Mary Weiler is enthusiastic about everything in her life. Raised in a world of morning-to-evening adventures with little technology and lots of time outdoors, she has raised her own children to embrace summer camps and time away from electronic devices. Mary's love of the natural world is now balanced with her desire for the increased knowledge necessary to advance the science of nutrition. Her passion for life and activity helps fuel her efforts to develop pediatric and maternal nutrition products to optimize health for this and future generations. Her life's satisfaction lies in improving others' opportunities. Let’s get to know her.
You'd describe your childhood as … Pretty idyllic! My mother set us loose in the morning to play with friends in the neighborhood and we returned for dinner. Board games and a little television was our definition of technology for entertainment. Being unplugged has its advantages. I sent my kids to camp every summer and they were forced to check their phones and computers at the door. They thanked me later for the context it provided to their life.
Your 20-words-ish resume … A biochemist that pivoted to nutritionist as they are so inherently related who helps design pediatric and maternal nutrition products which promote healthy growth for generations.
Why this work, what drew you to it … The greatest perk we have as scientists at Abbott, is we can purchase any scientific article that interests us (obviously related to our work). I don't ever want to stop learning and I quickly realized I would have that opportunity here. Nutrition and biochemistry are my greatest fascination. This is what I would be spending my time reading about if I did not work here. Is this work?
Your proudest professional moment … My doctoral dissertation. The process is a bit grueling, any question under the realm of biochemistry was game, it was a monumental jumping off point.
When you're not Dr. Weiler, for fun Mary likes to … I love gardening and horticulture, hiking, mountain biking, alpine climbing and skiing or doing anything outdoors especially in the mountains.
Your dreams for the future … To make a meaningful difference in our understanding of how nutrition impacts health, especially in the maternal space; advances will have a generational impact.
Best advice you ever heard … There are 3 things in life that are never worth chasing because they are relative descriptors that impact our feeling of self-worth; beauty, intelligence and wealth. There will always be someone who has more, so never worry about how much of them you have. Comparison is the thief of joy!
Thanks for joining us. Any closing thoughts? Give 100% and expect 0% in return, it always leads to surprising results.
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