It’s no wonder Women We Admire named Rebecca Watters ’06 on the “Top 50 Women Leaders of Pittsburgh in 2024” list! Watters is driven to improve the care of those with cancer as a field medical director on the breast oncology team at Pfizer, where she bridges the gap between scientific research and clinical practice.
Initially entering Allegheny College as a pre-medical student, Watters says the education the College provided opened opportunities to explore her passion for research.
“The rigorous academic work at Allegheny created the foundation needed to build the necessary critical thinking, problem-solving, and technical skills to set me up early for success in my graduate work and beyond,” says Watters.
After graduating from Allegheny College with a biology major and a psychology minor, Watters worked as a research technician at the University of Pittsburgh and earned a doctorate in molecular medicine from Pennsylvania State University.
Watters returned to the University of Pittsburgh for a postdoctoral fellowship at the Women’s Cancer Research Center to study how breast cancer metastasizes (travels) to the bone. Simultaneously, her research earned a grant from the Department of Defense.
For over a decade, Watters continued her career at the University of Pittsburgh, rising to be a research assistant professor and to an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedics to continue her groundbreaking work. Watters gained recognition as she received the Career Catalyst Award from Susan G. Komen and a Young Investigator Award by METAvivor. Her contributions have been published in over 30+ scientific journals.
During the same time, Watters served as the associate director for the Pittsburgh Center for Bone & Mineral Research and the co-director of the Musculoskeletal Oncology Laboratory. She also graduated from the CORO Pittsburgh Women in Leadership Academy and received a Cribs for Kids – Woman of Achievement award in research and healthcare.
Dedicated to women in science, Watters proudly served as the local and national membership chairs for the organization Women in Bio. She also served as an honorary board member at Hair Peace Charities and volunteered with the Breast Cancer Research Advocate Network with UPMC.
Watters credits Allegheny College for encouraging her to think outside the lines.
“The Senior Comprehensive project was a great introduction into independent thinking for developing my own research questions and learning the best approaches for how to generate evidence to answer these biological questions,” reflects Watters.
Watters later earned her executive master in business administration in healthcare from the University of Pittsburgh, prompted by her interest in the potential commercialization of her research and a desire to switch career paths.
She would pursue a new career as a medical science liaison at Natera, a clinical genetic testing company, and later as a senior medical science liaison at Seagen Inc., where she focused on antibody-drug conjugates, a class of targeted cancer therapies.
Pfizer ultimately acquired the company and repositioned Watters as a field medical director in its new oncology unit. Currently, she educates stakeholders about new therapies for breast cancer, supports clinical trials, and gathers insights on Pfizer products for medical strategy development.
Watters notes, “One of the most fulfilling aspects is the ability to directly impact patient care by providing healthcare professionals with critical information about therapies, ultimately improving patient outcomes.”
