Explore every episode of the podcast Adam Walker’s Pharma Prescribed Podcast

Belma Alispahic on SimCell, Digital Twins for Bioprocessing & Why AI Isn't Optional Anymore | Pharma Prescribed

Belma Alispahic — co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Analysismode — joins Adam Walker for a conversation about AI-powered bioprocess development, digital twins and what happens when a curious kid from Bosnia decides she can't be an astronaut.

Belma has a Master's in applied biotechnology from Uppsala University and co-founded Analysismode during COVID. The company's platform, SimCell, uses AI and digital twins to simulate bioprocesses — helping pharma reduce manufacturing costs, shorten time to market and make smarter development decisions without running every experiment in the lab.

She recently spoke at the 9th Bioproduction Congress in France. Her message: AI isn't optional — it's essential.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify →https://open.spotify.com/episode/3gOM0ul9a0LCim6N734VOi?si=dWoW0w28TkaMtiLdlHeWXg Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-podcast-with-belma-alispahic-ceo/id1829715970?i=1000720744446 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-uc9ru-19261e7

📖 WHAT WE COVER - From curious kid in Bosnia to biotech co-founder in Sweden - Astronaut, pianist or biologist — the career shortlist - SimCell: digital twins for bioprocess development - Why therapies cost too much — and how AI reduces manufacturing cost - ChatGPT as the inflection point: when AI went from niche to everywhere - AI won't replace pharma scientists — but it will change how they work - Paper notebooks, Excel sheets and the data lake problem - Big pharma hiring AI teams massively — what that means for startups - Conservative industry vs the speed of AI adoption - Bioproduction Congress in France: AI isn't optional - Be honest, be weird — the golden rule

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Belma Alispahic — CSO of Analysismode 2:00 Bosnia, curiosity and the astronaut dream 3:00 Biology as the closest thing to space 4:00 Co-founding Analysismode during COVID 5:00 SimCell: digital twins for bioprocesses 7:00 Why therapies cost too much 9:00 ChatGPT as the inflection point for pharma AI 11:00 Big pharma hiring AI teams massively 13:00 Paper notebooks, Excel and pharma's data problem 15:00 AI augmenting not replacing scientists 18:00 Bioprocessing industry: niche but critical 20:00 Bioproduction Congress in France 22:00 How SimCell works: dashboards not code 25:00 Conservative industry vs AI speed 28:00 Being a startup in a regulated world 30:00 The Balkans, accountability and growing up fast 32:00 Quick-fire: curiosity, integrity, ownership and empathy 34:00 Music, piano and touching grass after remote work 36:00 Golden rule: be honest, be weird — take up space

👤 ABOUT BELMA ALISPAHIC Co-founder and CSO of Analysismode. Master's in applied biotechnology (Uppsala University). Builder of SimCell. Speaker at the 9th Bioproduction Congress. 🌐 https://www.analysismode.com 💼 Search "Belma Alispahic" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#BelmaAlispahic #Analysismode #SimCell #DigitalTwins #Bioprocessing #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #AIinPharma #Biotech #BioprocessDevelopment #Uppsala #Bosnia #FemaleFounder #DeepTech #BioproductionCongress

Wessam Sonbol on Delve Health & Why Clinical Trials Failed His Mother | Pharma Prescribed

Wessam Sonbol — founder and CEO of Delve Health — joins Adam Walker for a conversation about decentralised trials, patient concierge teams and what happens when clinical research failed your mother and you decide to fix it.

Wessam's mom was a cancer patient who struggled to join a clinical trial — not because the science failed, but because the process did. The paperwork, the jargon, the drives, the system. That became the founding story of Delve Health — a platform supporting decentralised and hybrid clinical trials in 65+ languages, with wearables, televisits, AI-powered tools and a concierge team that speaks to 1,500–2,000 patients a week.

30% reduction in dropout. 20% faster trial completion. 40+ people across US, Belize, Egypt and Pakistan.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/61S4aebMQMjWsEZYRqUo0N?si=Ae5VOQkrQ4KqDxHvWgO7rw Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-wessam-sonbol-ceo-of-delve/id1829715970?i=1000719799789 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-xqmxt-191c857

📖 WHAT WE COVER - His mother's cancer and the system that failed her — the founding story - 1,500–2,000 patients spoken to every week by the concierge team - 65+ languages supported on one platform - 30% dropout reduction and 20% faster completion - Why pushing out another ePRO diary is not the answer - tctmd.com, global registries and the early career by accident - Clinical Systems Consultants: scaling across three continents - Perter.io: AI and NLP cutting research time by 40% - Wearables, televisits and the true meaning of decentralised - Oncology and Alzheimer's: the hardest trials to retain patients in - Real world evidence and where the future of data is heading - The hustle as a golden rule — and why it beats being the smartest

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Wessam Sonbol — founder of Delve Health 3:00 His mother's cancer and the process that failed her 4:00 Founding Delve Health: making trials accessible 5:00 Early career by accident: EMR data and cardiovascular marketing 6:00 tctmd.com and the global registry platform 8:00 Patient concierge: 1,500–2,000 patients spoken to every week 10:00 Why another diary or PRO isn't the final answer 12:00 65+ languages and true global accessibility 14:00 30% dropout reduction and 20% faster completion 16:00 Wearables, televisits and AI-powered tools 18:00 Oncology and Alzheimer's: the hardest trials for retention 20:00 Clinical Systems Consultants and scaling across three continents 22:00 Perter.io: AI and NLP for research intelligence 24:00 40+ people across US, Belize, Egypt and Pakistan 26:00 Delve as outcomes delivery, not just a platform 28:00 The future: real world evidence and big data sets 32:00 Quick-fire: don't stress — it will be okay 34:00 Persistence, the hustle, stay hungry and stay humble 36:00 Hanging out with the kids 37:00 Golden rule: the hustle — go after what you want 38:00 delvehealth.com and closing thanks

👤 ABOUT WESSAM SONBOL Founder and CEO of Delve Health. 25+ years in clinical research and healthcare technology. Founder of Clinical Systems Consultants. Co-developer of Perter.io. 🌐 https://www.delvehealth.com 💼 Search "Wessam Sonbol" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#WessamSonbol #DelveHealth #DecentralisedTrials #DCT #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #PatientCentric #ClinicalTrials #HealthTech #Wearables #Televisit #AIinPharma #ClinicalResearch #LifeSciences #PatientRetention

Philip Morisky on Medication Adherence & Why Healthcare's Metrics Must Be Fixed | Pharma Prescribed

Philip Morisky — Chief Optimist at Adherence and guardian of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS) — joins Adam Walker for the very first episode of the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Philip's father, Dr. Donald Morisky, developed the MMAS at UCLA over a 40-year career in behavioral science. The scale is now used in over 100 countries and hundreds of languages. Philip has taken it from academic tool to global health technology — building Atlas (a real-time adherence mapping platform), Zoe (an AI conversational agent), and a pharmacist training programme called Expert.

His title isn't CEO. It's Chief Optimist. Optimist is Latin for the best.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/search/Philip+Morisky+pharma+prescribed/episodes ⚠️ SWAP Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pharma-prescribed-podcast-with-philip-morisky-chief/id1829715970?i=1000719645833 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-6c6h6-191abf8

📖 WHAT WE COVER - What the MMAS is and why it's the gold standard in adherence measurement - "Do you sometimes forget?" — how rephrasing one question changes everything - Why pharmacy refill data is a disservice to actual medication-taking behaviour - Social desirability bias and recall bias: the two reasons most adherence surveys fail - Atlas: real-time adherence mapping across countries and demographics - Zoe: an AI agent that has a conversation, not a checklist - From clinical trials to standard of care — Philip's biggest ambition - The Kingdom of Bhutan: integrating MMAS into the Ministry of Health - 300+ university collaborations and a library of behavioural science derivatives - Smoking cessation, alcohol, exercise and diet: MMAS beyond medication - "Mess up early and often" — advice to a younger self - Chief Optimist: why the title matters

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Welcome to the first ever Pharma Prescribed episode 1:00 Meet Philip Morisky — Chief Optimist at Adherence 2:00 His father Dr. Donald Morisky and 40 years at UCLA 3:00 The kid who always asked why — and built a career around it 4:00 Why patients don't adhere: it's not the science, it's the silence 5:00 "Do you sometimes forget?" — rephrasing the question 6:00 Social desirability bias and the truth behind patient responses 7:00 Paper diaries vs ePRO — what we now know about honesty 8:00 Using MMAS in clinical trials: protocols, CROs and sponsors 9:00 Global reach: translations into hundreds of languages and dialects 10:00 Atlas: real-time adherence data mapped across the world 11:00 From benchmarking to intervention: intentional vs unintentional behaviour 12:00 Side effects, stockpiling and patients who stop without telling anyone 13:00 Standard of care: bringing MMAS into EHR systems 14:00 Zoe: the AI agent that has a conversation, not a checklist 15:00 Pharmacist-led interventions and the Expert training programme 17:00 Beyond medication: smoking, alcohol, exercise and diet derivatives 19:00 Pharmacy refill data: access is not the same as adherence 20:00 Partnerships and scaling across clinical and community settings 21:00 The Kingdom of Bhutan and World Adherence Day 22:00 Legacy: what his father started and what Philip is building 24:00 The Checklist Manifesto — the book that defined structured adherence 26:00 His sons: a merchant marine and a cybersecurity specialist 27:00 Chief Optimist: Latin for the best 29:00 Quick-fire: mess up early and often 30:00 Curiosity, resilience and radical transparency 32:00 Water polo, running with a Husky and living life 33:00 Golden rule: adherence is the missing metric — let's fix it together

👤 ABOUT PHILIP MORISKY Philip Morisky is Chief Optimist at Adherence, guardian of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS), and builder of Atlas, Zoe and the Expert pharmacist training programme. 🌐 https://www.adherence.cc 💼 Search "Philip Morisky" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#PhilipMorisky #MMAS #MedicationAdherence #Adherence #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #PatientAdherence #BehavioralScience #AtlasPlatform #ZoeAI #PharmacistIntervention #ClinicalTrials #DigitalHealth #LifeSciences #ChiefOptimist

Yuriy Lebid on Building a CRO during Ukraine War & Never Giving Up | Pharma Prescribed

Yuriy Lebid — CEO of Pharmaxi — joins Adam Walker for Episode 2 of the Pharma Prescribed Podcast, and one of the most extraordinary stories of entrepreneurial resilience in the entire series.

Yuriy is a doctor, scientist and self-taught clinical research expert who built a full-service CRO from scratch in Ukraine. When Russia invaded on February 24th, 2022, he made a promise to his 28 employees: no one would be fired, salaries would be paid in full for six months, whatever happened. He made 90 calls in 30 days, relocated his team, restarted trials, expanded into Poland — and came out the other side stronger.

Pharmaxi just celebrated its 10th anniversary.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/4G7L6P4qMxZghoa0cTVx7u?si=KBa6XG-jTriJv9ixjKgggA Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-podcast-with-yuriy-lebid-ceo/id1829715970?i=1000719645727 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-decmi-191ab66

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Building a CRO from scratch in Ukraine with no portfolio and no clients - The promise on day one of the invasion: no one fired, full salaries for six months - 90 calls in 30 days — finding work while his country was being invaded - Enrollment rates higher during the war than before — and why - Expanding into Poland: 30% of the team now there, 40% of new projects - Travel restrictions: men aged 18–60 cannot leave Ukraine without permission - "Home is our castle" — productivity, stress and the power of rootedness - What disaster recovery actually looks like when you've lived through it - Conference speaking: teaching companies to build resilience before crisis hits - Passion first, money will find you — the golden rule - Tennis, fresh minds and forehand down the line

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Yuriy Lebid — CEO of Pharmaxi 2:00 Medical university to science to clinical research — not a straight line 3:00 Self-education in clinical research: from protocol to final report 4:00 Building a CRO with no portfolio — "just trust our eyes" 5:00 10th anniversary: the milestone that almost didn't happen 6:00 February 24th, 2022 — the invasion begins 7:00 Russian tanks in Kyiv and the pain of a threatened entrepreneur 8:00 The promise: no firings, full salaries, six months guaranteed 9:00 Relocating 28 employees and their families 10:00 Remote work under fire — phones, internet and travel restrictions 11:00 90 calls in 30 days — finding contracts during invasion 12:00 "Legs in the sand" — moving forward under impossible pressure 13:00 Restarting trials: enrollment higher than before the war 14:00 Canadian biotech and a device study completed in six months 15:00 Expanding into Poland: regulatory differences and growth 16:00 30% in Poland, 70% in Ukraine, growing fast 17:00 Speaking at conferences on resilience and disaster recovery 18:00 Building resilience before crisis — not during it 19:00 Travel restrictions: special permission to cross the border 20:00 "Country and motherland means a lot" — the biggest discovery 21:00 Home as productivity: background stress vs rootedness 22:00 10 years and looking forward to growth 23:00 Ukraine as a fruitful space for clinical trials right now 24:00 Most famous Ukrainian CRO — one name, everyone knows it 26:00 Quick-fire: think about opportunities, not fears 27:00 Honesty, fire in the eyes and continuous learning 29:00 Tennis: forehand down the line and a fresh mind 30:00 Golden rule: passion first — money will find you 31:00 Daughter Irina and passing on the principle 32:00 LinkedIn and the beauty of this industry 33:00 Closing thanks

👤 ABOUT YURIY LEBID CEO of Pharmaxi, a full-service CRO covering Ukraine and Poland. Doctor, scientist, self-taught clinical research expert. Conference speaker on entrepreneurial resilience. 💼 Search "Yuriy Lebid" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#YuriyLebid #Pharmaxi #Ukraine #ClinicalTrials #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #CROUkraine #Resilience #WarAndResearch #PolandClinicalTrials #Entrepreneurship #LifeSciences #DisasterRecovery #ClinicalResearch #PassionFirst

Charbel Abdo on Pharmacy in Lebanon, Resilience & Seeking His First Role in UK Clinical Research | Pharma Prescribed

Charbel Abdo — pharmacist from Lebanon, MSc Pharmaceutical Sciences (distinction) from the University of Greenwich — joins Adam Walker for one of the most personal and hopeful conversations on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Charbel grew up in a small village in Lebanon, moved to Beirut alone to study pharmacy, graduated during the country's worst economic crisis, then came to the UK to earn his Master's. He and Adam met by accident — Charbel was showing a stranger to a room at Greenwich and walked into an AstraZeneca networking event. That stranger was Adam.

He's now actively seeking his first role in clinical research in the UK. This episode is his platform.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/44h2ahvetwDFZCNfVCbrw0?si=CMoWG-sLToKIw1FIea9Bhg Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-podcast-with-charbel-abdo-the-human/id1829715970?i=1000719645703 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-4kqqk-191aa56

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Growing up in a small Lebanese village and moving to Beirut alone at 18 - Pharmacy degree during Lebanon's economic collapse — salary worth nothing - MSc with distinction at the University of Greenwich - The accidental meeting: showing a stranger to a room and walking into AstraZeneca - The small world: Adam introduces Charbel to Wael — who turns out to know his family - Why the UK needs fully qualified pharmacists and isn't hiring them - Resilience, sacrifice and the deep strength behind every qualification - Cooking as a passion — pharmacology as cooking medication - Be honest — and if you do something, finish it properly

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Charbel Abdo — pharmacist from Lebanon 2:00 How we met: a stranger, a room and an AstraZeneca event 4:00 The Wael connection — one village, two continents, same family 6:00 Why the UK needs pharmacists from abroad 8:00 Pharmacy school in Beirut — GPA pressure and resilience 12:00 Lebanon's economic crisis and graduating into collapse 16:00 Moving to the UK and the Greenwich MSc 20:00 Regulatory differences between Lebanon and the UK 24:00 What clinical research means to Charbel 28:00 Seeking his first role — and what he brings to the table 32:00 Quick-fire: cooking, Heston Blumenthal and one day a restaurant 34:00 Golden rule: be honest — and finish what you start 36:00 Reach Charbel on LinkedIn — and closing thanks

👤 ABOUT CHARBEL ABDO Pharmacist (Lebanon). MSc Pharmaceutical Sciences with distinction (University of Greenwich). Actively seeking his first role in UK clinical research. 💼 Search "Charbel Abdo" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#CharbelAbdo #Pharmacist #Lebanon #ClinicalResearch #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #UniversityOfGreenwich #PharmaceuticalSciences #UKPharma #Resilience #NewToIndustry #LifeSciences #PharmacyCareer #Greenwich #HireMe

Matthew Mace on Study Connect, Why Pharma Needs MedTech Outsiders in Cardiology | Pharma Prescribed

Matthew Mace — founder of Study Connect, host of the Study Success Podcast and board director at Precision Cardiovascular — joins Adam Walker for one of the most energetic conversations on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Matt isn't from pharma. He comes from MedTech, cardiovascular devices and cardiology innovation. As co-founder and CSO at Acharai, he led the largest hemodynamic study in heart failure history, secured FDA breakthrough device designation and raised over $10M. Now he's building Study Connect — a platform to streamline collaboration between investigators and sponsors — while serving on the board at Precision Cardiovascular.

He also runs marathons, does Ironmans and never misses Saturday morning daddy-daughter time.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/1GIdsiPgFjsykGyzFPPvRk?si=4erLYiySS8mgS80tVziGsQ Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-matthew-mace-founder-of/id1829715970?i=1000719640597 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-su9t6-19186e9

📖 WHAT WE COVER - MedTech outsider looking in: what pharma gets wrong about collaboration - The largest hemodynamic study in heart failure history - FDA breakthrough device designation and raising $10M - Study Connect: beta testing the platform with physicians - Why investigators don't want another portal — they want connection - The Study Success Podcast and why Matt started it - Marathons, Ironman and the 85-year-old doing all seven majors - Saturday morning daddy-daughter time at the play park - Do the right thing, be honest — the golden rule

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Matthew Mace — founder of Study Connect 2:00 "I come with a warning — I'm non-pharma pretending I know about trials" 3:00 Study Connect beta launch and physician feedback 5:00 15 years in cardiology, AI and MedTech 8:00 Acorai: the largest hemodynamic study in heart failure 12:00 FDA breakthrough device and raising $10M 16:00 Study Connect: what the platform actually does 20:00 Universal problems across CROs, sponsors and tech companies 24:00 Why investigators need connection, not another portal 28:00 Precision Cardiovascular and next-gen monitoring 32:00 Marathons, Ironman and the grandfather who ran for GB 36:00 Saturday mornings, Asa and daddy-daughter time 38:00 Quick-fire: honesty and doing the right thing 40:00 studyconnect.world — and the chatbot that goes straight to Matt's inbox

👤 ABOUT MATTHEW MACE Founder of Study Connect. Host of the Study Success Podcast. Board director at Precision Cardiovascular. Former CSO at Acharai. 15+ years in cardiology, AI and MedTech. 🌐 https://www.studyconnect.world 💼 Search "Matthew Mace" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#MatthewMace #StudyConnect #StudySuccessPodcast #PrecisionCardiovascular #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #MedTech #Cardiology #HeartFailure #FDABreakthrough #ClinicalTrials #LifeSciences #Ironman #Marathon #InvestigatorEngagement

Charlotte Chadwick on Clinology, 25 Years in Clinical & Consultant Visibility | Pharma Prescribed

Charlotte Chadwick — founder of Clinology and Dynamic Clinical Solutions — joins Adam Walker for a conversation about 25 years in clinical operations, building a phase one unit from scratch and creating a platform that makes expert consultants visible to the companies that need them.

