Scientist, Innovator, and Advocate for Humanizing Healthcare
This month, we’re delighted to welcome Kay Abesamis to The Good Listening Project’s Board of Directors. Kay brings nearly a decade of experience in oncology and blood cancer research at Pfizer, where she focuses on developing new therapies for leukemia, prostate cancer, and bladder cancer.
With a background in biotechnology and a passion for applying science to improve patient care, Kay bridges the worlds of biology and humanity – always asking how innovation can best serve patients.
For Kay, The Good Listening Project offers a way to reconnect science and medicine with the human stories at their core. Below, she reflects on her journey, her connection to poetry, and what drew her to the mission of The Good Listening Project.
How would you describe the work that you do? What are your roles in your communities?
I work in oncology and blood cancer research at Pfizer, focusing specifically on leukemia. I’ve been in the cancer space for about nine years, working on rare leukemias as well as prostate and bladder cancers. My work truly immerses me.
I attended a science high school just as biotechnology was booming. That sparked my early dreams: could we one day find ways to hone in on targeting cancer cells? What felt like imagination back then is now the reality I get to live – developing treatments that make a real impact in cancer therapy.
At the heart of it all, though, is one question: how do we best serve patients?
What is the first memory you have of feeling moved by poetry?
I first encountered poetry in school, but it became much more meaningful after I married my husband, who is Dutch. In the Netherlands, poetry is a big part of everyday life, and people write poetry all the time. On St. Nicholas Day, for example, you exchange gifts – but first, you receive a poem, written as if from St. Nicholas himself. I have always been moved by Dutch poetry, and that tradition helped me see poetry as something very personal.
But the moment I was truly moved by a poem through The Good Listening Project was the very first poem Jenny shared with us at my first board meeting. This poem happened to be written for a person from the Philippines, and I was just bawling, crying – and even now thinking about it I’m in tears. It spoke to experiences and stories I am familiar with, and I felt like it spoke to my own family’s history. It showed me the incredible power of poetry to hit straight to the heart.
I think about how unique this medium is. At some point, I hope we can create projects with poems specific to breast, prostate, or bladder cancer – so patients and families can feel seen in a new way.
What first drew you to The Good Listening Project and how did that experience influence your decision to join the Board?
Carina, a Certified Listener Poet, and now a fellow board member – and someone from my own neighborhood growing up – first introduced me to The Good Listening Project. She connected me with Jenny, who explained the work, and I was in tears.
What moves me most is how TGLP humanizes healthcare. It’s a call to action that resonates with me. Every day, I know the reality of the work we do: we aim to improve patient lives. And poetry brings us to the heart of each patient’s story, reminding us to truly listen to what they’re going through.
I see patient testimonials all the time in my work – but poetry takes it to another level. The way TGLP weaves stories into poems is so special, so moving. I had never seen poetry created in this context before, and it adds profound meaning to the work I do every day.