Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann, a physician and scientist with a rich career in oncology and global health, shares her incredible journey through medicine. She recounts her experiences during the early AIDS crisis and her pivotal role in developing cancer therapies like Herceptin. The discussion deepens around the potential of AI in transforming healthcare, the innovations at Genentech, and the complexities of navigating drug development. Susan also reflects on leadership in global health, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and trust in public health initiatives.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Early AIDS Frontline Anecdote
Susan Desmond-Hellmann shares her experience treating early AIDS patients in San Francisco in 1982, before much was known about the disease.
She describes the fear, the mysterious presentation, and the impact on patients and medical staff during the crisis.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Uganda HIV/AIDS Medical Experience
Susan and her husband moved to Uganda during the late 1980s to study heterosexual HIV transmission and treat AIDS-related cancers.
She recounts the overwhelming HIV prevalence and the tragic patient outcomes due to lack of antiretroviral therapy.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Transition Back to Oncology and Pharma
After Uganda, Susan practiced traditional oncology in Kentucky before joining Bristol-Myers Squibb as a drug safety consultant on Taxol.
Her journey illustrates breaking through traditional oncology roles into pioneering drug development in pharma.
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Susan Desmond-Hellmann is a physician and scientist whose remarkable career has spanned clinical medicine, oncology, biotech innovation, and global health leadership. In this episode, Susan shares insights from her journey training in internal medicine during the early AIDS crisis, treating HIV-related cancers in Uganda, and developing groundbreaking cancer therapies like Herceptin and Avastin. She reflects on her leadership roles at UCSF and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, offering lessons on guiding large-scale health initiatives, navigating uncertainty, and fostering scientific innovation. The conversation explores the promise of precision medicine, the integration of patient care and policy, and the evolving role of artificial intelligence in transforming diagnostics, drug development, and global access to care.
We discuss:
Susan’s medical training, the start of the AIDS epidemic, and the transformative experiences that shaped her career [3:00];
Susan’s experience working on the frontlines of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Uganda [12:30];
Susan’s time working in general oncology and her transition to biotech where she helped develop taxol—a top-selling cancer drug [26:30];
Genentech’s origins, and its groundbreaking use of recombinant DNA to develop biologic drugs [33:45];
Susan’s move to Genentech, and her pivotal role in the development and success of Herceptin as a groundbreaking therapy in targeted oncology [44:00];
The rise of antibody-based cancer therapies: the development of Rituxan and Avastin [52:15];
The step-by-step drug development process and the scientific and strategic challenges involved [1:01:30];
The ethical and economic controversy surrounding Avastin’s high cost and limited survival benefit [1:12:30];
Susan’s tenure as chancellor at UCSF: leading during a financially strained period, and her strategic approach to fundraising and institutional development [1:14:45];
What Susan learned as CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: strategic processes and decision-making frameworks [1:26:00];
Susan’s philosophy of leadership and how she sought to build an empowering, values-driven culture at the Gates Foundation [1:35:15];
The erosion of public trust in science during COVID, the communication failures around controversial treatments like ivermectin, and the need for better public health engagement and transparency [1:39:30];
The role of AI in transforming medicine: from drug development to cancer detection and beyond [1:53:00]; and
The Peter Attia Drive 