Charlotte started as a junior QC at a generic trial site in Manchester, became a CRA at Lundbeck, spent 13 years assessing 80–90% of the world's phase one units, built the Early Phase Unit at MAC Clinical Research (a name she coined and wishes she'd trademarked), rose to VP of Clinical Operations, then became COO at Zigzag Associates — a global QA consultancy. Now she runs two businesses: Dynamic Clinical Solutions for full-time consulting and Clinology to connect independent consultants with pharma clients directly.

Adam and Charlotte first worked together at MAC Clinical in Manchester.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/7nrR1DkzXrYN4sk0zEDYet?si=lGnplu-cQPmLNSZsoKGjfQ Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-podcast-with-charlotte-chadwick-ceo/id1829715970?i=1000719640731 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-r3isw-18f513a

📖 WHAT WE COVER - So You Want to be a CRA — the book that started everything - 13 years at Lundbeck assessing phase one units across the world - Building the EPU at MAC Clinical Research from bare hands - Three MHRA accreditations with no major findings - Zigzag Associates: learning C-suite and global QA auditing - Why consultants are invisible — and how Clinology fixes that - Fiverr for clinical research: the business model explained - Credits not commissions: no middlemen, no contract interference - The parallel between her career and Adam's at MAC - Don't overthink it — just start

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Charlotte Chadwick — founder of Clinology 2:00 So You Want to be a CRA — the book that started it all 3:00 Junior QC at Shain Clinic Manchester 4:00 13 years at Lundbeck: 80–90% of the world's phase one units 5:00 Building the EPU at MAC Clinical Research 7:00 VP Clinical Operations and the SMO network 8:00 Zigzag QA consultancy and learning C-suite 9:00 Going independent: two businesses in 12 months 10:00 Why Clinology exists — making consultants visible 12:00 The business model: credits not commissions 14:00 Five weeks live and early traction 16:00 AI, fractional consulting and the future of clinical ops 18:00 Quick-fire and golden rule

👤 ABOUT CHARLOTTE CHADWICK Founder of Clinology and Dynamic Clinical Solutions. 25+ years in clinical operations. Former VP at MAC Clinical Research and COO at Zigzag Associates. 🌐 https://www.clinology.co.uk 💼 Search "Charlotte Chadwick" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#CharlotteChadwick #Clinology #ClinicalOperations #PhaseOne #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #MACClinical #Lundbeck #ClinicalConsulting #EPU #QualityAssurance #LifeSciences #ClinicalResearch #FemaleFounder #IndependentConsultant

Anders Mortin on Triticon, Knowledge World & 25 Years of Accidental Pharma | Pharma Prescribed

Anders Mortin — co-founder of Triticon and builder of the Knowledge World platform — joins Adam Walker for a conversation about eClinical consulting, knowledge sharing and what it means to build a company that values being useful over being big.

Anders holds a Master's in engineering physics from Lund University and fell into clinical data management by accident — a handball teammate needed extra hands for data entry at a small CRO. A brief escape to laser optics ended when the company collapsed after 26 days. He went back to pharma and never left. Twenty-five years later, he and his partners run Triticon from a hospital in Copenhagen with meeting rooms themed as a hunting cabin, Bali and Nasa.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/2OET5ah95hOOM826LcWOfx?si=LeZPBjYuS4iGv5r-OCbbkQ Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-anders-mortin-co-founder/id1829715970?i=1000721650878 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-x9giy-192fff8

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Handball, data entry and the accidental career in pharma - 26 days in laser optics before the company collapsed - Building Triticon: eClinical consulting from Copenhagen - Knowledge World: a platform for sharing operational knowledge across pharma - Why most people in biometrics ended up here by accident - The hunting cabin meeting room and Danish work culture - CrossFit, garden sheds and doing something tangible with your hands - Be of value — the golden rule

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Anders Mortin — co-founder of Triticon 2:00 The hunting cabin meeting room in a Copenhagen hospital 3:00 Handball, data entry and slipping into pharma by accident 4:00 26 days in laser optics — and the company that collapsed 6:00 Paper CRFs, handwritten queries and the old days 8:00 Building Tricon in Copenhagen with his partners 10:00 Knowledge World: the platform for operational knowledge sharing 14:00 Why pharma needs better knowledge transfer 18:00 Pioneers, feedback and building in public 22:00 AI, LLMs and what changes for eClinical consulting 28:00 The consultant's dilemma: automation vs billable hours 34:00 Mentors and the balance between nerd and communicator 38:00 Quick-fire: family first, CrossFit, nature and garden sheds 44:00 Golden rule: be of value — and the tangible life 46:00 triticon.com, Knowledge World and closing thanks

👤 ABOUT ANDERS MORTIN Co-founder of Triticon, a Copenhagen-based eClinical consultancy. Builder of Knowledge World. Master's in engineering physics. 25+ years in clinical data management. 🌐 https://www.tricon.com 💼 Search "Anders Mortin" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#AndersMortin #Triticon #KnowledgeWorld #eClinical #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #ClinicalDataManagement #Copenhagen #LifeSciences #ClinicalResearch #PharmaConsulting #DanishPharma #KnowledgeSharing #CrossFit #EngineeringPhysics

Leigh Fell on Caritas Bioscience, Corporate Athleticism & Wellbeing Isn't a Perk | Pharma Prescribed

Leigh Fell — founder of Caritas Bioscience, Sunday Times 25 Women Succeeding in 2025 and champion of corporate athleticism — joins Adam Walker for a conversation about building a purpose-driven CRO, burnout, wellbeing and what it means to treat people the way you'd want to be treated.

Leigh started in clinical operations running oncology trials, experienced burnout as a CRA, and vowed to build a company that looked after its people. In 2017 she founded Caritas — named after the Latin motto of both her and Adam's schools meaning love for all. The company now specialises in neurology and oncology trials, has achieved 30% better employee retention through its wellbeing-first culture, and partners with pharma innovators in areas of profound unmet need.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/7vUuR5kNdUOBfb47OEIcBW?si=QPE0V-VpSvWW3RQ-WSVjrg Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-leigh-fell-ceo-of/id1829715970?i=1000722267719 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Burnout as a CRA — and the vow to build a company that looks after people - Caritas: ex corde caritas — love from the heart - GW Pharma, cannabinoids and paediatric epilepsy — the project that shaped the mission - Every illness in her family was neurological: epilepsy, Alzheimer's, stroke, depression - Corporate athleticism: treating employees like athletes, not assets - 30% better employee retention through wellbeing-first culture - Gratitude sessions at the start of every team call - Sunday Times 25 Women Succeeding in 2025 - Bringing oncology lessons into neurology trials - AI and the next generation: who teaches the juniors when bots do the groundwork? - Do what you love rather than what seems sensible - Treat others the way you'd want to be treated — the golden rule

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Leigh Fell — founder of Caritas Bioscience 2:00 Physiology, sports science and nutrition at Glasgow 3:00 Falling into clinical research and starting in data management 4:00 Burnout as a CRA — the original why 5:00 Founding Caritas in 2017: love for all 6:00 GW Pharma and the family connection to neurology 8:00 Oncology to neurology to all therapeutic areas 10:00 Corporate athleticism and employee wellbeing 12:00 Gratitude sessions, aerial yoga and team bonding 14:00 30% better retention — what wellbeing culture delivers 16:00 Sunday Times feature and what recognition means 18:00 Adapting through pandemic, market shifts and growth 20:00 Oncology lessons applied to neurology 24:00 AI in clinical operations — who trains the next generation? 28:00 The consultant-to-founder transition 30:00 Quick-fire: do what you love, not what seems sensible 32:00 Kindness, initiative and enthusiasm in hiring 33:00 Gun dog training, drawing and walks in the hills 34:00 Golden rule: treat others how you'd want to be treated

👤 ABOUT LEIGH FELL Founder of Caritas Bioscience. Sunday Times 25 Women Succeeding in 2025. 17 years in clinical development. Neurology and oncology specialist CRO. 🌐 https://www.caritasbioscience.com 💼 Search "Leigh Fell" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#LeighFell #CaritasBioscience #ClinicalOperations #Wellbeing #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #CorporateAthleticism #SundayTimes #WomenInLeadership #CRA #Neurology #Oncology #LifeSciences #ClinicalResearch #FemaleFounder

Dr. Berry Pierre on Main Character Energy, 2k YouTube Vids & Trust in Healthcare | Pharma Prescribed

Dr. Berry Pierre — board certified internist, host of the Lunch and Learn Podcast and digital health educator with over 2,000 YouTube videos — joins Adam Walker for one of the most energising conversations on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Dr. Berry grew up in a Haitian community in the US, inspired by his childhood paediatrician Dr. Gasstone — the community physician who spoke their language and their truth. He decided at elementary school he wanted to be a doctor, never had a plan B, and never looked back. Fifteen years into clinical practice, he realised he couldn't help the whole community one patient at a time — so he started going live on Facebook during his lunch hour, twice a week, and built a digital health empire from there.

His golden rule: be trustworthy, be responsible, and add a pinch of confidence.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/0NocvLEShLPb2vJQdR5zN3?si=-acv27f3RlmRdX0fALfnnQ Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-dr-berry-pierre-fact-versus/id1829715970?i=1000723106007 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-rm3xz-193fa5c

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Dr. Gasstone: the Haitian community physician who inspired everything - Main character energy — and where it comes from - Systematic barriers: time, insurance, language and cultural competency - The lunch hour cheat code: Facebook Live on Tuesdays and Thursdays - 2,000+ YouTube videos and the Lunch and Learn Podcast at 400+ episodes - Patients trusting him before they've even met him - Vaccine hesitancy, pop culture and public health - Cultural competency in Haitian and underserved communities - The future of AI in community health education - Be okay with not being right 100% of the time — advice to a younger self - Speed, reliability and the ability to build trust — team qualities - PlayStation, strategy games and Harry Potter as decompression

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Dr. Berry Pierre — board certified internist 2:00 Main character energy and Dr. Gasstone 3:00 No plan B — doctor from elementary school 4:00 Systematic barriers: time, insurance, language 5:00 The lunch hour cheat code: Facebook Live twice a week 6:00 One to many — scaling trust through content 8:00 Serving Haitian communities and cultural competency 12:00 Vaccine hesitancy and pop culture meets public health 16:00 2,000 YouTube videos and what keeps him going 20:00 AI in community health education 24:00 Why trust is the ultimate cheat code 28:00 Comparing US and UK healthcare access 32:00 The Empower Yourself for Better Health series 36:00 Quick-fire: be okay with not being right all the time 38:00 Speed, reliability and building trust as team values 40:00 PlayStation, God of War and Harry Potter 42:00 Golden rule: trustworthy, responsible, pinch of confidence 43:00 drberrypierre.com and closing thanks

👤 ABOUT DR. BERRY PIERRE Board certified internist. Host of the Lunch and Learn with Berry Podcast (400+ episodes). 2,000+ YouTube videos. 15+ years of clinical practice. 🌐 https://www.drberrypierre.com 💼 Search "Dr Berry Pierre" on LinkedIn and YouTube

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#DrBerryPierre #LunchAndLearn #DigitalHealth #PublicHealth #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #PatientEducation #CulturalCompetency #HealthEquity #VaccineHesitancy #CommunityHealth #MainCharacterEnergy #LifeSciences #YouTube #Podcast

Steve Sanghera on Inventus, Purpose-Built Trial Devices & Why Someone Must Obsess Over the Rivets | Pharma Prescribed

Steve Sanghera — CEO of Inventus — joins Adam Walker for a conversation about purpose-built clinical trial devices, global connectivity and why this industry needs someone obsessing over the rivets.

Steve came from mobile telecoms and finance. During COVID, a lost contract with Motorola led to a question: who needs this many devices? The answer was clinical trials. Half a million devices later, Inventus is the only dedicated clinical data plan operator in life sciences — carrier-agnostic connectivity across 135 countries, purpose-built hardware for patients and sites, and zero tolerance for the kind of failure rates consumer tech accepts.

His sister was diagnosed with MS at 19. She's 42 now, in a wheelchair. Inventus wasn't built because of that — but it drives everything Steve does today.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/5V4MJJPemxVcC8zl0WOvWZ?si=1c9e14455bee4dc2 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-sanghera-on-inventus-purpose-built-trial-devices/id1829715970?i=1000727055724 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - The Motorola loss that became the founding story of Inventus - 500,000 devices deployed globally — zero consumer returns - One world, one device: purpose-built for clinical trials, not repurposed consumer tech - The only clinical data plan operator: 450 carriers, 135 countries, no SIM cards - BYOD vs provisioned: why bring your own device is a cost saving, not a solution - Designing for Doris from Texas: 85, not tech savvy, possibly impaired - 586 languages on every device — four times more than any competitor - The rivets analogy: everyone builds the plane, Inventus provides the rivets - Service excellence with zero tolerance for failure in clinical trials - His sister's MS diagnosis at 19 — and declining every trial offered - The stigma around clinical trials and why it still stops families - 70 employees, offices in UK, EU, China, Hong Kong and the US - AstraZeneca's David Loughborough joining as Chief Strategy Officer - Inventus 2.0: AI, connected health and preventative care roadmap - "Build a business I can't run anymore" — that means success

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Steve Sanghera — CEO of Inventus 2:00 Lockdown, Motorola and the accidental entry into clinical trials 4:00 Purpose-built devices: why consumer tech doesn't work 5:00 One world, one device — and the ecosystem behind it 6:00 Patients, sites and sponsors: the three pillars 8:00 BYOD vs provisioned — cost saving vs real solution 9:00 Half the cost, full the value 10:00 The clinical data plan operator: 450 carriers, 135 countries 12:00 One product accessed globally — no SIM cards 13:00 Service excellence: every client and key hire comes via referral 14:00 Zero percent failure tolerance vs consumer 3-5% 15:00 Regulation, compliance and learning the language of life sciences 17:00 The biggest challenge: finding someone who cares about the rivets 18:00 The rivets analogy: protecting $1.6 billion per trial 20:00 Designing for Doris: user interface, font size, 586 languages 22:00 NHS app frustrations and simplifying complexity 24:00 From five people to 70 — three UK offices, EU, China, US 25:00 New leadership: COO, CSO from AstraZeneca, CPO from BT 27:00 "Our accountant joined us — that tells you the numbers are real" 28:00 His sister's MS diagnosis at 19 and the trials they declined 30:00 Clinical trial stigma and what must change 32:00 AI: don't jump on it, mould it for clinical trials 34:00 Inventus 2.0: building the oven, figuring out how to cook 37:00 "Build a business I can't run anymore" 38:00 The All Blacks: leaving the shirt in a better place 39:00 Quick-fire: should have started earlier 40:00 Integrity, loyalty, hard work — and shopping 41:00 Golden rule: be honest and transparent

👤 ABOUT STEVE SANGHERA CEO of Inventus. Purpose-built clinical trial devices and the only dedicated clinical data plan operator in life sciences. 🌐 Search "Inventus clinical trials" or "Steve Sanghera" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#SteveSanghera #Inventus #ClinicalTrials #MedicalDevices #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #ClinicalTechnology #BYOD #PatientDevices #GlobalConnectivity #eSIM #LifeSciences #DrugDevelopment #PurposeBuilt #ServiceExcellence

Keith Berelowitz on PRxEngage, 35k Users in Month 1 & Why Patients Need North Star | Pharma Prescribed

Dr. Keith Berelowitz — founder and CEO of PRx Engage — joins Adam Walker for a conversation about patient engagement, self-determination theory and what it actually takes to build a clinical trial matching platform that patients trust.

Keith lost a friend at a young age. That drove him into science, then into bench research at the Royal Free, then into commercial clinical research at Richmond Pharmacology — where he and Adam first met. Years later, a personal cancer scare revealed how difficult it is to find a clinical trial, even for someone who works in the industry. PRx Engage was born from that experience.

35,000+ users in the first month. Five days to full funding. Oversubscribed.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/6lhc5JvQJf2Vdg9kWeCQzT?si=5dd931e0eeeb4804 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/keith-berelowitz-on-prxengage-35k-users-in-month-1/id1829715970?i=1000727740938 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - A personal cancer scare — and realising even he got confused searching for trials - PRx Engage: no login, no friction, trials matched by condition, age and location - Self-determination theory: autonomy, competency and relatedness in patient engagement - The dating app analogy: swipe right, swipe left — and why showing multiple trials works - Decisional conflict and task completion: the three self-assessment tools - Why showing only one sponsor's trial is the wrong approach - 35,000+ users in month one — and a return rate of two to three visits - Five days to full funding, oversubscribed — investors bought the team - No login data collection: the ethos and the differentiator - Cycling around London on TikTok — and discovering it actually works - Trust across all stakeholders: why "them vs us" kills clinical research - Gene editing, one-and-done therapies and what the future holds for our children - "You can be direct without being disrespectful" — the golden rule

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Dr. Keith Berelowitz — founder of PRx Engage 3:00 Losing a friend young — and why that drove everything 4:00 A personal cancer scare and the search that changed his mind 5:00 Leaving Richmond to build PRx Engage 6:00 Purpose, ethics and paying it forward 8:00 "I actually do like people" — understanding patient stories 9:00 Authentic LinkedIn: writing everything himself 10:00 Meeting everyone who asks — you never know what you'll learn 12:00 Building a team that roams within a defined space 14:00 Patient journey walkthrough: no login, condition, age, location 16:00 Why showing multiple trials increases commitment 17:00 Self-assessment: medical suitability, decisional conflict, task completion 19:00 Mobile-first honesty — people tell their phone the truth 20:00 Connecting to the research site: the only point data is collected 22:00 Decentralised trials and travelling for research 24:00 Gamification, retention and the patient who wants to join the dev team 26:00 Startup lessons: highs and lows journal 28:00 35,000 users, amazing engineering team and industry veterans 30:00 Taking investment: five days to oversubscribed 32:00 Building tech is more expensive than people realise 34:00 "A patient's North Star" — resonating without pushing 36:00 Social media strategy: LinkedIn first, TikTok cycling second 38:00 Filming while cycling uphill — do not attempt 40:00 Trust: the thing most lacking across all stakeholders 42:00 Gene editing, one-and-done therapies and the next generation 44:00 Quick-fire: stop trying to impress people who don't get you 45:00 Low drama, high output — smart over slick 46:00 Cycling as daily thinking time 47:00 Golden rule: direct without disrespectful 49:00 prxengage.com — and Keith's email is public

👤 ABOUT DR. KEITH BERELOWITZ Founder and CEO of PRx Engage. Chair, Fulham Research Ethics Committee. 20+ years in pharma and biotech research. Former Operations Director at Richmond Pharmacology. 🌐 https://www.prxengage.com 📧 keith@prxengage.com 💼 Search "Keith Berelowitz" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#KeithBerelowitz #PRxEngage #PatientEngagement #ClinicalTrials #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #TrialMatching #SelfDeterminationTheory #PatientRecruitment #HealthTech #ClinicalResearch #LifeSciences #PatientAccess #StartupFounder #TrustInResearch

Natalie Douglas on Building Companies, Leading & Why Mentorship Changed Everything | Pharma Prescribed

Natalie Douglas — former CEO of Healthcare at Home, creator of the managed access market and Adam's mentor — joins Adam Walker for one of the most personally significant conversations on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Natalie started carrying the bag at Janssen Pharmaceuticals. She was the only person on her training course without a biochemistry degree. Her trainer told her: "You don't have to be like everybody else." She wasn't — and she went on to build Idis (now Cgen) into the global market leader in managed access, secured private equity backing as one of the first women to do so in pharma services, and led a major turnaround at one of Europe's largest clinical homecare providers.

