Dr. Katharina Grötsch

Biotech Connection Los Angeles was founded in 2014 by Dr. Katrina Choe and Dr. Stefanie Volland. Today, a decade later, it has grown into an impactful organization of 20-30 graduate students and postdocs that continues to promote and foster the growth of Los Angeles as a biotech hub. BCLA now includes a network of over 8000 students and professionals, a Consulting team, and produces the podcast Inside Biotech. To celebrate a decade of educating, connecting, and inspiring, we are checking in with previous Presidents of BCLA to ask them about their time in leadership and their perspective on BCLA’s impact in Los Angeles.

Katharina (Kathy) Grotsch served as BCLA President from 2021 to 2022. She currently works as a Copy Supervisor at Area 23, a company focused on healthcare marketing and advertising, and sits on BCLA’s Advisory Board. Kathy earned her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Southern California in 2022. Her involvement with BCLA began early in her PhD journey, driven by a desire to explore career opportunities for PhD scientists in the biotech industry. She recalls, “I really wanted to learn as much as I could,” so when her roommate mentioned an organization that connected students from different LA campuses and involved people at various academic levels, Kathy decided to join BCLA to support its mission of personal connection and education to foster a growing biotech industry.

During her presidency, Kathy was instrumental in launching and producing the Inside Biotech podcast alongside co-producer Ananta Wadwa and host Yewande Pearce in 2021. Inside Biotech was created to showcase the people, science, and startups that make up LA’s blossoming ecosystem, providing another avenue for the BCLA community and beyond to learn about and connect with the LA biotech scene. During her tenure, Inside Biotech featured guests like Basepaws founder Anna Skaya and Brazen Bio Inc. co-founder and CEO Shawn Carbonell, covering topics ranging from alternative careers in biotech to the science and companies behind plant-based food. Kathy shares that Inside Biotech “opened me up to different possibilities and what I could do with my specific skill set... and it helped me find my current industry.” Today, Inside Biotech, now hosted by BCLA’s co-Director of Strategic Operations Gabriella Rubert, has released 25 episodes and continues to highlight the inspiring people and companies contributing to LA’s growing biotech community.

Over the past decade, Los Angeles' biotech ecosystem has undergone a significant transformation. Despite economic challenges and decreased interpersonal contact due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles biotech has experienced tremendous growth and continues to retain top talent from prestigious institutions such as UCLA, Caltech, USC, UCI, UCSD, and more. Biotech Connection Los Angeles (BCLA) has played a pivotal role in this evolution, fostering connections and promoting innovation within the community. Kathy proudly expresses, “I think LA’s biotech ecosystem has certainly grown, and I think it’s a reason that more and more talent from the top institutions is willing to stay here. And I’d like to think that BCLA has played a big part in this.” Not only does BCLA foster connections and the spread of information that fuel biotech growth and innovation, but it is also committed to the professional development of the individuals who will continue advancing LA’s biotech hub for generations to come.