Transforming Biopharma

Biotech CEO/CBO Kris Elverum has worked in large pharma and small biotech firms. He currently acts as a consultant and advisor to both biotech and venture capital companies. Kris joins Maria Whitman on the podcast to share his perspective on precision medicine and the opportunities he sees ahead, as well as how biopharma companies of all sizes can succeed in this sector. 

What’s on the minds of global healthcare leaders right now? To find out, in this episode Maria Whitman talks with ZS CEO Pratap Khedkar. The company’s top executive since 2021, Pratap is a recognized healthcare thought leader with expertise across life sciences, data science and artificial intelligence (AI). He shares his insights about what healthcare executives are thinking about, some of the industry’s top challenges and what will shape the rest of the year. Listen to find out why the industry must focus on outcomes—and patient experience, how healthcare might use technology to address problems like health inequities and workforce shortages and why adoption, policy and trust are important factors for successful use of AI.

Anita Cameron has been living with multiple sclerosis (MS) for more than 30 years. But her condition hasn’t stopped her from learning all she can about MS and the treatments available to her. Anita tells Maria about her patient journey and the support structures that helped her live with an incurable disease.

On this episode of Transforming Biopharma, Maria Whitman hears from Josette Gbemudu, executive director of health equity and social determinants of health at Merck, about how the company is taking action to make its vision of health equity a reality. They also discuss opportunities for biopharma to cooperatively tackle the barriers to systemic change. Highlights:How Merck is mobilizing and empowering teams to create momentum around health equity Why trust is an equity issue The power of industry-wide collaboration in creating change—and why it’s critical to measure progress

Founded in 2012, Flatiron Health helps cancer centers to thrive and deliver better care for patients. CEO Carolyn Starrett joins Maria Whitman to talk about reimagining the infrastructure that supports cancer care and research around the world. She also discusses how the company’s mission has evolved from building software to creating data sets to accelerate and advance new oncology therapies. Listen to hear how we can close the gap between research and cancer care, the role of real-world evidence in improving clinical trials and understanding outcomes, and why data plays an important role in addressing health inequities. 

ZS worked with The Harris Poll to conduct its latest research on the future of health. In this episode, host Maria Whitman welcomes Rob Jekielek, managing director at The Harris Poll and a globally recognized expert on business, societal, technology and healthcare trends. This episode highlights surprising findings and what they mean for patients, providers and the healthcare sector.

Meet Robin Ameny, a passionate patient advocate and a survivor of multiple myeloma. In this episode, host Maria Whitman invites us to see the patient journey through Robin’s eyes. Hear how Robin found the courage to advocate for herself as she faced a life-threatening diagnosis. Learn about the importance of patient support groups and advocacy organizations. Finally, understand how biopharma can better support patients. 

Dr. Linda Hill, Ph.D., a professor at the Harvard Business School, has advised a number of organizations in the process of digital transformation. The co-author of “Collective Genius: The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation” and “Being the Boss: Three Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader” talks with host Maria Whitman about the steps biopharma leaders can take to help their organizations become more empowered and collaborative on their digital journey.

Dr. Aarti Shah, former senior vice president and chief information and digital officer at Eli Lilly & Company, knows pharma and technology inside and out. At Eli Lilly, she led an enterprise-wide global organization with responsibilities for information technology, information security, advanced analytics, data science and digital health. Dr. Shah has been named a woman of influence by the Indianapolis Business Journal and was also named one of the fierce women in biopharma by Fierce Pharma. In this episode, Dr. Shah and Maria Whitman talk about how real-world evidence is driving faster industry innovations that have great potential to improve patient outcomes. 

When we use the terms digital health or digital medicine, what do we really mean? Host Maria Whitman takes up this question with Ahmed Albaiti, Head of Digital and Connected Health at ZS. Albaiti, who previously founded and led Medullan, has more than 20 years of experience in the industry. He brings his unique perspective to discuss the state of digital health today and how its next wave may impact both consumers and biopharma. Highlights from the episode:  Defining virtual care, digital health and digital medicine in today’s ecosystem As digital health becomes more accessible, will consumers get on board? Advice for biopharma companies that want to move into digital health