Transforming Biopharma
Transforming Biopharma by ZS explores the pharmaceutical and biopharma industry through candid conversations with leaders and innovators. Hosted by Maria Whitman, the podcast examines the complex challenges and opportunities shaping drug development, commercialization, and patient care. Each episode features perspectives from industry experts who are pushing boundaries and redesigning the future of healthcare. It offers a thoughtful look at how biopharma companies are adapting to change and driving progress.
Episodes
How pharma is turning CRM ambition into action, value and outcomes
Companies are making meaningful progress in bringing barriers-driven engagement™ to life—embedding orchestration into workflows and rethinking how CRM supports smarter decision-making, coordination and customer progress. But turning that progress into consistent value remains complex.In this podcast, Maria Whitman speaks with ZS experts Namita Powers, Srihari Sarangan, Omer Hancer, Mahmood Majeed
‘Everything changes at the same time’: On conversational AI with Veeva’s Arno Sosna
In this episode, Arno Sosna, president of the CRM Suite at Veeva, joins Maria Whitman to explore how AI is transforming CRM in life sciences into a dynamic engine for insight and action. They unpack the emergence of Commercial Evidence™—real-time insights into treatment barriers—and how conversational, agentic AI unlocks a new, faster way to understand and serve customers. The conversation offers
‘Move slow to go fast’: Keeping pace with responsible AI with Michael Shaw
The rapid evolution of generative AI has led to increased adoption but also raises significant compliance challenges. ZS Principal Michael Shaw joins the podcast to discuss the importance of responsible and ethical AI adoption in the biopharma industry, particularly as it relates to compliance, risk management and improving patient outcomes. Highlights include:The importance of developing a compre
Cultivating resilience: Building a better supply chain with McKesson’s Ammie McAsey
As senior vice president of customer distribution experience at McKesson, Ammie McAsey makes it a point to connect her day-to-day work with the company’s mission of improving healthcare in every setting. Learn how she’s working to connect the healthcare ecosystem to bring additional access and benefits to patients. Highlights include:Her view of the opportunities for collaboration to build a bette
‘We can’t do it alone’: UCB’s Colin Lake on partnerships, patients and rare diseases
Colin Lake, VP and head of digital care transformation, neurology and rare disease at UCB, is passionate about helping patients with rare diseases. He joins Maria Whitman to talk about how UCB has focused on simplifying its digital strategy to address key pain points for rare disease patients. Highlights include:Why partnerships are an important part of this journeyHow a collaboration using ZS’s d
‘The hinge moment’: Envisioning transformation with Amgen’s Alex Koehler
How should pharma companies respond to the current “hinge moment” where new technologies are enabling breakthroughs in drug discovery, manufacturing and customer engagement? Maria Whitman’s guest Alex Koehler, vice president and head of digital technology and innovation at Amgen, believes it’s time to be bold and move faster to capitalize on this opportunity. In this episode they discuss: How Amge
‘We’re all tech leaders now’: A conversation with Salesforce’s Kyrsten Musich
The opportunities to reshape customer engagement have never been greater for pharma, but what role does the customer relationship management (CRM) system play? Kyrsten Musich, vice president of healthcare and life sciences at Salesforce, talks with Maria Whitman about how CRM can enable a more customer-centric approach for life sciences. Highlights include:Why we need to think about the CRM as a s
How CRM can help pharma break barriers and transform customer engagement
Drive behavior-changing personalized customer engagement at scale by addressing customer barriers with a powerful customer relationship management (CRM) system. ZS experts Omer Hancer, Namita Powers and Srihari Sarangan talk with Maria Whitman about how companies can get started.Highlights include:· Why now is the pivotal moment for pharma to embrace CRM as a strategic, customer-centric tool
Expanding access to cell and gene therapies with McKesson’s Joe DePinto
Joe DePinto, McKesson’s head of cell and gene advanced therapies, supports patients, providers and payers throughout the treatment journey. He’s particularly passionate about helping patients get access to groundbreaking therapeutic interventions. Maria Whitman gets his perspective on the current state of cell and gene therapy and the promising advancements that can ensure more patients receive th
Future focus: How the AHA is tackling cardiac health and more with Juliana Crawford
If we want to make change in healthcare, we can’t take a one-dimensional approach. We need a multifaceted plan. Having just celebrated its 100th anniversary, the American Heart Association (AHA) is pursuing that vision. Maria Whitman talks with Juliana Crawford, EVP of emerging strategies at the AHA, to find out how the association is thinking about how policy, science and consumer education can f
Advancing pharma research for everyone: The clinical site perspective
Clinical trial sites are important players in biopharma’s success. In this episode, we hear from site experts Lauren Wall of the University of Chicago and Caroline Smith of Charter Research on how pharma can forge successful partnerships. While good communication, transparency and collaboration are key, they also discuss how investing in site engagement and understanding the challenges and needs o
‘Culture is critical to performance’: Aligning values and strategy with Paul Ingram
What’s the role of culture in an organization and how can it play a pivotal role in shaping performance or even helping businesses transform? Maria Whitman sits down with Paul Ingram, professor of business at Columbia University, to explore the critical role of culture and organizational dynamics in driving successful transformation. Ingram, an expert on leadership and strategy, talks about the re
Beyond process improvement: Why organizational architecture matters with Mike Tushman
