For Arti, Giselle and Maria their desire for purpose began with a moment that changed everything and grew into something powerfully global.<\/p>\n
Each of them brings a different perspective. Each of them shapes impact in their own way. And all three are united by a belief that when science, purpose and compassion come together, extraordinary things happen.<\/p>\n
Giselle is leading with empathy in Mexico City<\/p>\n
Giselle says this without hesitation because she knows what it takes to push through when it’s hard. A committed triathlete, she understands that becoming great isn’t a solo journey. You need people. But it’s her cycling coach who taught her the most profound lesson of all. Her coach has multiple sclerosis. And she still trains people.<\/p>\n
Watching someone manage a chronic disease while refusing to let it stop them from pursuing their passion changed something in Giselle. It became more than inspiration. It became her purpose. “I see parallels between training for a race and working at Novartis. You need people, the way we collaborate, how we understand, and how we help each other. We need all of us together to keep going to do this great marathon of life.”<\/p>\n
Now as Neuroscience Medical Head at Novartis Mexico, Giselle has found a place where her personal purpose and professional purpose align. At the heart of her strategy is health equity: building a world where people like her coach can still thrive.<\/p>\n
Watch Giselle’s story<\/a>.<\/p>\n Maria is tackling a silent epidemic in Bolivia<\/p>\n Like Giselle, Maria’s story starts close to home and unfolds in communities where a disease most of the world has forgotten continues to devastate lives.<\/p>\n The disease is called Chagas. Spread by insects called “kissing bugs” that appear at night, it attacks silently. A small itch. A parasite in your bloodstream. Then decades of no symptoms, until the disease comes back “with such a violent force.” “It’s like being in a jail,” Maria explains.<\/p>\n For Maria, this isn’t an abstract health crisis. It’s her mother’s story. “My mum was very sporty, very lively.” After her Chagas diagnosis, Maria watched helplessly as that vitality faded. “It was like watching a candle fade away in the wind.”<\/p>\n Today, Maria leads a project in Bolivia (the worldwide epicenter for Chagas) that’s tackling a neglected disease in a way that makes patients feel “understood, valued, seen, and worthwhile.” She’s become the link between state-of-the-art science at Novartis and real-life patients in vulnerable communities.<\/p>\n “I consider it a real privilege,” she says. Because this isn’t just work. It’s honoring her mother by ensuring other families don’t have to watch their loved ones fade away.<\/p>\n