Dr Bu Siakpere: Championing Inclusion in Science and Medicine
Posted on: Wednesday 11 February 2026
Celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Wednesday 11 February 2026
About Bu
Dr Bu Siakpere FFPM is a Senior Global Medical Director at GSK and a Fellow of FPM with a Pharmaceutical Medicine specialisation. Bu has held GSK UK and global medical affairs roles of increasing seniority and started her pharmaceutical career at BMS after practising in the UK NHS. Bu also practised as a medical officer in rural South Africa and undertook a special assignment at Save the Children as the global pneumonia advisor. Bu is also Chair of the FPM Equality, Diversity and Inclusion forum, Global co-lead of the GSK EMBRACE race and ethnicity employee resource group, and a STEM Ambassador.
What first sparked your interest in science?
I was fascinated by nature, ‘how things’ worked and ‘space’ from an early age. This led me eventually to study medicine.
What gender-related challenges have you faced as a woman in science, and what helped you overcome them?
I remember sitting in school physics lessons where boys outnumbered girls. I quietly got on with my studies but it struck me that there was a significant imbalance in choices that were made that would impact our future career options. Later in life as a qualified doctor questions arose about the suitability of particular branches of medicine that could provide options to balance personal life choices and this is also true within pharmaceutical medicine. My career choices reflect the realities of expectations of myself, my values and how I can best make a contribution to the best of my abilities to medicine.
What changes would you like to see to better support women and girls pursuing careers in science?
Working with schools, parents / carers and others who influence the perceptions of young people is important. Opportunities to work flexibly removes a significant amount of the tension that comes with balancing personal and work priorities reducing the attrition of talented women choosing between careers and having a family or other caring responsibilities. This is a loss of highly valuable diversity of thought and lived experiences to science and pharmaceutical medicine. Employers who are creative in how careers can be grown within a trusting environment are more inclusive.
What message would you like to give to women and girls aspiring to make their mark in the field of science?
Be courageous, believe in your abilities, be curious, make connections, explore how and where you can make the best contribution you can to be fulfilled in your career choice and make a positive impact.
How does recognition as a Fellow of FPM reflect your journey in science, and what does it mean to you in terms of inspiring and supporting the next generation?
Role models are important – I am an active STEM ambassador going into London schools of many types speaking to students from nursery age up to pre-university years about life sciences and clinical medicine. As a Fellow of FPM (FFPM) I take a visible role in the pharmaceutical medicine community actively contributing to developing pharmaceutical physicians and as Chair of the FPM EDI forum.