Maria Whitman interviews Mike Tushman, professor at Harvard Business School, about the importance of organizational architecture during times of transformation. He describes how companies that successfully transform create an organizational architecture that allows both “exploitation” of existing successful strategies and “exploration” of what they might build for the future. He also discusses the
Navigating the system, meeting patients where they are with Oya Gilbert
How can healthcare and biopharma meet patients where they are? Maria Whitman interviews Oya Gilbert, a podcaster and patient advocate, about his journey as a multiple myeloma patient. They also talk about Oya’s work with the Health, Hope and Hip-Hop Foundation, which aims to use hip-hop culture to promote health literacy in underserved communities. Covering the importance of authenticity and trust
From data collection to data connection: Reinventing pharma’s commercial model
How can pharma use AI and other technology to deliver a better customer experience? Maria Whitman and a panel of ZS experts discuss pharma’s next-generation commercial model. Carolyn Morrow, Namita Powers, Srihari Sarangan and Karthik Sourirajan talk about how pharma can create behavior-changing, personalized customer engagement at scale and how companies will need to rethink data collection to ac
Resetting how we think about obesity: A patient’s point of view
Recent headlines about the use of prescription drugs for weight loss make obesity a prominent and relevant topic in today’s discussions about health and well-being. Bill Coyle, ZS’s global head of biopharma, and Mandi White-Ajmani, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and owner, Small Brooklyn Psychology, join Maria Whitman to talk about the underlying challenges obesity presents to society and healthcare
Living with myeloma: Patient advocate Yelak Biru’s story
Yelak Biru, president and CEO of the International Myeloma Foundation, is passionate about patient advocacy with good reason—he’s been one himself for 28 years. Yelak joins Maria Whitman to talk about his patient experience and how it shaped his perspective as the leader of the first and largest global organization focusing specifically on multiple myeloma. He also talks about how evolving tools a
Disruptors, influencers and the modern customer experience with Arun Shastri
As biopharma transforms its commercial model, what can it learn from other industries? To find out, Maria Whitman sits down with Arun Shastri, global AI practice lead at ZS. Arun’s an expert on how organizations are modernizing their customer experience and the technology and mindset needed for success. He discusses key principles for the modern sales organization, the real potential of artificial
On the path to digital transformation with Madhavi Ramakrishna
Madhavi Ramakrishna, global vice president and chief digital officer of commercial, GSK, is passionate about data and technology. A former executive in broadcast media, she’s now at the forefront of adopting analytics to drive commercial success in biopharma. In this episode, she shares her definition of digital transformation and discusses the biggest opportunities she sees for innovation in phar
‘Patients first, people always’: Science and strategy with Savitri Basavaiah
Savitri Basavaiah, vice president portfolio and commercialization strategy at Janssen, the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, has a deep background in biopharma. She joins Maria Whitman to talk about the broader challenges of commercial leadership and what the future might look like as pharma reimagines its commercial model. She also discusses what pharma should do next at a moment
‘Take the risk’: On the frontier of digital therapeutics with Susa Monacelli
Propeller Health brings digital therapeutic expertise together with respiratory care experience to create solutions that improve patients’ lives. General Manager Susa Monacelli joins Maria Whitman to give her perspective on how pharma companies can succeed on the new frontier of digital therapeutics. She also talks about the progress made so far in realizing the potential of digital therapeutics—a
Key capabilities for precision medicine with Dennis Flannelly
As head of precision medicine for Merck U.S. Oncology, Dennis Flannelly is thinking ahead. He joins Maria Whitman in this episode to talk about the capability and mindset shifts biopharma needs to make to design, develop and deliver on precision medicine. He also shares the successes he's seen and what he's most excited about as precision medicine evolves. Listen to find out why navigati
‘Inspired to go above and beyond’: Value creation in precision medicine with Kris Elverum
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.
Healthcare from products to patients to policy: The CEO’s view with Pratap Khedkar
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 in
‘I have MS; MS doesn’t have me’: Anita’s story
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.
‘We all have to be at the table’: Action for health equity with Josette Gbemudu
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 empower
‘We can use this data for good’: Flatiron Health CEO Carolyn Starrett
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. Lis
A deeper dive into ZS’s connected health research with Rob Jekielek
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.
Listening to the patient: Robin’s story of cancer and recovery
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 b
Leading through transformation with Dr. Linda Hill
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 bec
Data as an asset: From real-world evidence to actionable insights with Dr. Aarti Shah
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 Ind
The state of digital health: What’s next for consumers and biopharma with Ahmed Albaiti
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 impa
The future of healthcare: Distributed, digitally enabled and decentralized with Shantanu Nundy
Welcome to the inaugural episode of Transforming Biopharma by ZS, a podcast that covers a variety of perspectives on the topics shaping health and their implications, featuring industry leaders who are pushing the boundaries and redesigning the future so together we can advance global health. Your host, Maria Whitman, is joined today by Dr. Shantanu Nundy, MD, MBA, to talk about the future of heal
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