Adam calls her a mentor and a friend. This episode is their first recorded conversation.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/search/Natalie+Douglas+pharma+prescribed/episodes ⚠️ SWAP Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/search?term=Natalie+Douglas+pharma+prescribed ⚠️ SWAP Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Carrying the bag at Janssen — and the trainer who said "just be yourself" - Building Idis into a global market leader in managed access - "Some people thought it might be illegal" — and how that market now serves millions - First women in pharma services to secure PE backing — and why she wouldn't have been taken seriously with a smaller P&L - Healthcare at Home: 150,000 patients a year and a turnaround under pressure - Courage, confidence and calm — what leadership looks like in a storm - Neurodiversity as a creative superpower - Mentoring more men than women — and why she responds to every single request - Leading from the back: what non-exec and chair roles taught her about quiet leadership - Real world evidence in 2011 — and why it still hasn't moved fast enough - "It's not a give back — it's a skillset that needs to be used" - Trust, honesty, commitment and pace — the four fundamentals

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Natalie Douglas — mentor, friend, industry legend 2:00 How Adam and Natalie first connected in 2011 3:00 From Janssen sales rep to building Idis 4:00 Real world evidence in 2011 — and where it is today 5:00 Reality (now Cgen) and the pandemic pivot 6:00 What drives Natalie: natural curiosity, energy and a busy brain 7:00 Neurodiversity and creativity — "my brain hooks onto things others don't" 8:00 An explorer who loves people and asks a lot of questions 10:00 Early mentors: Sue Webb, Jane Griffiths, Liz Norton, Sadie Hartley 11:00 Family of sole traders — landing at J&J was intimidating 12:00 The only person without a biochemistry degree 13:00 "You don't have to be like everybody else" 14:00 Women in pharma leadership — then and now 16:00 Mentoring more men than women — honest feedback as a distinctive trait 17:00 First woman to secure PE backing in pharma services 18:00 "It takes courage to reach out and ask for help" 20:00 Honesty, listening, sense of humour — traits of great leadership 22:00 Healthcare at Home turnaround: courage, confidence and calm 24:00 Leading from the back — what non-exec taught her 26:00 Global Genes, British Growth Fund and how each role found her 28:00 Family, Switzerland, London, the US — an international unit 30:00 Quick-fire: find your mentors — 10 years earlier than I did 31:00 Trust, honesty, commitment and pace 32:00 Basketball, cooking, art, learning Italian 33:00 Golden rule: do something amazing — make a difference

👤 ABOUT NATALIE DOUGLAS Former CEO of Healthcare at Home and Idis (now Cgen). Chair of two MedTech companies. PharmaVoice Top 100. Health Investor Power Top 50. EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. 💼 Search "Natalie Douglas" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#NatalieDouglas #HealthcareAtHome #Idis #ManagedAccess #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #WomenInLeadership #FemaleFounder #Mentoring #PharmaLeadership #RealWorldEvidence #LifeSciences #NonExec #HealthcareInnovation #PatientAccess

Paul McCormack on Sobriety, Untapped Performance & Why Alcohol Steals Your Best Self | Pharma Prescribed

Paul McCormack — founder of Intention Performance and creator of the Untapped Performance Project — joins Adam Walker for the most personally resonant conversation on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Paul grew up in the west of Scotland, where alcohol was the reward you earned with age. For nearly 20 years it was the connector — work drinks, football clubs, expat life in London and Sydney. Every October he'd take 30 days off, feel amazing, then count down to November 1st and four bottles of wine. Until COVID, a puppy called Rolo, and a 5am wake-up changed everything.

He hasn't had a drink in five years. Neither has Adam. This is that conversation.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Vnz2NR4rk727FTukW4REI?si=oCtRjGIbRpeTpK_D3LYcMA Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-paul-mccormack-founder-coach/id1829715970?i=1000733878494 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-gix2g-19a7efa

📖 WHAT WE COVER - The October ritual: 30 days off, four bottles of wine waiting on November 1st - COVID, a bottle of wine every night for six weeks, and a puppy called Rolo - From 30 days to 100 to a year — and the 126 YouTube videos that got him there - Stag do sober: how the guy who'd have called you insane did it and loved it - FOMO to JOMO: the fear of missing out becomes the joy of missing out - Fat Boy Slim sober: Adam's story from last night — two drank, two didn't, same joy - Alcohol as an anesthetic: what it actually does to your senses - Clarity and consistency: the two things alcohol steals that matter most - The Untapped Performance Project: 30 days on alcohol, then performance coaching - Ryan Parke's Future Self Program and Monday Morning Men's Club - Coaching as the unsexiest, most effective investment you can make - Atomic Habits and compound gains from daily sober decisions - "Don't take yourself too seriously" — the golden rule

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Paul McCormack — founder of Intention Performance 2:00 Working with growth-minded men at 50-70% capacity 3:00 Growing up in Scotland: alcohol as a reward earned with age 4:00 University, London, Sydney — alcohol as the connector everywhere 5:00 The October ritual: 30 days off, four bottles waiting 6:00 Adam's own relationship with alcohol 7:00 COVID: a glass of wine every night for six weeks 8:00 Rolo the puppy and the 5am wake-up that changed everything 9:00 From 30 days to 100 — and 126 YouTube videos in the gap 10:00 The switch: logical reasons plus physical and mental benefits 11:00 First birthday sober since age 17 12:00 Career: journalism dream, HSBC, online gaming, marketing 14:00 Moving to Sydney at 27 with one suitcase 15:00 Going full-time coaching in 2024 16:00 The Future Self Program with Ryan Parke 17:00 Monday Morning Men's Club and goal setting 18:00 Adam's podcast origin story — born from the Future Self Program 20:00 The Untapped Performance Project explained 21:00 First 30 days: deep dive into the alcohol relationship 22:00 Values alignment and confronting the truth 23:00 FOMO to JOMO 24:00 Fat Boy Slim last night: two sober, two drinking, same experience 26:00 Alcohol as anesthetic — what it does to your senses 27:00 The stag do: sober, FaceTime with dad, pan au chocolat 28:00 Compound gains from showing up every day without alcohol 30:00 Clarity and consistency — the two things alcohol takes 32:00 Coaching: being listened to without someone scrolling their phone 34:00 Therapy, dog walks and investing time in yourself 36:00 Coaching for everyone — not just execs 37:00 Alcohol break + coaching = most productive three months ever 38:00 Quick-fire: trust the process 39:00 Authenticity, listening and openness to feedback 40:00 Golden rule: don't take yourself too seriously 41:00 How to connect: LinkedIn and untappedperformanceproject.com

👤 ABOUT PAUL MCCORMACK Paul McCormack is founder of Intention Performance and creator of the Untapped Performance Project. Five years alcohol-free. Based in Sydney. 🌐 https://www.untappedperformanceproject.com 💼 Search "Coach Paul McCormack" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#PaulMcCormack #IntentionPerformance #AlcoholFree #Sobriety #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #UntappedPerformance #MensMentalHealth #JOMO #FOMO #FutureSelf #RyanParke #AtomicHabits #Coaching #Wellbeing

Sverre Bengtsson on Building Viedoc, the Paris Airport Deal & Why Europe Must Work Together | Pharma Prescribed

Sverre Bengtsson — co-founder of Viedoc Technologies, ACDM board member and angel investor in 30+ life science ventures — joins Adam Walker for a conversation about building a global eClinical platform from a blank sheet of paper.

Sverre trained as a statistician in Sweden, got lured into clinical research by someone who said "you know a bit of statistics, can't you do things here?" — and never left. When his CRO employer hit hard times, he and co-founder Hendrik built their own EDC system, not for others, but for themselves. Competitors asked to use it. Then a chance encounter in a Paris airport lounge led to a global pharma deal that changed everything.

Viedoc now operates across 80+ countries. Sverre is focused on investing in the next generation.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/7zSgUe1f80Bd483P9G8JuK?si=BQd1aCmAQoCnhMcdpxYl5Q Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-sverre-bengtsson-digital-first/id1829715970?i=1000733465389 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-7gjtb-19a3574

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Built an EDC system from a blank sheet of paper in 2003 — for themselves, not clients - Competitors asked to use it — and Viedoc was born - The Paris airport lounge: spotting a woman working on a pharma PowerPoint, demoing the system on the spot - One year and 26 days: from lounge conversation to global pharma contract - Splitting the CRO from the tech company — and why it had to happen for Viedoc to take off - AI is hitting clinical operations first: protocols, trial management, feasibility analysis - "We overestimate the short-term effects but underestimate the long-term effects" - The radiologist problem: AI gets smarter, humans get lazier — and we lose knowledge - Why a knowledge-intensive industry must keep attracting new talent even as AI scales - ACDM, EUCROF and why volunteering matters - Europe's fragmentation, competitiveness and the geopolitical imperative to work together - 30+ angel investments across European life sciences - Be humble. Do your best.

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Sverre Bengtsson — co-founder of Viedoc Technologies 2:00 Statistics, economics and how he got lured into clinical research 3:00 Building Viedoc from a blank sheet of paper in 2003 4:00 Competitors wanted to use it — the accidental product company 5:00 Can't thank your first clients enough 6:00 The Paris airport lounge: demoing Viedoc to a pharma executive 7:00 One year and 26 days to sign the global deal 8:00 60 pages of contract — the first time at that level 9:00 Splitting the CRO from the tech company — the hard decision 10:00 Firewall, trust and why the CRO had to be sold 11:00 Focus: the moment Viedoc truly took off 12:00 Scaling globally: 24/7 support, multiple IT centres, 80+ countries 13:00 AI hitting clinical operations first — protocols and feasibility 14:00 Live monitoring of operational and data quality 15:00 Conservative industry or inflection point? Both are right 16:00 Three to five years before this is mainstream 17:00 The radiologist problem: AI improves, human knowledge declines 18:00 Why we must keep attracting new talent into clinical research 19:00 The sweet spot of medical information, data and tech 20:00 Think outside the checklist 21:00 Mentors: MiniDoc founders and the CEO who made him stay 22:00 The balance between nerd and communicator 23:00 People in this industry genuinely burn for what they do 24:00 ACDM: how he got involved through volunteering 25:00 EUCROF: promoting the European perspective 26:00 Europe's challenges: fragmentation, competitiveness and unity 27:00 Geopolitics and working together globally 28:00 ACDM as a model for the world 29:00 Quick-fire: focus — his wife would agree 30:00 Golden rule: be humble, do your best

👤 ABOUT SVERRE BENGTSSON Co-founder of Viedoc Technologies. ACDM board member. EUCROF member. Angel investor in 30+ European life science ventures. Statistician by training. 💼 Search "Sverre Bengtsson" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#SverreBengtsson #Viedoc #EDC #ClinicalTrials #ACDM #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #eClinical #LifeSciences #ClinicalDataManagement #AngelInvestor #BiotechStartup #Europe #EUCROF #AIinPharma

Nuria Coll Bastus on ClinicalNet, Trial Matching in 5 Minutes & Why 80% of Trials Are Delayed | Pharma Prescribed

Nuria Coll Bastus — founder and CEO of ClinicalNet — joins Adam Walker for a conversation about why 80% of clinical trials are delayed by recruitment, and how one platform could change that.

Nuria has a PhD in onco-genomics from Barts Cancer Institute, spent years in pharma, and kept getting calls from friends and family: "Can you find a clinical trial for my loved one?" She could — but it took six hours. That disconnect became her MBA dissertation, then her startup, then her life's work.

ClinicalNet matches patients with clinical trials in under five minutes. Free. Globally.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/6WpliuhaXzpXMgUXufcM5T?si=70dccc836434431e Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nuria-coll-bastus-on-clinicalnet-trial-matching-in/id1829715970?i=1000732142862 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - 60% of patients would consider a trial, but only 8% enter one — why? - Six hours to search using expert skills most patients don't have - ClinicalNet: matching in under five minutes, free, all indications - 65,000 open trials structured by AI — why three AI teams failed before Nuria solved it - The Barcelona oncologist who didn't know about two melanoma trials next door - Nuria's mother diagnosed with metastatic melanoma — the personal story - Updated every 24 hours: new trials surfaced automatically - Less than 10% of traditional recruitment cost — fully automated - Clinical trials as a day-one treatment option, not a last resort - Don't give up — the golden rule

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Nuria Coll Bastus — founder of ClinicalNet 2:00 Chemistry in Barcelona to onco-genomics PhD at Barts 3:00 The disconnect: patients looking, trials struggling 4:00 MBA dissertation becomes a startup 5:00 Summer 2021: leaving pharma for the mission 6:00 Understanding business as much as science 7:00 Only 20% of patients try a second search 8:00 What families actually experience looking for trials 9:00 ClinicalNet: five minutes, lay and medical language 10:00 Building the AI — three teams failed before Nuria solved it 11:00 Why LLMs alone can't process 65,000 trials at scale 12:00 Breaking down data from a medical perspective 13:00 "Not pregnant" vs "negative HCG test" — the data problem 14:00 Free for patients, doctors and academic trials — always 15:00 Updated every 24 hours with new trials 16:00 Pharma pays: less than 10% of traditional recruitment cost 17:00 No army of PhDs — everything automated 18:00 When all three user groups connect, it works 20:00 Three years to build a scalable platform 21:00 Profitability expected within nine to twelve months 22:00 The colleague whose husband had metastatic gastric cancer 24:00 Nuria's mother and the Barcelona melanoma diagnosis 25:00 The oncologist who didn't know about two nearby trials 26:00 "It's the job of the family to take care of your own health" 28:00 Patients already entering trials through ClinicalNet 29:00 Trials as day-one options, not last resort 30:00 Taking ownership of health outcomes 33:00 NIHR conversations and NHS app potential 35:00 Quick-fire: don't be scared — start sooner 36:00 Motivation for impact, honesty, positivity 37:00 Sport — any sport 38:00 Golden rule: don't give up

👤 ABOUT NURIA COLL BASTUS Founder and CEO of ClinicalNet. PhD onco-genomics (Barts). 12+ years in drug development. 🌐 https://www.clinicalnet.com 🔍 https://trials.clinicalnet.com (free patient search) 💼 Search "Nuria Coll Bastus" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#NuriaCollBastus #ClinicalNet #PatientRecruitment #ClinicalTrials #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #HealthTech #OncoGenomics #CancerTrials #PatientAccess #DrugDevelopment #LifeSciences #AIHealthcare #FemaleFounder #Barcelona

Artem Adrianov on RBQM, Fraud Detection & the Young CEO Programme That Outperforms an MBA | Pharma Prescribed

Artem Adrianov — co-founder and CEO of CluePoints (SEG Integrity) and author of the Definitive Guide to RBQM — joins Adam Walker for a conversation about risk, quality, fraud detection and what it really means to build a company from its values up.

Artem holds a PhD in mathematical modelling and an Executive MBA from Cass Business School. He started by asking a simple question: how do you detect fraud in clinical trials? That led to Benford's Law, algorithms from the finance industry, and eventually a company that now manages risk across thousands of studies with 50 employees.

