Meet the nextGEN
Nathalie Donne - ErVimmune
Who or what called you to lead?
Helping my cardiologist mother taught me how care transforms lives.
I grew up in a home where my parents were doctors and my mother, a cardiologist, often spoke to patients on the telephone. Of course, we didn't have mobile phones back then - just the landline with a chord. So, in the evenings, my sister and I would do our homework in the kitchen while my mother prepared dinner and we answered the telephone for her.
Usually, patients would call her with questions about test results and changes to their medication. I remember answering the phone and calling to my mother across the room “This is Madame La-la, and she’s asking if she should change her medication dosage!”
And my mother could remember every detail about her patients! She knew what condition they had and what medication and dose they were taking, all off the top of her head. Because these people were calling all the time, they got to know me and my sister - some even gave us Christmas presents - and I got to know them as well.
Many had chronic conditions and we spoke to them frequently on the telephone. I truly felt the positive impact they got from those conversations. They were worried about their health and some couldn’t wait days to know if they should change their medication, so those conversations helped them feel taken care of.
It was a unique experience, and those kinds of interactions are rare now with the prevalence of mobile phones.
Reflecting on those experiences, I realised my desire to work in a field that provides solutions for people with chronic diseases. So, I pursued training in biotech and eventually joined a startup focused on immunotherapy for food allergies.
Pr Depil, founder of ErVimmune built that company from the ground up, I joined the adventure in 2021 and that experience taught me the value of commitment, trust, and teamwork, and inspired me to continue working in healthcare and co-lead ErVimmune.
Nathalie’s full profile is available for our members inside the community.