I had expected to be the center of attention, and I wasnt. Worse, the number of children coming to my party had dwindled. I misbehaved terribly about the cake, insisting that all six candles on it were mine, along with the chocolate roses that served as holders for the candles. Having acquired the candles I then proceeded to eat one before my mother stopped me.