He also runs a Young CEO programme that has produced better leaders than any MBA — and the idea came from his wife's experience at Eli Lilly.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/5QsRaLzQgpZNhGn4Ru2cxO?si=e5c01721e0c846a5 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/artem-adrianov-on-rbqm-fraud-detection-the-young-ceo/id1829715970?i=1000728560133 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Fraud detection in pharma: Benford's Law and algorithms borrowed from finance - "Bloomberg for pharma" — the vision for SEG Integrity - The airplane analogy: 8 out of 10 flights delayed, 2 crash, and the price keeps doubling - ICH E6 R3 knocking on the door — why the regulatory shift forces transformation - The Young CEO programme: two years, psychologists, journaling and real strategic decisions - 2–3% retention rate — and why internal promotion beats hiring from outside - Founder-owned, self-funded and thinking long-term in a short-term industry - "Reduced based monitoring" — what sites actually think RBM stands for - Quality by design: why step-by-step always beats big bang - Four-day quarterly fasting for clarity of mind — and what Socrates knew - My RBQM Academy: 1,500+ professionals trained from 400+ organisations - Piano, Sinatra's "My Way" and Bach played in jazz mode

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Artem Adrianov — co-founder of SEG Integrity 2:00 Four-day quarterly fasting for clarity of mind 3:00 Socrates, energy waves and hidden potential 4:00 Founding SEG: medicine, mathematics and solving challenging problems 5:00 Fraud detection in clinical trials — borrowing from finance 6:00 Benford's Law and digital repeatability algorithms 7:00 Every risk needs its own dedicated approach 8:00 Leadership style: removing roadblocks, not pointing fingers 9:00 The Young CEO programme explained 10:00 Real strategic decisions: "will you sign this contract?" 11:00 Why internal young leaders outperform hired-in managers 12:00 Two years, psychologists, journaling and transformation 13:00 Culture gets cemented through internal promotion 14:00 Apprenticeship model: learning through real decisions 15:00 Opening the programme to external participants 16:00 Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson as inspiration 17:00 AI and scaling: 50 people managing thousands of studies 18:00 ICH E6 R3 and why transformation is now mandatory 19:00 Revenue growth and 200–300 employees within two years 20:00 The airplane analogy: 8 out of 10 flights delayed, 2 crash 21:00 Comparing pharma to aviation safety standards 22:00 Bloomberg for pharma — transparent, benchmarked, insight-driven 23:00 Mutual decision-making, not finger pointing 24:00 Darwin: not the smartest, not the strongest — the most adaptable 25:00 Step-by-step always beats big bang in RBQM 26:00 "Reduced based monitoring" — what sites actually hear 27:00 Lessons as a founder: you can't do everything yourself 28:00 Quality in everything: ideas, implementation, delivery 29:00 Company fasting: reflecting on whether you deliver the best value 30:00 Quick-fire: believe in what you're doing despite all other opinions 31:00 Passion, patient stories and why you have to be a bit crazy 32:00 Piano, grand piano and everything with keys 33:00 Sinatra's "My Way" and Bach in jazz mode 34:00 Golden rule: stay integrated — doing the right thing when nobody's watching

👤 ABOUT ARTEM ADRIANOV Co-founder and CEO of SEG Integrity. PhD mathematical modelling. Executive MBA (Cass). Author of the Definitive Guide to RBQM. Creator of My RBQM Academy (1,500+ professionals trained). 🌐 https://www.integrity.com 💼 Search "Artem Adrianov" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#ArtemAdrianov #SEGIntegrity #RBQM #QualityByDesign #ClinicalTrials #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #FraudDetection #ICHE6R3 #ClinicalResearch #RiskManagement #YoungCEO #DataQuality #LifeSciences #CentralizedMonitoring

Dr. Anna Titkova on Building Clinical Trials in Ukraine War, COVID & Restarting | Pharma Prescribed

Dr. Anna Titkova — International Operations Director at Pratia and former Country Head of Pratia Ukraine — joins Adam Walker for one of the most deeply human conversations on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Anna built Pratia Ukraine from scratch during COVID — registering two companies, establishing eight embedded clinical research units across four cities, randomising nearly 500 patients in a COVID vaccination trial. Then at 4:45am on February 24th, 2022, everything changed. Nearly 1,500 days later, she is still leading, still building, and still putting patients first — now from Poland.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/2zrjVn8j43Lqr4KaH7dM5a?si=oth7wUsURXm1Q4rEqWh40w Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-anna-titkova-international/id1829715970?i=1000728557029 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-xgyvx-19770e6

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Building Pratia Ukraine from zero during COVID — eight sites, four cities, three regions - The first dedicated private clinical research institution in Ukraine - 4:45am, February 24th, 2022 — and the 1,500 days that followed - Relocating to Poland and rebuilding from a new country - COVID as unconscious disaster recovery training for what came next - 70 new trials approved in Ukraine in six months — approaching pre-war numbers - "I wish I'd never told you this story" — the Oscar speech that frames everything - Being a professor, a doctor, a mother and a business leader simultaneously - Post-Soviet heritage: the bureaucratic reality of registering a clinical research site - Why she still uses a paper list — and the satisfaction of crossing things off - Patient centricity is not a phrase — it's access to innovative treatments wherever you are - Warren Buffett on hiring: honesty, intelligence, energy — without the first, the rest don't matter - 70 countries visited and what travel teaches about how small our worries really are - You cannot take from the world more than you give to it

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Dr. Anna Titkova — International Operations Director, Pratia 2:00 1,500 days since the invasion — "we used to it now" 3:00 Born in Kharkiv — relocated to Poland 4:00 What Pratia does: an international site management organisation 5:00 Building Pratia Ukraine from 2019 — eight sites, four cities 6:00 Registering two companies during COVID lockdown 7:00 World best recruitment in a COVID treatment study — 500 patients 8:00 COVID as unconscious disaster recovery training 9:00 Adapting to impossible conditions — no transport, no notary, no normal 10:00 Family and purpose: a childhood dream to become a doctor 11:00 No businessman in the family — a post-Soviet mindset 12:00 "Your purpose is the rock you cannot imagine not doing" 13:00 Combining professor, doctor, mother and operations director 14:00 Cultural differences between Ukrainian legislation and EU standards 15:00 Paper lists and the satisfaction of crossing things off 16:00 Clinical trials in Ukraine today — 70 new approvals in six months 17:00 Sponsors remembering Ukraine's potential as a rescue country 18:00 Speaking at conferences and sharing the Ukrainian story 19:00 Operational excellence inside a site network 20:00 Resilience: not never falling, but rising with sharper vision 21:00 "The life has its own plans — and it humbles you" 22:00 "I wish I'd never made this film" — the Oscar speech 23:00 The future of Pratia and Anna's personal mission 24:00 Patient centricity means access — not a poster on a wall 25:00 Quick-fire: believe in yourself, no matter how impossible 26:00 Warren Buffett: honesty, intelligence, energy 27:00 Traveling 70 countries — how small our worries really are 28:00 Golden rule: you cannot take more than you give

👤 ABOUT DR. ANNA TITKOVA International Operations Director at Pratia. Former Country Head, Pratia Ukraine. Associate Professor. Doctor. Mother. 🌐 https://www.pratia.com 💼 Search "Anna Titkova" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#AnnaTitkova #Pratia #Ukraine #ClinicalTrials #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #SiteNetwork #Resilience #PatientAccess #ClinicalResearch #LifeSciences #WarAndResearch #COVID #Kharkiv #Poland

Dr. Andree Bates on Pharma AI, Saving Lives with Data, HelloFresh of Medicine | Pharma Prescribed

Dr. Andree Bates — founder and CEO of Eularis and 22-year veteran of pharmaceutical AI — joins Adam Walker for the most technically visionary conversation on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Andree grew up in Papua New Guinea and Japan, holds a PhD in neuroscience, and built machine learning models in her lab before most people knew what AI stood for. She digitized her first pharma company after telling the chairman what was wrong on the bullet train to Osaka. He said: "Fix it."

She's been fixing things ever since — from 94.8% market share prediction to finding undiagnosed ultra-rare disease children who are now alive in their twenties.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ysC8NreYCBq4Co8uEaeaB?si=81Wh-bPGQL20EoAZtRYSng Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-dr-andr%C3%A9e-bates-ceo-of/id1829715970?i=1000735563632 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-fpdvw-19aceff

📖 WHAT WE COVER - The bullet train story: told the chairman what was wrong — he said fix it - Papua New Guinea to Japan to London to New York: adaptability as superpower - 94.8% accuracy predicting market share across thousands of brands - Finding undiagnosed ultra-rare toddlers — now alive in their twenties - Third-line cancer: triangulating EHR and claims data to find the doctor - AI strategy blueprints: 50% off-the-shelf, 50% needs building - Grail blood test: predicting 50+ cancers with no symptoms - Brain cells on computer chips — Cortical Labs and Amazon - Non-invasive brain interface letting paralysed people communicate in an hour - Digital twins, personalised medicine and the HelloFresh of pharma - "Trust the vision, be patient, be kinder to yourself during setbacks"

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Dr. Andree Bates — founder of Eularis 2:00 PhD neuroscience and ML in the lab 3:00 Papua New Guinea, Japan and why impact matters now 4:00 The bullet train: telling the chairman on day one 5:00 Digitizing pharma in Tokyo — world firsts with Glaxo 6:00 Starting Eularis: Pfizer in New York as first client 7:00 "50% of my marketing's wasted — fix that" 8:00 Ultra-rare disease: finding undiagnosed toddlers with AI 9:00 Those children are in their twenties now — alive 10:00 Cultural adaptability across countries 11:00 AI inflection points: GANs, data explosion, transformers 13:00 LLMs won't last — what comes next 14:00 Patient data privacy and federated learning 16:00 Third-line cancer: triangulating EHR and claims data 18:00 First, second, third line treatment explained 19:00 Elite AI teams: top 20 data scientists, 13 joined 21:00 Data scientists, engineers, DevOps and scrum 22:00 AI strategy blueprints: how Eularis advises pharma 24:00 50% off-the-shelf, 50% build 26:00 Training: the "LLMs are rubbish" moment 28:00 Jobs fear: saving hours without cutting people 30:00 Advice for the next generation 32:00 The Uber driver and the PhD intern from Uganda 33:00 Andree's vision — 12 hours in Virginia airport 34:00 Grail: 50+ cancers from a single blood draw 35:00 The listener who said "you saved my life" 36:00 Non-invasive brain interface vs Neuralink 38:00 Brain cells on chips: Cortical Labs and Amazon 39:00 Digital twins powered by your own brain 40:00 HelloFresh of pharma: 3D printed personalised drugs 42:00 Quick-fire: trust the vision but be patient 44:00 Curiosity, patient centricity, comfort with ambiguity 46:00 Flying, sailing and the Mekong Delta 48:00 Golden rule: do work that matters with people who matter

👤 ABOUT DR. ANDREE BATES Founder and CEO of Eularis. PhD neuroscience. 22 years in pharma AI. Pilot. Weekly newsletter on AI and life sciences. 💼 Search "Dr Andree Bates" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#AndreeBates #Eularis #AIinPharma #PharmaceuticalAI #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #RareDisease #DigitalTwins #Grail #CancerDiagnostics #MachineLearning #DrugDiscovery #LifeSciences #Neuroscience #FederatedLearning

Jan Krikava on Docuply, Affordable QMS & Why Small Pharma Deserves Better Tools | Pharma Prescribed

Jan Krikava — co-founder and managing director of Docuply — joins Adam Walker for a practical conversation about quality management, affordable compliance and building a pharma software startup from scratch in Germany.

Jan started at SAP, went self-employed at 25, founded a consulting company (KLQC) for regulated industries, then spent two years validating one idea: smaller pharma and biotech companies need quality management systems that work for them — not enterprise tools with a hundred buttons when they need five.

250 interviews later, Docuply was born. Adam sits on its scientific advisory board.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/2bYOVKyVYkbsHsp6H9D11a?si=9NuEAhEoQUaUH73kR0MtoA Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-jan-krikava-managing-director/id1829715970?i=1000737246858 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-egu2b-19c00f7

📖 WHAT WE COVER - 250 interviews and a white paper: two-year validation before writing a line of code - Why enterprise QMS platforms don't work for 10–150 person companies - The pivot from document management to full electronic quality management - "Quality doesn't have to cost a lot" — it just has too many repetitive tasks - AI-generated SOP training questionnaires: upload a document, get questions in seconds - What AI native means — and why cloud architecture makes it 10x easier - The naming story: Doculab, a trademark dispute, and the Docuply brainstorm - Bootstrapping to business angel funding — each right at the right time - Fatherhood as fuel: becoming a dad two and a half years ago - Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a hiring filter — a third of the team trains - DACH focus first, Europe next, one US customer already - Stay honest — to yourself and your partners

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Jan Krikava — co-founder of Docuply 2:00 From SAP to self-employment to founding KLQC 3:00 250 interviews: the two-year validation 4:00 Why pharma? Altruism, motivation and a market gap 5:00 Consistently motivated, kind people in pharma 6:00 The rollercoaster of a startup in regulated industries 7:00 Father and uncle both self-employed — entrepreneurial DNA 8:00 Fatherhood — responsibility as rocket fuel 9:00 Naming Docuply: trademark dispute to seven letters 10:00 The share symbol logo — documents should never be silos 11:00 The crowded market that isn't crowded when you zoom in 12:00 Enterprise hundred-button tools vs the five buttons you need 13:00 Setup fees and why small companies can't afford legacy QMS 14:00 Quality doesn't have to cost a lot 15:00 30 signatures for one SOP — and why that's absurd 16:00 AI-native features: LLMs, training questionnaires and CAPA 17:00 Digital natives entering quality management 18:00 The generational shift: systems must adapt 19:00 AI native explained: cloud architecture, 10x easier deployment 20:00 Mistral AI from France as technology partner 21:00 Bootstrapping to business angel funding 22:00 The German startup ecosystem 23:00 Advisory board and gathering pharma knowledge 24:00 DACH focus, European plans, one US customer 25:00 AI training questionnaires: upload, generate, evidence in seconds 26:00 Why Adam loves this feature 27:00 Quick-fire: do more things — collect experiences 28:00 Cultural fit, second-order thinking and Brazilian jiu-jitsu 29:00 Family: Jonathan and fatherhood 30:00 Golden rule: stay honest

👤 ABOUT JAN KRIKAVA Jan Krikava is co-founder and MD of Docuply, a pre-validated eQMS for pharma and biotech. Software engineer, entrepreneur, SAP alumnus. 🌐 https://www.docuply.io 💼 Search "Jan Krikava" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#JanKrikava #Docuply #QualityManagement #eQMS #PharmaTech #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #BiotechStartup #SOPTraining #AIinPharma #CAPA #GermanStartup #LifeSciences #RegulatoryCompliance #CloudQMS

Ryan Parke on Testosterone, Suicide & Why Doing Everything Still Wasn't Enough | Pharma Prescribed

⚠️ This episode discusses suicide and men's mental health. Samaritans → 116 123 (UK, free, 24/7)

Ryan Parke — TEDx speaker, men's coach and author of How to Help Him — joins Adam Walker for the most personal episode on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

In June 2019, Ryan bumped into Brad's mum. Brad was the most successful man Ryan knew — fast car, big house, loving family. Brad had done everything we tell men in crisis to do: therapy, antidepressants, nightly calls home. Brad still died by suicide. That conversation sparked five years of research. This is what Ryan found.

For Adam, this is deeply personal. He has been working with Ryan through the hardest period of his life. This podcast was born from that work.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/4MbArYNz1p0Iqa8zAtehgL?si=5YmL90LTSwafeDE2Igfj5w Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-ryan-parke-the-mens-coach-the/id1829715970?i=1000737770562 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

Youtube → https://youtu.be/zPiAYWwmGAQ?si=nApB-zW8ZLGEocQH

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Brad's story — why doing everything right still wasn't enough - The daylight savings heart attack spike: one lost hour kills more men on one specific day - Testosterone: not aggression but a vital marker for metabolic health - Low testosterone linked to suicide, depression, heart disease and prostate cancer - Five lifestyle levers: diet, sleep, exercise, vitamin D3 and sobriety - Steve: blood pressure dropped, type 2 diabetes reversed, testosterone doubled in 10 days - Exercise 1.5x more effective than antidepressants and CBT for depression - Each alcoholic drink may reduce testosterone by the equivalent of six years of aging - The ALPHA Framework: five dimensions of male mental health - Monday Morning Men's Club: 7am, locked at 7:01, five questions, 30 minutes - Tough 21: daily check-ins producing 60–75% reductions in depression scores - Adam's sobriety — and how this podcast came to exist

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Trigger warning and intro 1:00 Meet Ryan Parke 2:00 Brad's story — the most successful man Ryan knew 3:00 Brad did everything right — and still died 4:00 Research begins: one day a week from June 2019 5:00 The daylight savings heart attack spike 6:00 Why one lost hour hits men harder than women 7:00 Testosterone: the hormone everyone has wrong 8:00 Testosterone is calming — not aggressive 9:00 Low testosterone linked to suicide and depression 10:00 The biggest killers of men — and the testosterone thread 11:00 Flipping the narrative on male mental health 12:00 Natural vs synthetic testosterone 13:00 Testosterone as a marker for metabolic health 14:00 Five lifestyle levers — starting with diet 15:00 Real food, low carb and Ryan's personal experiment 16:00 From 20 to 30 nanomoles in eight months 17:00 Steve: blood pressure, diabetes, testosterone all reversed 18:00 Sleep: one missed hour = 12 years of testosterone aging 19:00 Sleep quality and shift work 20:00 Exercise: 150 minutes — and why it beats antidepressants 21:00 Vitamin D3: sunlight, wild fish and absorption 22:00 Sobriety: each drink = six years of testosterone aging 23:00 The 1% compound effect of sober decisions 24:00 Adam's sobriety and the rugby tour 25:00 "Sometimes trying to be a man is what kills men" 26:00 Fatherhood, Max and testosterone in new parenthood 27:00 Monday Morning Men's Club: 7am, locked at 7:01 28:00 Five questions, 30 minutes, accountability 29:00 The ALPHA Framework: five dimensions of male mental health 30:00 Achieving, body and mind, protecting the cave 31:00 Adventures, dopamine and purpose 32:00 Tough 21: 60–75% reduction in depression scores 33:00 Adam's 90 days — and how this podcast was born 34:00 How to Help Him: the book for women 35:00 Fact-checking 340 sources — and the parakeet study 36:00 Quick-fire round 37:00 A ship in harbour is safe — but that's not what ships are for 38:00 Courage, curiosity and commitment 39:00 Bill early, pay late — and where to find Ryan 40:00 Closing: why this podcast exists

👤 ABOUT RYAN PARKE Ryan Parke is The Men's Coach — TEDx speaker, author of How to Help Him and creator of the ALPHA Framework and Tough 21. Works with NHS Trusts, schools and emergency services. 🌐 https://www.themenscoach.co.uk 📸 @ryanparketmc 📚 How to Help Him — Amazon, Waterstones, Barnes & Noble

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamwalkerbiometrics

#RyanParke #TheMensCoach #MensMentalHealth #Testosterone #MentalHealth #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #ALPHAFramework #HowToHelpHim #MentalHealthUK #Samaritans #MaleWellbeing #SuicidePrevention #MondayMorningMensClub #Wellbeing

Wendy Turenne on Real World Evidence, Messy Data & Why AI Must Earn Your Trust | Pharma Prescribed

Wendy Turenne — known industry-wide as Real World Wendy — joins Adam Walker for a conversation about data, storytelling and what it takes to turn messy healthcare information into decisions that matter.

Wendy is the child of two statisticians and a biostatistician herself. She spent 25+ years across providers, payers, health tech and government, most recently as Chief Data Officer and SVP at Aetion, leading global teams transforming real world data into regulatory-grade evidence. Now an independent consultant advising on data maturity and evidence strategy.

