Profile
IN LEADERSHIP
Alumna Jackie McCabe Flanagan ’06 Inspiration Started in the Science Lab for Notre Dame Alumna Notre Dame graduate Jackie McCabe Flanagan ’06 is a graduate from Georgetown University and received her PhD in Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She currently works at Bain & Company as a management consultant. “My first experience with hands-on lab research started at Notre Dame with Mrs. G. and Ms. Monck,” recalls Jackie. “At Notre Dame, I was exposed to a wide variety of classes – and loved history, government, mathematics and the sciences. I loved, and still love, learning and solving complex problems.” “Once at Georgetown, I found working in the lab to be a challenging and fulfilling addition to my daily coursework. I changed my major from government to biochemistry, and from my sophomore year on, I spent twenty hours a week and two summers in the lab researching drug resistance mechanisms in malaria parasites,” said Jackie. “It’s one thing to sit in interesting classes, and another thing to work hands-on in a lab – whether it be with malaria infected red blood cells or drug resistant cancer cells.” She graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown in 2010. Jackie continued her work in the sciences, earning a PhD in Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 2015. She was a recipient of the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Her research has been published in multiple scientific journals and focused on determining three-dimensional structures of proteins implicated in cancer pathogenesis. After graduation, Jackie accepted a job offer to be a consultant at Bain & Company in Washington, DC, where she serves clients both in healthcare and other industries to help them solve their most
complex and important problems. “I think it’s critical for women to be represented in the sciences and in the workforce,” said Jackie. “Women bring a unique perspective, we bring a different energy. If you’re tackling any issue, in the sciences, business, or law, you want the widest variety of perspectives, experiences, and thoughts. That is possible only if you have representation from both genders.” “I’m passionate about the value of an all girls’ education and I speak to that regularly,” said Jackie. “Notre Dame empowered me and gave me a voice; this voice has been critical in both my time in the lab and as a consultant.” “Whether it was inserting myself into a research lab and becoming part of a team, succeeding in grad school, or navigating this transition to management consulting, it’s been my strength, independence, and voice that have guided me. I know a large portion of that was developed and cemented at Notre Dame and I am extremely grateful,” said Jackie. When asked how she was inspired at Notre Dame, Jackie was quick to reply. “I was inspired by three things. First and foremost were the teachers. They were all very strong individuals who pushed us to new limits while at the same time being our friends and mentors. Then, I would say my classmates. Some of my best friends are from Notre Dame and these incredible relationships were inspired from my days at the Academy and are inspiring now. And, the third thing would be Notre Dame’s incredible sense of community. Notre Dame is a safe place to learn, to question, and to push boundaries. Notre Dame created the foundation of who I am now.”
2015-2016 Annual Report I ACADEMY OF NOTRE DAME DE NAMUR
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