Olfat Berro grew up in Lebanon in a poor community affected by the 15-year war (1975–90). That experience showed her how hard it was for people to access healthcare and shaped her aim to improve services and access to medicines in the region.
Berro studied pharmaceutical sciences at the Lebanese University and completed a doctorate of practice at Claude Bernard University Lyon in France. She returned to Lebanon and joined Roche in 2003 as a medical sales representative. In 2015 she became country manager for Roche in Lebanon and, four years later, was appointed area head for the Middle East — the first woman at the company to hold that role.
She cites family support, colleagues and managers, and a focus on self-development for her progress. In 2022 she helped launch RiSE, a Roche talent development programme for PhD and medical students. As area head she established collaborations across the region, including work in Egypt from 2020 that screened more than 29 million women and reduced advanced-stage breast cancer by 50 per cent. Roche has also begun a partnership on liver cell cancer and supported digital transformation in Iraq and Bahrain. Berro highlights research on drug effects in different racial groups and Roche’s work on pricing and access so patients can get needed medicines.
Difficult words
- access — ability to use or reach services or goodsaccess to medicines
- pharmaceutical — related to medicine production and drug research
- doctorate — university degree at the highest academic level
- appoint — to choose someone for a job or positionappointed
- collaboration — work together with others on a projectcollaborations
- screen — to check people for a disease or conditionscreened
- advanced-stage — a later and more serious phase of illness
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How might growing up during a long war influence a person's career choices?
- Which kinds of support mentioned in the text do you think helped Berro most, and why?
- Do you think large screening programmes are useful in your country? Give reasons.
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