The woman who wasn't allowed to use stepwise regression in 1998 has some thoughts about AI.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/6CiE5cylG1xe2NRcMwXEK8?si=6svPFaFkRGOItaYGmzyJXg Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-wendy-turenne-real-world-wendy/id1829715970?i=1000737770129 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-areyf-19c236e

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Child of two statisticians who tried to be a criminal prosecutor — ended up in biostats - Dinner table debates about logistic regression between a survey statistician and an epidemiologist - What "Real World Wendy" learned in seven years at Aetion - COVID: buried in millions of rows while everyone else was on Clubhouse - Clinical trials vs RWE — pieces of the same puzzle, not competitors - "I am drawn to things that are messy and unanswerable" - The toolbox metaphor: what's in yours and where does it feel fun to take it? - Impatience in the next generation: catalyst or risk? - Stepwise regression 1998: why constraints make you better with freedom - Validate first, then trust, then verify — how AI must earn its place - Women's health: the data exists, the mysteries can be unlocked - Don't confuse change with failure - Be honest and be kind

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Wendy Turenne — Real World Wendy 2:00 Child of two statisticians — born this way 3:00 The teen who wanted to be a criminal prosecutor 4:00 "The information's here — just figuring it out" 5:00 Hospital data, kidney care and oncology 6:00 Dinner table: regression debates between parents 8:00 Seven years at Aetion and what RWE taught her 10:00 Multi-stakeholder groups and shutting down inconvenient perspectives 12:00 10-year-old Wendy wanted to be a pop star 13:00 "All that work loses its potential if you can't tell the story" 14:00 From SAS programmer to storytelling scientist 16:00 COVID: millions of rows while Clubhouse talked 18:00 Making everyone a better consumer of evidence 19:00 Clinical trials vs RWE explained simply 21:00 Why Wendy is drawn to messy, observational data 24:00 The toolbox metaphor 27:00 Impatience in the next generation 30:00 Stepwise regression in 1998 and learning in constraints 32:00 "Give me a chance" — Adam plays the other side 34:00 Break it — but put it back together 36:00 Women's health: data exists, tools are here 38:00 Validate, trust, verify — how AI earns its place 40:00 Quick-fire: stop being scared 41:00 Authenticity, transparency, roll-up-your-sleeves 42:00 Trip and Zacharia — Christmas in Bern, Zurich and Paris 43:00 Golden rule: be honest and be kind

👤 ABOUT WENDY TURENNE Wendy Turenne is an independent RWD and evidence strategy consultant. Former CDO and SVP Evidence Solutions at Aetion. 25+ years across providers, payers, health tech and government. Known as Real World Wendy. 📧 realworldwendy@gmail.com 💼 Search "Wendy Turenne" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#WendyTurenne #RealWorldWendy #RealWorldData #RWE #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #Aetion #Biostatistics #WomensHealth #AIinPharma #EvidenceStrategy #LifeSciences #DataScience #ClinicalResearch #Storytelling

Dr. Daniel Fox on Research Deserts & Building CRPN to Fix Clinical Trial Access | Pharma Prescribed

Dr. Daniel Fox — CEO of CRPN (Clinical Research Payment Network) — joins Adam Walker for the most emotionally raw and structurally radical conversation on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Daniel is a PhD scientist, former CRA and director of clinical research who has worked every side of the industry. He is also the father of Violet, who died of I-cell disease (mucolipidosis) on Christmas morning, aged three, weeks before COVID. There was no trial near enough to help her.

That loss became his life's mission. CRPN exists because of Violet.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/6t8KOSIeEao91fwI2sHeUq?si=ytbgsw37TaCjeQBcjMVKoA Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-dr-daniel-fox-ceo-of-crpn/id1829715970?i=1000739126936 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-7d97e-19d6c58

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Violet's diagnosis: I-cell disease, the geneticist who had only seen three cases, the four-to-six year life expectancy - Christmas morning, 5am — and a sister who still believed in Santa - Aaron's Pavilion: the park, the bench and strangers united by the same disease - Why people are still dying because they can't access trials — in 2025 - The dirty secret of DCTs: the regulation is solved, the payment model isn't - CRPN: treating sponsors like insurance cards and sites like healthcare clinics - Cutting 8–18 months of contract negotiation with pre-fixed in-network rates - Claims-style payment: how healthcare pays and how research must mirror it - Autism after school: the cliff edge no one talks about - Kohl's Goals: the children's book illustrated by a paid autistic adult - ACEs training: autism-conscious businesses changing community life - The Four Agreements: the book that rewired everything

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Dr. Daniel Fox — CEO of CRPN 2:00 The mission: everyone who needs a trial should have access 3:00 Why geography is killing patients in 2025 4:00 How the system breaks between drug development and patient access 5:00 The research desert: Daniel's own story begins 6:00 Violet's diagnosis: I-cell disease 7:00 What I-cell does to a child's cells 8:00 Moving from California to Illinois — to be near family for what was coming 9:00 The director job posted the day they decided to move 10:00 Watching Violet die while managing clinical trials 11:00 "I'll carry her impact through me" 12:00 Christmas morning: Violet died at 5am — Scarlet still believed in Santa 13:00 Aaron's Pavilion and the bench with Violet's name 14:00 Two weeks before COVID — Violet's celebration of life 15:00 No more lost life because of access — the CRPN mission 16:00 Healthcare is worth trillions; research worth billions — that's the problem 17:00 Sharing grief — why this conversation matters to Adam too 18:00 Doing your best to avoid regret 19:00 CRPN: the long-term and short-term vision 20:00 Eight to eighteen months of negotiation — before a single patient is seen 21:00 The fixed contract and the sponsor amendment problem 22:00 How healthcare clinics actually get paid 23:00 The in-network insurance card model for clinical research 24:00 Pre-fixed rates and IRB submission on day one 25:00 Claims-style payments: validate, pay the site, chase the sponsor 26:00 The patient trial card: any doctor's office, anywhere 27:00 Autism after school: Violet's OT and the idea 28:00 Innovation Autism and the post-school cliff edge 29:00 Kohl's Goals: illustrated by a paid autistic adult 30:00 ACEs training and parents no longer afraid to go out 31:00 Autistic people as superpowers in any team 32:00 Are autism rates rising — or just identification? 33:00 Screen time, boredom and a Dr. Fox theory 34:00 Rare diseases and the I-cell cat colony that ran out of funding 35:00 CRPN plan B: guiding community research sites through chaos 36:00 Quick-fire: The Four Agreements 37:00 Honesty, communication and impact 38:00 Karate and a strong mind 39:00 Golden rule: you walk through life alone 40:00 Closing thanks and how to connect

👤 ABOUT DR. DANIEL FOX Dr. Daniel Fox is CEO of CRPN (Clinical Research Payment Network). PhD scientist, former CRA and director of clinical research. Father of Violet. 💼 Search "Daniel Fox CRPN" on LinkedIn 📺 YouTube: Search "CRPN Daniel Fox"

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#DanielFox #CRPN #ClinicalResearch #PatientAccess #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #DecentralisedTrials #RareDisease #IcellDisease #Mucolipidosis #Autism #ClinicalTrials #ResearchDesert #DrugDevelopment #LifeSciences

Poorya Amini on Protocol AI, 800k Clinical Trials & Why Pharma Does It Wrong | Pharma Prescribed

Poorya Amini — founder and CEO of Risklick — joins Adam Walker to explain why clinical trial protocols have been written the same way since 1996 and what he's doing to change that.

Poorya trained as a veterinarian, completed a PhD in pharmacology and spent years managing cardiology trials at the University of Bern. Then came the amendment horror story: 12 months of KOL collaboration, a world-class protocol — and five amendments before a single patient was dosed. Nobody had checked that patients would be discharged at 48 hours, not 72.

That moment became Risklick. Protocol AI now draws on 800,000+ clinical trials to cut protocol development time by 50%, reduce amendments by 20% and shorten implementation by 40%. In January 2026, Risklick announced a major partnership with Citeline.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/1uf5t5W8fBkx21URipRtlx?si=vvNC2RWARwOXHgQQpAhQVw Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-poorya-amini-ceo-of-risklick-ai/id1829715970?i=1000745292904term=Poorya+Amini+pharma+prescribed Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-6gkdk-1a1c0f1

📖 WHAT WE COVER - The amendment horror story: 12 months, five amendments, nobody checked discharge window - Protocols built the same way since ICH-GCP in 1996 — and why nobody had solved it - Building a database of 800,000+ trials by hand over three to four years - The PDF crisis: 1 pharma company writing the same disease name 8 different ways - MVP approach: building with end users  - Working with several top-20 pharma and multiple biotechs after just one year in market - AI as co-pilot: why scientists need evidence, not commercial claims - Change management as the real challenge of AI in pharma - The Citeline partnership: protocol design to operationalisation to regulatory disclosure - Human in the loop: AI agents with human escalation built in - 25 people growing to 45 — and why staying agile is a deliberate strategy - Discipline as a golden rule

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Poorya Amini — founder of Risklick 2:00 The problem: protocols built the same way since 1996 3:00 The inner drive: refusing to accept the status quo 4:00 The amendment horror story — 12 months, five amendments 5:00 The 48-hour discharge nobody checked 6:00 How Risklick works: data-driven protocol design 7:00 Comprehensive historical data before study design 8:00 Connecting protocol design to operational systems 9:00 KPIs: time, startup speed and data quality 10:00 The PDF crisis: one disease, eight different names 11:00 2019 and the technology that made it possible 12:00 Building the evidence database: three to four years of work 13:00 Linking registries, publications, FDA labels and guidelines 14:00 Financial conviction: what kept him going 15:00 The MVP — proving the concept before scaling 16:00 Customer-centric development: building with end users 17:00 Selling to scientists: evidence over claims 18:00 Relating to the pain — the publication that took all day 19:00 Reducing friction so experts can do expert work 20:00 Meeting at the conference and why Adam was impressed 21:00 Six years on: traction with top-20 pharma 22:00 End-to-end design: avoiding the silo problem 23:00 Building the product before rushing to sales 24:00 Team of 25 growing to 45 — staying agile 25:00 Why Poorya stays in client conversations 26:00 Partnership model: growing with clients 27:00 Resistance at the start — and the pushbacks he faced 28:00 Why innovation needs a small, agile setting 29:00 Change management: the real AI challenge in pharma 30:00 AI acceptance: how conversations changed from 2019 to now 31:00 Scientists need scepticism — and why that's healthy 32:00 Onboarding step by step: not overwhelming users 33:00 Human in the loop: AI agents with human escalation 34:00 The future of AI in clinical trials 35:00 Quick-fire: don't give up on your dreams 36:00 Team player, problem solver, fast learner 37:00 Skiing, padel tennis, football and Young Boys Bern 38:00 Golden rule: discipline — and closing thanks

👤 ABOUT POORYA AMINI Dr. Poorya Amini is founder and CEO of Risklick AG, a Swiss digital health company. DVM and PhD from the University of Bern. Postdoctoral Fellow and Project Manager in Cardiology at the University of Bern Clinical Trial Unit. 🌐 https://www.risklick.ch 💼 https://ch.linkedin.com/in/poorya-amini-028951106

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#PoorayAmini #Risklick #ProtocolAI #ClinicalTrials #ClinicalProtocol #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #AIinPharma #DrugDevelopment #LifeSciences #ProtocolDevelopment #Citeline #ClinicalResearch #DigitalHealth #Switzerland

Anna Maxwell on Drug Reclassification, Women's Health & OTC Contraceptive Pill | Pharma Prescribed

Anna Maxwell — founder and CEO of Maxwellia — joins Adam Walker for a conversation about one of the most underappreciated engines of healthcare innovation: drug reclassification.

Anna is a pharmacist with over 30 years in retail pharmacy and consumer healthcare. She started as a buyer at Boots, watched the early switches of Nurofen, Imodium and nicotine patches, and spent her career asking why more prescription drugs weren't making the same journey. She's raised over £13M in equity, made history with the first OTC oral contraceptive in the UK, and built a portfolio of six products targeting women's health and pain.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/6CCWHtjjEhTXcggdUfAcia?si=Tz9QfGPwQQChr9Kn-ReukA Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-anna-maxwell-ceo-of/id1829715970?i=1000744812005 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-y5icx-1a16d93

📖 WHAT WE COVER - What drug reclassification means — and why there's a back catalogue of 40-year-old prescriptions to unlock - Making history: the first OTC oral contraceptive in the UK — unblocked by political lobbying in lockdown - 34% of women couldn't access the contraception they needed - Ivana: tranexamic acid reducing heavy periods by 60% — the investor who pulled it from her bag and said "you changed my life" - Naproxen OTC: 40 years on prescription, already general sale across Europe and the US - Real world data: why women may show superior efficacy on certain drugs and nobody is collecting it - £1.7 billion: what NHS England says could be saved by more reclassification - Fastest launch ever: MHRA approval in May, on shelf October 3rd, 10 people, standing start - PAGB codes, TikTok and why influencer marketing doesn't work for medicines - Super Scalers: tracking women-led businesses toward £100 million - AI as the next enabler for reclassification, research and wraparound services

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Anna Maxwell — founder of Maxwellia 2:00 Mission: frictionless access to medicines for everybody 3:00 The gap in self-care and the pharmacist's role 4:00 From Chelsea pharmacy school to Boots buyer 5:00 The early switches: Nurofen, Imodium, nicotine patches 6:00 Why reclassification innovation dried up — and what Anna did 7:00 Six products, a pipeline and 13 years of building 8:00 The MHRA reclassification process explained 9:00 Real world data: what's possible and what's locked away 10:00 Fragmented NHS data and the regulator's blind spot 11:00 £1.7 billion: the NHS case for more reclassification 12:00 Low hanging fruit: using switch data from other countries 13:00 Naproxen: 40 years on prescription, finally OTC 14:00 Women's health: globally underserved 15:00 Making history: the first OTC oral contraceptive in the UK 16:00 Political lobbying in lockdown — getting unblocked 17:00 Affordable emergency contraception as a disruptor 18:00 Ivana: tranexamic acid and the investor's bag moment 19:00 Ultra: naproxen for period pain — "the pain just melts away" 20:00 Real world data could unlock better claims for women 21:00 Advertising rules: PAGB codes and why TikTok doesn't work 22:00 The marketing budget gap and the investor trail 23:00 £4.5M target, six products, fastest launch ever 24:00 10 people, mighty: MHRA approval to shelf in weeks 25:00 Super Scalers — women tracking businesses to £100M 26:00 From bootstrapping 2013 to building the platform 27:00 R&D engine and commercialisation engine 28:00 Why Maxwellia could be a top-50 global OTC company 29:00 Lean model: outsource everything except the brains 30:00 AI as the next enabler 31:00 Pushing boundaries in a conservative industry 32:00 Quick-fire: start earlier 33:00 Purpose, trust, loyalty — and never give up 34:00 Closing thanks

👤 ABOUT ANNA MAXWELL Anna Maxwell is CEO and founder of Maxwellia, one of the UK's most ambitious consumer healthcare companies. Pharmacist, female founder, £13M+ raised. Made history with the first OTC oral contraceptive in the UK. 🌐 https://www.maxwellia.com 💼 Search "Anna Maxwell Maxwellia" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#AnnaMaxwell #Maxwellia #DrugReclassification #WomensHealth #OTC #ConsumerHealthcare #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #MHRA #Contraception #Ivana #Naproxen #FemaleFounder #HealthcareInnovation #Pharmacy

Matt Veatch on Real World Data, Phenotypes & Why Precision Beats Big Data | Pharma Prescribed

Matt Veatch — co-founder and COO of Navidence and host of Real World Wednesdays — joins Adam Walker for one of the most technically rich conversations on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Matt spent nearly 30 years in clinical research — from the National Jewish Center for Immunology to Quintiles, where he watched electronic medical records emerge in the mid-2000s and knew he wanted to be part of it. He co-founded Navidence — a platform helping life science organisations find the right real world data for the right use case — and DTRA, the Decentralized Trials and Research Alliance, where the FDA is a member.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/3eINTAZcnOfn1FWIrRCpQm?si=r9Dup8rjRFKIGi8ouRSnTQ Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-matt-veatch-revolutionizing/id1829715970?i=1000743508275 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-cs6t2-19fdc71

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Precision data not big data — and why the distinction matters - Turning protocol design upside down: building from coding ontologies, not mapping back to them - What a computable phenotype is — the key that fits the lock of a research study - Cutting feasibility from 8–10 weeks to hours - Tokenisation: linking data sets without identifying the patient - Decentralised trials as a regulatory term — not a marketing buzzword - FDA joining DTRA — why that matters for regulatory science - AI ethics: hallucinations, mirages and the ethical framework - The entrepreneurial leap: why middle life is often the right time - Puzzle pieces: building a team around complementary strengths

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Matt Veatch — co-founder of Navidence 2:00 From exercise physiology to clinical research 3:00 The rise of EMRs at Quintiles in the mid-2000s 4:00 Corporate intrapreneur to entrepreneur 5:00 Why middle life is the right time to go independent 6:00 Co-founding Navidence: the operating system between data and decisions 7:00 RWD being pulled into RCTs by large pharma 8:00 Evolutionary not revolutionary — how change works 9:00 Meeting the co-founders: sparks of genius 10:00 Data-driven protocols: turning the funnel upside down 11:00 Coding ontologies: ICD-10, SNOMED, LOINC 12:00 Mapping back vs designing forward — why it matters 13:00 Finding patients with RWD: shades of grey 14:00 Nested Knowledge: AI-enabled literature searches 15:00 Characterising the patient: the diabetes example 16:00 Creating opportunity for rural patients and research access 17:00 Technology and culture shift in patient engagement 18:00 COVID and decentralised trials: reluctant but necessary 19:00 DTRA: the Decentralized Trials and Research Alliance 20:00 Decentralised as a regulatory term — not a buzzword 21:00 FDA as a DTRA member and regulatory science 22:00 AI ethics: hallucinations, mirages and haphazard use 23:00 Broad consents and tokenisation 24:00 The convergence: regulatory science, data and LLMs 25:00 30 years in — and more excited than ever 26:00 Safety and patient protection in the AI era 27:00 Tokenisation explained: linking without identifying 28:00 NFTs vs data tokens — clearing the confusion 29:00 If your data could help, would you share it? 30:00 US healthcare fragmentation and tokens as a bridge 31:00 From big data to precision data 32:00 Navidence's platform: MD, PhD medical informaticists 33:00 Feasibility from 8–10 weeks to hours 34:00 Target product profiles as living documents 35:00 Consistency from early development to commercialisation 36:00 The future of RWD and shouting from the rooftops 37:00 Pharma layoffs as a culture change opportunity 38:00 Quick-fire: don't fear entrepreneurism 39:00 Trust, puzzle pieces, complementary strengths 40:00 Exercise, the bench press and mind-body-spirit 41:00 Golden rule: be passionate or take steps to get there 42:00 matt@navidence.com — how to connect 43:00 Closing thanks and Real World Wednesdays

👤 ABOUT MATT VEATCH Matt Veatch is co-founder and COO of Navidence, co-founder of DTRA and host of Real World Wednesdays. Nearly 30 years in clinical research including senior leadership at Quintiles. 🌐 https://www.navidence.com 📧 matt@navidence.com 💼 Search "Matt Veatch" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#MattVeatch #Navidence #RealWorldData #RWE #ClinicalTrials #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #RealWorldWednesdays #DTRA #DecentralisedTrials #ComputablePhenotype #Tokenization #AIinPharma #LifeSciences #DrugDevelopment

Nives Rombini on AI, Drug Discovery & Building a Profitable Start-up | Pharma Prescribed

Nives Rombini — co-founder of Navis Bio and former data scientist at BMS and Swisscom — joins Adam Walker for one of the most forward-looking conversations on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Nives grew up half Italian, half Swiss, watching Piero Angela explain science on Saturday nights with homemade pizza. She studied biology, taught herself to code in R, built a career in immunology research and data science, and co-founded Navis Bio — using AI to help biotech and pharma companies make faster, smarter R&D decisions.

