Diversity in Life Sciences

I’m Makhosi Edmondson and I’m a senior scientist at Janssen R&D in Spring House, PA. My career journey began in South Africa where I received my Ph.D. in Cardiovascular Medicine from the University of Cape Town (ranking #1 in Africa) before completing postdoctoral research at UNC, Chapel Hill and Georgetown University. I then joined the Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) Disease Area Stronghold Discovery Team in CVM at Johnson & Johnson (Janssen R&D) in November 2018 from the CBER Division at the FDA where I evaluated synthetic hemoglobins in cardiac dysfunction and mitochondrial bioenergetics, garnering me with over 10 years of PAH/Cardiovascular experience. During my time at Janssen, I have supported various programs through development of key in vitro and in vivo assays that differentiate treatment strategies for PAH, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency and IPF. I have also taken on several program leadership roles which resulted in being awarded the Leadership Innovation Award for outstanding achievement in research and development. I was recently nominated for a role as a rotating lead team member for the PAH disease area stronghold beginning January 2022.

I’m passionate about driving innovation that improves the lives of patients through solving scientific challenges. In my spare time I enjoy traveling, reading, stage theatre productions, crocheting and spending quality time with friends and family.