The company is already profitable. There are two of them.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/52zPbPMxT4CPmAHdIE5OYz?si=9B2ClPucS9KptmEf8A_dkA Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-nives-rombini-co-founder-of/id1829715970?i=1000742107823term=Nives+Rombini+pharma+prescribed Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-iwjb7-19f9827

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Growing up half Italian, half Swiss — and what that teaches about connecting with people - Piero Angela: the Italian science show that sparked a lifelong love of knowledge - "There is also risk in staying in a position" — the manager's mattress story - What Navis Bio does: from data lake to AI agents to strategic R&D insights - Why ChatGPT alone can't answer strategic drug development questions - Human in the loop: annotating 1,000 rows by hand so the model knows what's right - MCP (Model Context Protocol) explained: natural language queries on real databases - Why Python now outperforms R — thanks to coding assistants - The engineering lift vs the science lift in applied AI - Profitable with two founders and no external funding - Scientific truth-seeking, kindness and risk-taking — the three team qualities - "Testa alta": her father's golden rule — go heads on - Cutting the rotten apple first: her Swiss grandfather's lesson

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Nives Rombini — co-founder of Navis Bio 2:00 Growing up Italian and Swiss — and what it teaches about connection 3:00 Piero Angela: Saturday nights, pizza and science 4:00 From biology to data science 5:00 Seeing the opportunity at BMS — wanting to be on the other side 6:00 The risk of leaving corporate — and why she saw opportunity 7:00 The manager's mattress and the risk of comfort 8:00 Navis Bio: bridging AI and pharma 9:00 Putting yourself out there — and the fear of failing 10:00 LinkedIn and how Adam found Navis Bio 11:00 Profitable with two founders: one year, first clients 12:00 Strategic R&D decisions from public data 13:00 The cost of capital in pharma — why speed matters 14:00 Working with conservative pharma from publicly available data 15:00 From data lake to insights: the full Navis Bio workflow 16:00 Keywords, classification, augmentation and analytics 17:00 Target identification and indication selection in practice 18:00 The web application and how clients use it 19:00 Human in the loop — what it actually means 20:00 Why ChatGPT can't answer strategic drug questions 21:00 Annotating rows by hand: the unglamorous truth of applied AI 22:00 AI as a tool — and how often it still fails 23:00 Training models and the lighter touch over time 24:00 LLMs going mainstream — what changes in pharma 25:00 Applied AI vs foundational AI — where Navis Bio plays 26:00 The engineering lift: making models work in B2B workflows 27:00 How to scale this kind of expertise — hackathons and prototypes 28:00 Python over R — why coding assistants changed everything 29:00 Building and experimenting: the only way to understand AI 30:00 It's okay to be intense — the personal learning of founding 31:00 Being around people who test new things first 32:00 MCP: Model Context Protocol explained simply 33:00 Anthropic's MCP and a clinical trial database in one day 34:00 Quick-fire round 35:00 Truth-seeking, kindness and risk-taking 36:00 Scientific approach as the top hire quality 37:00 Family, four siblings and breaking the TV as the youngest 38:00 Golden rule: testa alta — and the apple story 39:00 Closing thanks

👤 ABOUT NIVES ROMBINI Nives Rombini is co-founder and CEO of Navis Bio, using AI to support strategic R&D decisions in biotech and pharma. Background in molecular biology, immunology and data science. Previously at BMS and Swisscom. CDL-Seattle Computational Health alum '25/26. 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/nives-rombini/

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#NivesRombini #NavisBio #AIinPharma #DrugDiscovery #RDDecisions #AppliedAI #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #Biotech #TargetIdentification #MCP #ModelContextProtocol #LifeSciences #FemaleFounder #DataScience

Alan Salter on Military Service, Servant Leadership & Brilliance at the Basics | Pharma Prescribed

Alan Salter — Navy veteran, management consultant and co-founder of Nonprofit Resource Partners — joins Adam Walker for a grounded, values-driven conversation about service, leadership and the art of being brilliant at the basics.

Alan is third-generation military. His grandfather drove tanks with Patton in World War II. His dad was a pharmacist-turned-Army-colonel. Alan joined the Navy, built a warship from the keel up, then took everything the military taught him into GE, Black & Decker, Takeda and eventually his own consulting practice.

This episode is about what happens when you spend a career choosing purpose over paycheque.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/37t50x6goQXlaIJaAFhqIf?si=hW93YEmCR4WW-B4XwN9uCQ Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-alan-salter-navigating-change/id1829715970?i=1000740872966 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-psbuj-19df9c4

📖 WHAT WE COVER - The Army brat who joined the Navy — and what that says about Alan - Building an LHD warship: 17 months, 2,000 Marines and the crowning military achievement - Being 23 with 50 people and $150 million in inventory — zero margin for error - Why healthcare gave him purpose that CPG never could - Nonprofit Resource Partners: fractional staffing for nonprofits at affordable rates - The partner running a nonprofit in a "fire pit" — and why that's exactly the point - Veteran ERGs at Takeda: the instant bond of shared life experience - "Be brilliant at the basics" — the advanced settings button means nothing if you don't - AI as enhancement not answer: checking every ChatGPT output before sending - Are we dumbing ourselves down by outsourcing thinking to AI? - Curious, connected, courageous: the three Cs from a former Marine VP - Colour energies, Myers-Briggs and working on yourself through failure - Ethics and total transparency: delivering the bad news is where courage lives

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Alan Salter — Navy veteran and consultant 2:00 The Army brat who joined the Navy 3:00 From Navy to GE to Black & Decker to healthcare 4:00 Finding purpose — why healthcare beat CPG 5:00 Building a warship: 17 months, 2,000 Marines 6:00 Being 23 with $150 million in inventory 7:00 Transferable skills: structure, leadership, being the fixer 8:00 Project management as a military inheritance 9:00 The instant bond of shared military experience 10:00 Veteran ERGs at Takeda — still friends 11 years later 11:00 Caravel International Partners and Nonprofit Resource Partners 12:00 How NRP works: fractional staffing for 501(c)(3) organisations 13:00 Finding leads through referral partnerships 14:00 The Hawaii call and four volunteers in 24 hours 15:00 The partner in the nonprofit fire pit 16:00 What's a 501(c)(3) and who NRP serves 17:00 Service as a way of life: purpose over paycheque 18:00 Servant leadership — it's not a LinkedIn bio, it's how I live 19:00 Third generation military: grandfather with Patton, dad the pharmacist-colonel 20:00 Core memories: the tanker jacket and World War II paraphernalia 21:00 Mentorship by example and the mutual introduction 22:00 Be brilliant at the basics — don't skip to advanced settings 23:00 World class basics and turning every page 24:00 AI tools as enhancement not answer 25:00 Checking every AI note taker summary before sending 26:00 ChatGPT as starting point — then adding your own spin 27:00 Are we dumbing ourselves down? 28:00 Tools as enhancements, not the 100% answer 29:00 Skynet and the moment humans leave the loop 30:00 Working on yourself: colour energies and self-awareness 31:00 Being high-red and learning to moderate it 32:00 The 7 Habits: sharpen the saw 33:00 Reading the room and leveraging team strengths 34:00 Quick-fire: be more bold 35:00 Curious, connected, courageous — the three Cs 36:00 Camping, foodies and going back to the cinema 37:00 The popcorn cruncher 38:00 Ethics, transparency and ruthless honesty 39:00 Closing thanks

👤 ABOUT ALAN SALTER Alan Salter is a US Navy veteran and founder of Caravel International Partners (management consulting) and co-founder of Nonprofit Resource Partners. Former operations and supply chain leader at Takeda, Black & Decker and GE. Based in Chicago. 💼 Search "Alan Salter" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#AlanSalter #NavyVeteran #ServantLeader #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #NonprofitResourcePartners #VeteransInHealthcare #ProjectManagement #Takeda #AITools #BrilliantAtTheBasics #Leadership #ServiceMindset #LifeSciences #Chicago

Maya Zlatanova on Designing Trials for Real Patients (Not Unicorns) | Pharma Prescribed

Maya Zlatanova — CEO and co-founder of Find Me Cure and Trial Hub — joins Adam Walker for one of the most human and high-stakes conversations on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Maya studied history and geography in Bulgaria, became a mom, watched her sister battle a disease with no standard of care, and decided someone needed to fix the part of clinical research that everyone knew was broken. Ten years later she's built two platforms — one for patients, one for sponsors — and won the Dharmala Award for an AI tool that maps patient journeys across 76 countries.

She designs trials for real patients. Not unicorns.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ILbTxvk5jQZIqmduieIFr?si=Cwm3pv0FRDy_NKqzYws83Q Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-maya-zlatanova-ceo-of/id1829715970?i=1000740219842 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-4mefu-19dc10e

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Growing up in Bulgaria: why failing at 18 was the greatest gift - Her sister's disease with no standard of care — the personal why behind everything - The iceberg: solving visible recruitment problems vs the structural ones sinking trials - Why patient awareness alone doesn't work — and the pivot that changed everything - Find Me Cure: the world's largest clinical trial database, built for patients, run as an NGO - Trial Hub: helping sponsors design smarter, more patient-feasible trials - "Trials for real patients, not unicorns" — the Dharmala stage speech - 80-90% of trials fail or delay — and it hasn't changed in 20 years - The Germany problem: why offering placebo to patients with reimbursed treatment is doomed - AI patient journey mapping across 76 countries in seconds - Why patient feasibility must happen before statistical planning - The dance: how you lead change in a resistant industry - Collaboration over competition: tell me your real pain - Just one golden rule — one word

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Maya Zlatanova — co-founder of Find Me Cure and Trial Hub 2:00 "I'm not a visionary — I'm a normal human being" 3:00 Growing up in Bulgaria — history, geography and first big failure 4:00 What failure at 18 taught her about effort 5:00 Her sister's disease — and becoming a mom at the same time 6:00 The moment clinical trials became personal 7:00 The iceberg: visible problems vs deep structural ones 8:00 Where to put your effort for real impact 9:00 Why patient awareness alone doesn't change trial outcomes 10:00 The pivot: from patient education to trial design 11:00 How to measure impact in clinical trials 12:00 The zip code lottery and schedule barriers for patients 13:00 80-90% of trials delayed — same number for 20 years 14:00 Shaping trial design vs chasing patients who don't fit 15:00 Find Me Cure: the world's largest clinical trial database 16:00 Connecting patients with sites, doctors and investigators 17:00 Trial Hub: the sponsor and CRO platform 18:00 Patient feasibility tools and blind spots in clinical development 19:00 Trials for real patients, not unicorns — the Dharmala speech 20:00 Smarter people in the room — the sports team model 21:00 Radical candor with clients and collaborators 22:00 The unicorn analogy: protocols for patients who don't exist 23:00 Germany, placebo and local standard of care 24:00 AI patient journey mapping: 76 countries, all indications 25:00 Why patient feasibility comes before statistical planning 26:00 The future: AI as a tool, not AI for its own sake 27:00 Changing habits — including Maya's own resistance 28:00 The dance: leading change in a resistant industry 29:00 Collaboration as the third requirement 30:00 Quick-fire: trust your gut 31:00 Transparency, proactivity and focus 32:00 Dancing — and piano lessons now too 33:00 Golden rule: grow — and the hearts on Maya's jumper 34:00 Closing thanks

👤 ABOUT MAYA ZLATANOVA Maya Zlatanova is CEO and co-founder of Find Me Cure and Trial Hub. Winner of the Dharmala Award for AI innovation. Host of Trials with Maya Z podcast. 🌐 https://www.findmecure.com 🌐 https://www.trialhub.com 💼 Search "Maya Zlatanova" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#MayaZlatanova #FindMeCure #TrialHub #ClinicalTrials #PatientRecruitment #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #PatientCentric #TrialDesign #AIinPharma #ClinicalResearch #PatientFeasibility #DrugDevelopment #LifeSciences #Bulgaria

Sam Usher on Sauna, Reinvention & Building Steam Works from a Beach in Devon | Pharma Prescribed

Sam Usher — founder of Steam Works, former professional dancer, ITV filmmaker and sailing broadcaster — joins Adam Walker for one of the most unexpected and life-affirming conversations on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Sam's career has reinvented itself three times. First: twelve years as a dancer and choreographer, training at Ballet Rambert and the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, performing in Brussels with his own company Feed. Second: fifteen years building a film and sports production company — ITV commissions, ski series in Chamonix, live sailing coverage. Third: Steam Works — a community sauna experience on the beach at Bigbury-on-Sea in South Devon, built by hand from a horsebox.

Adam and Sam first met in that horsebox on the beach. This episode is about what happens when you follow the thread, reinvent without apology, and build something that brings people together around heat, cold water and genuine human presence.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → [update with direct episode URL] Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/search?term=Sam+Usher+pharma+prescribed Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-tqmvi-1a36d71

📖 WHAT WE COVER - The National Youth Theatre audition Sam only entered because his friend did — and what it started - Twelve years in professional dance: choreography, Brussels and the company Feed - Belgium's extraordinary arts funding model — and why Brussels was more creative than it looked - The Devon detour that ended his dance career and started his film career - From Chamonix ski series to America's Cup live gallery — the moment stage and TV connected - Lockdown as the third reinvention: what breaks, what survives, and what emerges - Steam Works: what it is, how it works and why it's built from a horsebox on a tidal beach - The inflammation science: what a doctor told Sam about why heat works - Heat shock proteins, cold water receptors and the nervous system reset - Cortisol dropping, serotonin rising — the sauna high explained - 3 million saunas for 5 million people in Finland — and where the UK is heading - Word of mouth vs Instagram: how Steam Works customers actually find them - Social prescribing and the future of sauna as healthcare - Seeking investment to expand to Salcombe, Plymouth and beyond - Blue sky thinking as a golden rule — and Adam's father's garage wall

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:30 Meet Sam Usher — dancer, filmmaker, sauna founder 3:00 Steam Works mission: stories in real life, not on screen 4:00 The magic of heat and cold — what the science says 7:00 The sauna high: cortisol drops, serotonin rises 8:00 Watching the transformation — from tense strangers to open friends 9:30 Clothes on vs clothes off — British sauna culture 10:00 Bigbury-on-Sea: why it's a magical place 11:00 Dance: National Youth Theatre to Ballet Rambert 12:30 Brussels — arts funding, Feed company and the creative ecosystem 14:00 From dance to film: picking up a camera in Devon 15:00 Chamonix, sailing and the America's Cup live gallery 16:00 Building Steam Works from a horsebox — the reality of a tidal beach 18:00 How customers find Steam Works — the Google to word of mouth shift 19:30 Scalability: a second sauna, a tractor and Salcombe 21:00 Pricing challenges and comparable competition 23:00 The secret sauce: Sam's personality and energy 24:00 Seeking investment and the business case for growth 26:30 Social prescribing — sauna as part of the healthcare system 28:00 Word of mouth vs Instagram — and what Sam really thinks 29:00 Quick-fire round 31:00 Golden rule: blue sky thinking — and Adam's father's garage wall 33:00 Closing reflections and discount code for listeners 34:00 Final thanks

👤 ABOUT SAM USHER Sam Usher is the founder of Steam Works, a community-led outdoor sauna experience on the beach at Bigbury-on-Sea, South Devon. Trained at Ballet Rambert and the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, he performed professionally in Brussels for twelve years and spent fifteen years building a sports and sailing film production company with ITV commissions. Steam Works is chapter three. 🌐 https://www.steamworkssaunas.co.uk

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#SamUsher #SteamWorks #Sauna #WellbeingPodcast #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #ColdWaterTherapy #SaunaScience #MentalWellbeing #BigburyOnSea #SouthDevon #HeatTherapy #SocialPrescribing #Reinvention #HealthAndWellness

Duncan Kemp on Redundancy, Reinvention & 20 Years of Clinical Software | Pharma Prescribed

Duncan Kemp — founder of Saltware Solutions and life sciences software veteran — joins Adam Walker for an honest conversation about redundancy, reinvention and what it really takes to build something of your own.

Duncan's career began in 1998 in his father's startup, developing bedside data collection software for phase one trials. Over two decades he navigated acquisitions, led teams across continents, and witnessed the full arc of clinical technology — from handheld Scion devices with smart cards to cloud-based EDC and AI-assisted validation.

Then came the restructure in January 2024. And the decision to go it alone.

Adam and Duncan met at the ACDM conference in Prague in March 2025. This is their first conversation on record.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/3GNaAhJphX7ssL0FwxGgmi?si=dy2wkWFZQ-mveRa4HZwusQ Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/search?term=Duncan+Kemp+pharma+prescribed Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - From marketing degree to software: working in his father's phase one startup at 19 - 20 years of clinical technology — Scion handheld devices to cloud EDC and AI - Protocol-driven time in phase one: why the clock matters more than the data - eSource, legacy ECG hardware integration and the evolution to modern systems - The redundancy cycle: raw emotion, evaluating values and building a new network - Building routine and structure when no one is telling you what to do - The confidence shift: from knowing you can do the task to knowing others want to hear you - Product management as translation: turning outside chaos into inside clarity - AI in clinical software: hallucinations, compliance concerns and the human in the loop - Using generative AI to write test scripts — with human review before execution - Finding work as a solo founder: why job boards don't work and conversations do - The invisible selling that happens at conferences around buffet stations - Reducing waste through software: the copy-paste problem and the AI solution

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Duncan Kemp — founder of Saltware Solutions 2:00 Life sciences software: from handheld devices to global teams 3:00 20 years of clinical technology evolution 4:00 Problem solver mindset — always a rabbit, never still 5:00 Four children and balancing a busy family life 6:00 Marketing degree to software: his father's startup 7:00 Mentors and learning to communicate clearly 8:00 Redundancy: the raw emotion and the "why me" cycle 9:00 Evaluating values and rebuilding a network 10:00 Building routine and structure between roles 11:00 The confidence shift — knowing others want to hear you 12:00 Remote work and managing teams across time zones 13:00 Living on the south coast and working globally 14:00 Saltware Solutions: product management as translation 15:00 AI as summariser vs AI as teacher 16:00 Phase one clinic software: protocol-driven time and bedside data collection 17:00 eSource, device integration and legacy ECG hardware 18:00 Adapting on the fly — from paper to integrated data software 19:00 Market trends: eSource evolving, AI adoption challenges 20:00 AI hallucinations and compliance concerns 21:00 Human in the loop: AI-generated test scripts with human review 22:00 Validation, audit trails and checks and balances 23:00 Finding work as a founder: long-term clients and conversations 24:00 Why job boards don't work — and what does 25:00 LinkedIn, thought leadership and the invisible selling process 26:00 Conferences and the conversations that matter 27:00 Future plans and succession thinking 28:00 Mentoring the next generation in colleges 29:00 Reducing waste — the copy-paste problem 30:00 AI for research: from hours to seconds 31:00 Quick-fire round: determination, curiosity, integrity 32:00 Golden rule: putting yourself in other people's shoes 33:00 Closing reflections and final thanks

👤 ABOUT DUNCAN KEMP Duncan Kemp is the founder of Saltware Solutions, a life sciences software consultancy on the south coast of England. With 20+ years in clinical research software — including senior roles at OmniComm/Anju — he specialises in product management, customer success and translating complex technical requirements into business outcomes. 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncan-kemp-70783411/

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#DuncanKemp #SaltwareSolutions #ClinicalTrials #EDC #eSource #AIinPharma #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #LifeSciences #Entrepreneurship #Redundancy #ClinicalData #ProductManagement #PhaseOne #SoftwareDevelopment

Tom Farrand on AI Agents, Patient Recruitment Building Delfa from Cockroach Hotel | Pharma Prescribed

Tom Farrand — CEO and co-founder of Delfa — joins Adam Walker for a fast-moving conversation about AI agents, patient recruitment and what it takes to build a startup from scratch.

Tom's career has sat at the intersection of AI and life sciences: IBM helping hospitals model 3D heart scans, then leading AI rollouts for Janssen, Medtronic and Exscientia. Now building Delfa — an AI-native operating system for clinical trials, starting with patient recruitment — backed by $4M in venture funding from investors who've backed ElevenLabs.

The company is three days from its first birthday when this was recorded.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ZicvB2xQ8FvlJYCpeQMNN?si=3tz4Rh9vQWymV0rgkpEAZA Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-tom-farrand-ceo-of-delfa/id1829715970?i=1000746333125term=Tom+Farrand+pharma+prescribed Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-it7zk-1a23bfb

📖 WHAT WE COVER - The conversion problem nobody talks about: sites with 25 priorities and cold calls at the bottom - What Delfa's AI agents do: voice calls, text screening, scheduling and reminders - The PhD student in Zurich slamming his laptop over Excel — the origin story - Competing against Amazon and Facebook ad engines for patient attention - 90% contact rates in Poland: what consistency does that humans can't - CTMS integration and eliminating double data entry - Entrepreneur First: Love Island meets the Apprentice — how Tom and Gustav met - The name Delfa: DEL from Bredell, FA from Farrand - Growing up in India and Malaysia — independence, resilience and third culture kids - The Houston hotel with a dead cockroach and vultures — Delfa's origin photo - Why London over San Francisco for engineering talent - Boston office plans and US expansion - Atomic Habits, compound behaviour and Adam's golden rule

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Tom Farrand — CEO of Delfa 2:00 What Delfa does: AI agents for patient recruitment 3:00 The conversion problem — cold calls at the bottom of the to-do list 4:00 Origin story: the PhD student slamming his laptop in Zurich 5:00 Clinical research as the world's largest science experiment 6:00 Personal why: heart disease, Alzheimer's and Delfa's studies 7:00 Treating clinical ops as a cost centre — and why that's wrong 8:00 Compound clinical operations: building knowledge over time 9:00 Structured, searchable data and learning from outcomes 10:00 What makes Delfa different from other recruitment tools 11:00 Broad applicability: vaccine text screening to full voice medical history 12:00 Beck Health partnership and EMR mining 13:00 AI agents explained simply: the Sunday evening Facebook ad 14:00 Speed of engagement — why participants wait days and forget 15:00 The funnel and why the first contact is everything 16:00 Patient choice: text vs voice and 90% contact rates in Poland 17:00 Retention, the distraction economy and feed-and-bleed reality 18:00 Automated reminders and personalised visit prep 19:00 Competing against e-commerce ad engines 20:00 Working with sites and site networks 21:00 CTMS integration and eliminating double data entry 22:00 Delfa's founding: $4M raised, three days before first birthday 23:00 Entrepreneur First: Love Island meets the Apprentice 24:00 Growing up in India and Malaysia — independence and resilience 25:00 Hyderabad, privilege and the drive it gave him 26:00 Mumbai and the human race racing to succeed 27:00 What building Delfa owes to those experiences 28:00 US focus and Southeast Asia in future 29:00 Team of nine in Old Street and Boston office plans 30:00 Patient relationship management — the PRM roadmap 31:00 The Houston hotel: dead cockroach, vultures and Delfa's origin photo 32:00 East Coast vs West Coast — why Boston 33:00 UK engineering talent and why London beats SF on cost 34:00 Quick-fire round: curiosity, capability and coachability 35:00 Slay the Spire and the fiance's patience 36:00 Golden rule: just keep going 37:00 Atomic Habits, compound behaviour and closing thanks

👤 ABOUT TOM FARRAND Tom Farrand is CEO and co-founder of Delfa, a venture-backed AI startup automating clinical trial patient recruitment. Master's in Biochemical Engineering. Previously deployed AI for Janssen, Medtronic and Exscientia. 🌐 https://delfa.ai 💼 https://uk.linkedin.com/in/farrandtom

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#TomFarrand #Delfa #AIAgents #PatientRecruitment #ClinicalTrials #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #LifeSciences #AIinPharma #ClinicalOperations #Biotech #StartupFounder #EntrepreneurFirst #DrugDevelopment #ClinicalResearch

Jura Lasas on Rare Disease, Patient Advocacy & a One-Way Ticket to America | Pharma Prescribed

Jurate Lasiene — PhD neurobiology, clinical research leader and rare disease consultant — joins Adam Walker for one of the most globally grounded conversations on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Jurate's story starts in a newly independent Lithuania, at an airport with $400 and a one-way ticket to America. From there: a PhD, a postdoc in Tokyo, careers across three continents, and eventually a specialisation in rare disease clinical operations for small biotechs navigating their first clinical trials.

Only 5% of rare diseases have an approved treatment. The other 95% are waiting. That's the mission.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/3lGZM2LVqxGekFxkKePIAa Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/search?term=Jurate+Lasiene+pharma+prescribed Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - $400 and a one-way ticket: the calculated risk that shaped everything - From English literature to neurobiology — the two books that changed her path - Why rare disease chose her: the emotional draw of patients meeting each other for the first time - What makes a rare disease different — and what ultra-rare really means - The clinical trial where patients had never met anyone else with their condition - Why patient advocacy groups save money and why companies engage with them poorly - Brutal honesty as a personal brand — what clients say about working with her - 94% of biotechs fail: who chooses this industry and why - Sacrifices of a global life — losing deep roots, gaining potholes on three continents - Life in Tokyo: "like an archaeologist on Mars" - AI in rare disease — what it can and cannot do for clinical trials - Digital twins reality check: we're still a pile of bones and blood - Why clinical research is still not changing fast enough - Advice for the next generation entering rare disease and life sciences

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 2:12 Meet Jurate Lasiene 4:24 Her mission in rare disease clinical trials 6:36 From English literature to neurobiology — the books that changed everything 8:48 Mission: the 5% of rare diseases with drugs and the 95% without 11:00 Why rare disease chose her — the emotional draw 13:12 The clinical trial where patients met each other for the first time 15:24 What makes rare disease special — and what ultra-rare means 17:36 Patient advocacy groups — why engagement must be genuine 19:48 Challenges and opportunities in rare disease consulting 22:00 Sacrifices of a global life — roots vs. potholes on three continents 24:12 Languages and life in Tokyo — "like an archaeologist on Mars" 26:24 The future of rare disease — funding, AI and return on investment 28:36 What AI can and cannot do in clinical research 30:48 Digital twins reality check — biology is still biology 33:00 Advice for the next generation of life scientists 35:12 How to get into rare disease clinical operations 37:24 Why broad industry experience before specialising matters 39:36 Early clinical ops planning — the mistake small biotechs make 41:48 Quick-fire round 44:00 Final thoughts and how to connect

👤 ABOUT JURATE LASIENE Jurate Lasiene is a clinical research leader and biotech consultant with 20+ years bridging academia and industry. She holds a PhD in neurobiology and has lived and worked across Lithuania, Japan and the United States, specialising in rare disease clinical operations for small biopharma and biotech companies. 💼 LinkedIn: Search "Jurate Lasiene"

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#JurateLasiene #RareDisease #OrphanDrug #ClinicalTrials #PatientAdvocacy #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #BiotechConsulting #Neurobiology #LifeSciences #ClinicalResearch #RareDiseaseResearch #AIinPharma #GlobalCareer #NextGenScientists

Thibault Geoui on AI, Drug Discovery What Next Generation of Scientists Must Learn | Pharma Prescribed

Dr. Thibault Geoui — scientist, Director of Transformation at Zühlke and host of the Tech and Drugs podcast — joins Adam Walker to explore what happens when engineers from gaming, finance and social media turn their attention to drug discovery.

Thibault is a biologist by training who moved into digital health strategy, built data products at Charles River Laboratories and now leads pharma lab automation at Zühlke. His podcast, Tech and Drugs, has become a go-to platform for the biotech-digital intersection. But this conversation goes well beyond the industry — into education, passion, parenting, late bloomers, misfits and what the distraction economy is doing to the next generation of scientists.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/2TQOTSa0xbLJrO2UgCPPTz Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thibault-geoui-on-ai-drug-discovery-what-next-generation/id1829715970?i=1000750652580 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - The post-ChatGPT world: why engineers from gaming and finance are now building better drugs - Biology as an engineering discipline — and why that framing matters - Why data scientists in pharma are finally being paid what they're worth - Beyond LLMs: biology superintelligence, multimodal AI and the robot that can touch, see and hear - Google's robotics model and what AI plus robotics means for the lab - The single most important skill for the next generation: learning how to learn - Why coding isn't about writing code — it's about training your brain - The distraction economy vs. deep learning: is social media killing scientific focus? - Why passion is the filter that cuts through the noise - Thibault's parents — not scientists — who took him to CERN as a child - School misfits, late bloomers and the contrarian path to a PhD - What university is really for — beyond the curriculum - Why he started the Tech and Drugs podcast, the editing pain and the long game - Inside Zühlke: Swiss engineering meets pharma lab automation

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Meet Dr. Thibault Geoui — Tech and Drugs podcast 1:25 Mission: from biology curiosity to digital pharma enablers 2:50 The role of data in pharma and biotech 4:15 The post-ChatGPT pharma shift 5:40 Engineers from gaming and finance now building drugs 7:05 Talent demand and pay — data scientists writing their own cheques 8:30 AI beyond LLMs — multimodal models and robotics 9:56 Biology superintelligence and the lab of the future 11:21 Advice for the next generation of scientists 12:46 Critical thinking — the skill AI cannot replace 14:11 Coding, deep learning and training the brain 15:36 Deep focus vs. the distraction economy 17:01 Distraction and passion — the real tension 18:27 The importance of passion in learning 19:52 Parenting and exposure: taking kids to CERN (the Lego moment) 21:17 The interface professional — sitting between disciplines 22:42 School misfits and the education system 24:07 The contrarian path to a PhD 25:32 Labels and learning — what teachers get wrong 26:58 The impact of a teacher's words on a child 28:23 Late bloomers and the real value of higher education 29:48 What university is really for beyond academics 31:13 Why Thibault started the Tech and Drugs podcast 32:38 Challenges and joys of podcasting 34:03 Podcasting as networking — and the editing pain 35:29 The long game in building an audience 36:54 Inside Zühlke Consulting 38:19 Swiss engineering meets pharma innovation 39:44 The lab of the future 41:09 Quick-fire wisdom 42:34 Closing thoughts and how to connect 44:00 Final thoughts

👤 ABOUT THIBAULT GEOUI Dr. Thibault Geoui is Director of Transformation at Zühlke, host of the Tech and Drugs podcast, and former Head of Science Analytics at Charles River Laboratories. A scientist by training with a PhD and deep expertise at the intersection of biology, digital health and venture strategy. 🎙️ Tech and Drugs podcast: Search on Spotify or Apple Podcasts 💼 LinkedIn: Search "Thibault Geoui"

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#ThibaultGeoui #TechAndDrugs #DrugDiscovery #AIinPharma #Biotech #LabAutomation #Zuhlke #CharlesRiver #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #BiologySuperintelligence #DataScience #LifeSciences #DigitalHealth #NextGenScientists

Sylvain Berthelot on Patient-Centricity, Korean Innovation & Simplifying Trials | Pharma Prescribed

Sylvain Berthelot — clinical technology professional, CRS Cube, and host of two podcasts — joins Adam Walker to talk about what it really means to simplify clinical trials, and why the industry's use of "patient-centricity" is often hollow.

Sylvain started his podcast On One Condition because he was reviewing 10 clinical protocols a week and none of them mentioned patients. Today he talks to people living with chronic and rare diseases, hearing the resilience and reality behind conditions that clinical trials are supposed to serve — but rarely centre.

In his day job at CRS Cube, he's bringing a Korean philosophy of efficiency-by-design to Western clinical research. The contrast with Western decision-making is striking.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/2s7J1e4PdXP11AjDjiVbsl Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/search?term=Sylvain+Berthelot+pharma+prescribed Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Why patient-centricity is a phrase that appears in protocols almost never - Starting On One Condition: learning about chronic illness from people actually living it - The CRO model's structural problem — sponsors pay the bill, sites bear the burden - CRS Cube: from Korean EDC leader to European and US expansion - The Korean ethos of efficiency by design — decisions made in hours, not months - Why failing fast beats waiting until you're 99% certain - Rebranding a company in weeks instead of months: what that requires - Why innovating for clients but not internally is a fatal contradiction - AI in clinical trials: intentional implementation vs. data mining and hoping - AI medical coding, AI chatbots — what CRS Cube has built and what's coming - EDC setup in under a week: what that does to effort-based billing models - The future of clinical data roles as AI absorbs the setup burden - Advice for the next generation: understand every role in the clinical ecosystem

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 2:56 Meet Sylvain Berthelot 5:52 Sylvain's mission and industry insights 8:48 Simplifying trials — what that actually means in practice 11:44 The journey to patient-centric clinical trials 14:40 Challenges and innovations in clinical research 17:36 Inside CRS Cube — EDC, 10 solutions and a Korean CEO 20:32 Korean culture and speed — efficiency by design 23:28 Rebranding in weeks not months — what that taught him 26:24 Innovation and AI mindset — embracing it internally first 29:20 AI in clinical trials — intentional implementation at CRS Cube 32:16 Future jobs and training as AI changes clinical operations 35:12 Advice for the next generation in clinical research 38:08 Understand each role — the key to reducing friction 41:04 Quick-fire personal questions 44:00 Conclusion and final thoughts

👤 ABOUT SYLVAIN BERTHELOT Sylvain Berthelot is a clinical technology professional at CRS Cube and host of two podcasts: Clinical Data Talks (clinical operations) and On One Condition (chronic health conditions and patient stories). Previously at Parexel, he has spent his career bridging the gap between clinical systems, site efficiency and the patient experience. 💼 LinkedIn: Search "Sylvain Berthelot" 🎙️ On One Condition podcast: Search on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#SylvainBerthelot #CRSCube #ClinicalTrials #PatientCentricity #EDC #ClinicalDataManagement #OnOneCondition #ClinicalDataTalks #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #AIinPharma #KoreanInnovation #LifeSciences #ClinicalResearch #Parexel

Amelia Wrighton on suicide loss, grief & the charity that helped Adam's family | Pharma Prescribed

⚠️ This episode discusses suicide loss and grief. Please take care. If you need support: Samaritans → 116 123 (UK, free, 24/7)

Amelia Wrighton — co-founder and CEO of Suicide&Co — joins Adam Walker for the most personal conversation on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Amelia lost her mother to suicide at 19. She navigated that grief alone, without signposting, without counseling, suppressing everything until alopecia and a mental health crisis forced her hand. A decade later she met her co-founder Emma — who had lost her father — and the parallels in two completely different lives were the catalyst for Suicide&Co.

For Adam, this episode is deeply personal. He lost his sister Naomi to suicide in September 2024. Suicide&Co supported his family from day one. This is his first public conversation about it.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/6JUbyszkVEyOrpvOU32tDi Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-amelia-wrighton-ceo-co-founder/id1829715970?i=1000755087303 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

Youtube → https://youtu.be/H4TwyOJEUzs?si=9KRvQkrR9s64HSLK 

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Amelia's journey: losing her mum at 19, silence, alopecia, and finding counseling 18 months later - Why suicide grief is different: shock, stigma, complexity and the disappearing friends - The body keeps the score: how trauma shows up physically in grief - Why talking to a counselor is different from talking to a friend — and why both matter - The hand-in-front-of-face metaphor: moving grief from overwhelming to visible - What Suicide&Co actually offers: the help hub, app, early support and counseling pathways - Why people don't seek help — and what makes them feel deserving of support - Suicide contagion explained: what it is and what actually helps - Asking the question: does talking about suicide increase risk? - High-risk groups, perinatal mental health and who the system misses - Adam's tribute to Naomi — and the orange connection

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & trigger warning 2:05 Podcast intro and guest 4:11 Meet Amelia Wrighton — turning loss into action 6:17 Amelia's mission and the Suicide&Co story 8:22 Losing her mum and the silence after suicide 10:28 Finding help and healing — counseling 18 months later 12:34 Why suicide grief feels different: shock, stigma and complexity 14:40 Trauma lives in the body — alopecia and the body's score 16:45 The power of talking therapy over friendly conversations 18:51 Rebuilding life around loss — not erasing it 20:57 The Suicide&Co support model: hub, app and counseling 23:02 Day one support and feeling deserving of help 25:08 Language, shame and Adam's own mental health history 27:14 Double bereavement and rebuilding daily life 29:20 Why people avoid counseling and how to make help-seeking normal 31:25 Suicide contagion explained 33:31 Asking the question — does it increase risk? 35:37 Protective factors and what actually helps 37:42 Gender, perinatal mental health and who the system misses 39:48 Quick-fire reflections 41:54 Orange connection — Adam's tribute to Naomi 44:00 Closing thanks and final reflections

👤 ABOUT AMELIA WRIGHTON Amelia Wrighton is co-founder and CEO of Suicide&Co, the UK charity supporting everyone bereaved by suicide. She lost her mother in 2011 and co-founded the charity in 2020. 🌐 https://www.suicideandco.com 📱 Download the free Suicide&Co app

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#AmeliaWrighton #SuicideAndCo #SuicideLoss #SuicideBereavement #MentalHealth #GriefSupport #TalkingTherapy #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #SuicidePrevention #Bereavement #MentalHealthUK

Scott Schliebner on DCTs, Patient-Centric Trials & 30 Years of Pharma Innovation | Pharma Prescribed

Scott Schliebner — founder of Ascent Biostrategies and veteran of nearly 30 years across biotech, CROs and nonprofit life sciences — joins Adam Walker for a candid, longitudinal view of how drug development actually evolves. And how often it refuses to.

From being one of the first to transition a clinical team from paper CRFs to electronic data capture, to building DCT infrastructure at PRA Health Sciences before COVID made it suddenly essential, Scott has watched innovation after innovation hit the wall of a deeply conservative industry. His verdict? Patching on technology doesn't work. What does is putting patients in the room before the protocol is written.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/29BK9r2g5nZACCgU3onEGw Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-scott-schliebner-healthcares/id1829715970?i=1000755085914 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - From academic grant writing to pharma: the moment Scott realised research needed to matter to more than a handful of academicians - The great-grandfather who played professional baseball and immigrated from Germany — and why the name Schliebner gives everyone pause - Building one of the first clinical teams at Seattle Genetics (now Pfizer) during the paper-to-EDC transition - Why even essential innovations take a decade to land in pharma - Decentralised clinical trials: the promise, the COVID pivot, the hype and the quiet retreat - Science 37: the Harvard Business School case study on what not to do - Site technology fatigue — what happens when coordinators are managing 12 studies on 12 different platforms - Why protocols written in a conference room  are the wrong way to design a trial - The Apple camera analogy: consumer-driven design vs. sponsor-driven clinical trials - Patient advisory groups, patient burden assessment tools and what it actually looks like to put patients first - From oncology to rare disease: why the patient voice changes everything - Mentorship, the current biotech downturn and why this is actually the moment to invest in relationships - Quick-fire round: advice for the next generation entering life sciences

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:50 Meet Scott Schliebner 3:40 Career journey — from academic lab to pharma industry 5:30 From academia to pharma: the pivotal grant-writing moment 7:20 The name, the roots and a great-grandfather who played baseball 9:10 The evolution of clinical trials over 30 years 11:00 Paper to EDC: the decade-long battle to go digital 12:50 Decentralised trials — building DCT infrastructure before COVID made it urgent 14:40 COVID hits and suddenly everyone wants what we were building 16:30 Why DCTs stalled — sponsor scepticism, site fatigue and Science 37 18:20 Technology fatigue and what real innovation actually looks like 20:10 Putting patients first — and why protocols written without them fail 22:00 Enrollment delays and the cost of designing trials without patients 23:50 Patients shape endpoints: the Apple camera analogy 25:40 The importance of patient involvement from day one 27:30 Creating patient advisory groups — what it takes in practice 29:20 From oncology to rare disease: how the patient voice changes 31:10 Building patient advisory boards that actually influence trial design 33:00 Developing patient-centric tools for sponsors and sites 34:50 The trial burden assessment tool — what it measures and why it matters 36:40 Mentorship and how Scott got his start 38:30 Paying it forward during the biotech downturn 40:20 Quick-fire reflections 42:10 Advice for the next generation entering life sciences 44:00 How to connect with Scott and closing thanks

👤 ABOUT SCOTT SCHLIEBNER Scott Schliebner is the CEO and founder of Ascent Biostrategies, a biopharma advisory firm focused on clinical development, regulatory planning and patient-centric innovation. With nearly 30 years across biotech, CROs and nonprofit life sciences — including senior roles at TFS Health Sciences, PRA Health Sciences and Seattle Genetics — he is a recognised patient advocate and strategic thinker helping emerging biotechs accelerate their pipelines. 💼 LinkedIn: Search "Scott Schliebner"

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Pharma Prescribed is the podcast for people who want the conversations the life sciences industry rarely makes time for — hosted by biometrics consultant Adam Walker. New episodes every week covering clinical research, digital health, mental wellbeing and leadership. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#ScottSchliebner #AscentBiostrategies #ClinicalTrials #DecentralisedTrials #DCT #PatientCentric #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #Biotech #DrugDevelopment #ClinicalResearch #EDC #PRAHealthSciences #LifeSciences #PharmaInnovation

Helene Quie on MedTech Regulation, Danish Innovation & Getting Devices to Patients | Pharma Prescribed

Helene Quie — cell biologist turned MedTech CEO — joins Adam Walker for a wide-ranging conversation about what it really takes to get a medical device from concept to market.

Helene founded qmmed Consulting in 2006 after senior roles at Cook Medical, where she entered an industry she describes as "cowboy land" — a Wild West of medical device regulation that has since evolved into one of the most complex risk-based frameworks in global healthcare. From hospital beds to artificial hearts, from software apps to cardiac stents, she has spent 30 years helping manufacturers navigate the 2,000 documented steps between a good idea and a patient benefit.

Adam lived and worked in Copenhagen from 2015 to 2017 — this episode is also a warm conversation about Denmark's extraordinary MedTech ecosystem, its flat culture of sharing, and what the rest of the world could learn from it.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Vw9A4ld9PocmNMNAj64GY Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-helene-quie-from-concept-to/id1829715970?i=1000754443092 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Why MedTech regulation started as the Wild West — and how it matured - The staggering diversity of medical devices: hospital beds, artificial hearts, phone apps and MRI machines under one framework - Risk-based regulation: why manufacturers must argue their own clinical strategy rather than follow a fixed path - The 2,000 documented steps between innovation and commercialisation - Use cases and market fit: why your device might work in Denmark but not in Germany - Why companies fail after clinical trials — and how to avoid it - Training the next generation through storytelling and open knowledge sharing - The Danish MedTech ecosystem: Novo Nordisk, Cook Medical, flat organisations and Viking ambition - Hygge, wellbeing at work and what Adam observed at Novo Nordisk in Copenhagen - "Roots and wings" leadership — giving people foundation and freedom - AI in medical devices: the regulatory frontier - Europe MDR, post-market surveillance and the future of evidence generation

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:31 Meet Helene Quie 3:02 Her mission in MedTech 4:33 Devices vs pharma trials explained 6:04 The evolution of medical device regulations — from cowboy land to today 7:35 Navigating the diversity of medical devices 9:06 Risk-based regulation — the manufacturer's burden of justification 10:37 The importance of risk assessment and documentation 12:08 Use cases and market fit — thinking beyond your sandbox 13:39 Strategic planning for clinical trials across hospital systems 15:10 Training the next generation through experience and storytelling 16:41 Why sharing knowledge is the only way to make magic 18:12 The Danish MedTech ecosystem — smart people, flat structures 19:43 Denmark's MedTech culture and the Viking spirit of reaching out 21:14 Hospital-industry partnerships in Copenhagen 22:45 Denmark's work culture and what other countries can learn 24:16 Adam's experience living and working in Copenhagen 25:47 Wellbeing at Novo Nordisk — a different way of working 27:18 Hygge: the Danish concept that changes how teams collaborate 28:49 Building strong relationships in business 30:20 Roots and wings leadership philosophy 31:51 CEO decisions — what to take on and what to let go 33:22 The hardest decisions as a CEO 34:53 The future of MedTech and AI integration 36:24 Europe MDR, post-market data and storytelling through evidence 37:55 AI in medical devices — the emerging regulatory frontier 39:26 Quick-fire: personal values 40:57 Patterns and golden rule 42:28 Closing and how to connect 44:00 Final reflections

👤 ABOUT HELENE QUIE Helene Quie is a cell biologist and founder and CEO of qmmed Consulting, a global MedTech consultancy and CRO based in Copenhagen. With 30 years at the intersection of science and regulation — including senior roles at Cook Medical — she helps MedTech pioneers across Europe translate breakthrough ideas into market-ready, compliant products. 🌐 Search "qmmed Consulting" or "Helene Quie" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#HeleneQuie #MedTech #MedicalDevices #qmmedConsulting #EuropeMDR #MedTechRegulation #ClinicalTrials #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #Denmark #NovoNordisk #CookMedical #HealthcareInnovation #AIinMedTech #LifeSciences

Steven Thompson on AI, Clinical Trial Activation & Why 85% of Trials Are Delayed | Pharma Prescribed

Steven Thompson — founder of Next Trial AI — joins Adam Walker to explain why 85% of clinical trials are delayed before a single patient is enrolled, and what he's building to fix it.

Steven spent two decades in high-stakes regulatory environments: first with American Airlines on FAA compliance, then with Embraer in Brazil, then building data engineering pipelines for oncology and vaccines at Biogen and Takeda. When his father died of cancer — after going through an informed consent process based on static eligibility data that couldn't predict whether he'd even tolerate the trial — it became personal.

Now, from his base in Brazil, Steven is building the infrastructure that makes clinical trials predictable. Trial ready in 30 days. Zero rejection packets. AI that is provably right — not probably right.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/0w2wWweDIb8K95Q5Yymjef Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-steven-thompson-ceo-of-nextrial/id1829715970?i=1000763824689 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Why 85% of clinical trials are delayed — and it's not the science, it's the paperwork - IRB rejection rates of 25–30% and sponsors burning $55,000 a day on delays - Why 97% of capable physicians are locked out of clinical research — and how AI unlocks them - From American Airlines FAA compliance to pharma: why regulations are architecture, not constraint - The story of Steven's father: static eligibility data, an unknowable trial trajectory, and a choice he could have made differently - Trial activation intelligence: from 60–120 days to 30 days using deterministic, auditable AI - "Provably right, not probably right" — why probabilistic AI is a regulatory liability - Physics-informed trajectory modelling: patients aren't data points, they're differential equations - Stanford/Harvard formal verification frameworks and what they mean for FDA and MHRA submissions - Brazil's 200 million patient records, willingness to collaborate, and why it's becoming a clinical research powerhouse - Meet Selena — Next Trial AI's coordinator-facing AI persona - The human in the loop: what it actually means in practice - The jobs question: will AI replace clinical trial coordinators? - The roadmap: pay-for-outcomes models and what's next

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 2:56 Steven's mission — building infrastructure that makes trials predictable 5:52 From aviation compliance to pharma purpose 8:48 His father's cancer trial — the moment it became personal 11:44 Next Trial AI explained — trial activation intelligence 14:40 Physics-informed verified AI — provably right, not probably right 17:36 The team: physicists, rocket scientists and brilliant people in Brazil 20:32 Brazil's healthcare data opportunity — 200 million patient records 23:28 The role of AI in clinical trials — what changed when ChatGPT arrived 26:24 Human in the loop — what it really means in practice 29:20 Results: faster activation, better screening, fewer rejections 32:16 Meet Selena — Next Trial AI's coordinator-facing AI persona 35:12 Jobs, the future and personal balance 38:08 Roadmap: pay-for-outcomes models 41:04 Quick-fire round 44:00 Conclusion and final thoughts

👤 ABOUT STEVEN THOMPSON Steven Thompson is the founder of Next Trial AI and an expert in high-stakes regulatory environments, having spent over two decades building infrastructure for American Airlines, Biogen and Takeda. Based in Brazil for the last eight years, he specialises in trial activation intelligence, physics-informed prediction engines and human-centred design for clinical research. 🌐 https://www.nexttrial.ai 💼 LinkedIn: Search "Steven Thompson Next Trial AI"

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Pharma Prescribed is the podcast for people who want the conversations the life sciences industry rarely makes time for — hosted by biometrics consultant Adam Walker. New episodes every week covering clinical research, digital health, mental wellbeing and leadership. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#StevenThompson #NextTrialAI #ClinicalTrials #AIinPharma #TrialActivation #ClinicalResearch #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #ArtificialIntelligence #DrugDevelopment #RBQM #FDA #MHRA #BrazilHealthcare #LifeSciences

Helen Palk on 30 Years of NHS Nursing, COVID Vaccines & Human Side of Healthcare | Pharma Prescribed

Helen Palk — general practice lead nurse with nearly 30 years in the NHS — joins Adam Walker for one of the warmest and most grounded conversations on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Inspired by her grandmother, an army nurse who cared for injured troops during the Second World War, Helen's path began behind a pharmacy counter and took her through urology, theatre recovery, midwifery and finally to general practice in the southeast of England — where she has been ever since.

This is a conversation about what nursing actually looks like from the inside: the intimacy, the consent, the emergencies that change your mind about a career, the COVID vaccine hubs that ran on sheer goodwill, and why a smile is still the most powerful clinical tool in the room.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/0WHPgLyUjB6FNpa4dv4VCC Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-helen-palk-lead-practice-nurse/id1829715970?i=1000766643013 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - How her grandmother's wartime nursing shaped Helen's entire career from childhood - Why getting into nurse training in the 1990s was fiercely competitive — and completely different to today - The realities of midwifery: 15-hour shifts, delivering 100 babies to qualify, and a baby named after her - The emergency that nearly made her quit — and why she stayed - Why she left midwifery for general practice and never looked back - The intimacy of everyday nursing: consent, patient anxiety and the power of a warm bedside manner - The paradox of NHS staffing: newly qualified midwives unable to find jobs despite a national shortage - Continuous professional development and revalidation — why nursing never stops being a learning profession - Six years before you're truly confident: honest advice to new graduate nurses - Volunteering for COVID vaccine hubs — the numbers, the nerves and the housebound home visits - What the pandemic taught her about teamwork, personal risk and gratitude - The future of the NHS: what worries her and what gives her hope

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:34 Meet Helen Palk 3:08 Mission: bringing back old-fashioned bedside nursing 4:42 Grandmother's wartime influence & getting into nurse training in the 90s 6:17 Why midwifery? Training routes, ward life and finding her fit 7:51 The midwifery path — 18 months of training and 100 deliveries to qualify 9:25 Midwifery realities: 15-hour shifts, sleep deprivation and a baby named Helen 11:00 The emergency that nearly made her quit — and the lessons it taught 12:34 Finding her home in general practice: variety, confidence and teamwork 14:08 Intimacy, consent and patient comfort in everyday procedures 15:42 Putting patients at ease — the clinical power of warmth and a smile 17:17 Consent in practice: Gillick competence, documentation and protecting everyone 18:51 CPD, revalidation and mentoring new nurses 20:25 COVID vaccine clinics — how it started with an email 22:00 Volunteering to vaccinate: stepping up when the NHS needed it most 23:34 Early hub nerves and learning on the job at pace 25:08 Housebound vaccine runs — taking the jab to those who couldn't come in 26:42 Team bonds, gratitude and moments that stay with you 28:17 Lessons learned and personal risk during the pandemic 29:51 Working alongside Milo — and the joy animals bring to healthcare 31:25 Looking back with fond memories — the good and the hard 33:00 The future of the NHS — staffing, funding and what worries her 34:34 Advice for new nurses: it takes six years to feel truly confident 36:08 Teamwork, purpose and why attitude makes all the difference 37:42 Quick-fire round 39:17 Animals, joy and life outside the surgery 40:51 What she'd tell her younger self 42:25 Golden rule and farewell 44:00 Final thanks and closing reflections on a life in service

👤 ABOUT HELEN PALK Helen Palk is a registered general nurse and midwife with nearly 30 years of experience as a general practice lead nurse in the southeast of the UK. Inspired by her grandmother's service as an army nurse in WWII, she has dedicated her career to maintaining the tradition of compassionate bedside care within the NHS.

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Pharma Prescribed is the podcast for people who want the conversations the life sciences industry rarely makes time for — hosted by biometrics consultant Adam Walker. New episodes every week covering

Dermot Whelan on Burnout, Anxiety & the Science of Mindfulness | Pharma Prescribed

Dermot Whelan — broadcaster, comedian, bestselling author and certified meditation teacher — joins Adam Walker for one of the most personal and practical conversations on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

This episode holds a special place — meeting Dermot in Prague in early 2025,  in the middle of my own grief, was one of the moments that led to this podcast existing.

Dermot left his radio show at Today FM at the height of its ratings to dedicate himself full-time to making mindfulness accessible. In this conversation, he shares the panic attack in 2007 that changed everything, why stress has terrible marketing, and the simple tools — including Navy SEAL box breathing — that can shift your nervous system in just 16 seconds.

Adam opens up about his own breakdown following his father's stroke, and how meeting Dermot at a conference in Prague in early 2025 became a turning point. Raw, warm, and full of practical frameworks you can use today.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/2wcigm9yKnpbvD86nGPRRV Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-dermot-whelan-broadcaster/id1829715970?i=1000771679527 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Why Dermot walked away from radio at the peak of his career - The 2007 panic attack that woke him up — and what he learned from it - Why stress has terrible marketing (and the study that proves it) - The 'busyness badge of honour' and how modern society got addicted to overwhelm - The DRAMA framework: a science-backed filter for choosing hobbies that actually reset you - Box breathing: the 16-second Navy SEAL technique for immediate calm - Why your heart is a better compass than your brain - What Everest Base Camp taught Dermot about values and simplicity - The moment Adam asked Dermot for a hug — and why vulnerability changes everything

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Meet Dermot Whelan 3:40 Audience Softening and Curiosity 7:20 Early Anxiety Signs 11:00 Adam Shares His Breakdown 14:40 Reframing Stress as Helpful 18:20 Modern Busyness and Noise 22:00 Everest Base Camp Reset 25:40 Advice to a Younger Self 29:20 Skateboards and the DRAMA Framework 33:00 Protect Your Reset Rituals 36:40 Heart as Compass 40:20 16-Second Box Breathing 44:00 Gratitude and Farewell

👤 ABOUT DERMOT WHELAN Dermot Whelan is one of Ireland's most recognised broadcasters and the author of the bestselling books Mind Full and Busy and Wrecked. A certified Masters of Wisdom and Meditation teacher, he hosts The Mind Full Podcast and has helped thousands reframe stress and reclaim their wellbeing. 🌐 https://www.dermotwhelan.com 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dermotwhelanofficial/

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Pharma Prescribed is the podcast for people who want the conversations the life sciences industry rarely makes time for — hosted by biometrics consultant Adam Walker. New episodes every week covering clinical research, digital health, mental wellbeing and leadership. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#DermotWhelan #Mindfulness #BusyAndWrecked #MentalHealth #Meditation #Burnout #BoxBreathing #PharmaPrescribed #Wellbeing #StressManagement

Sharmila Hume on Brain Injuries, Suicide Prevention & the Body's Hidden Signals | Pharma Prescribed

⚠️ This episode discusses suicide, traumatic brain injury, and grief. Please take care if these topics are difficult for you.

Sharmila Hume — known as the "Biomedic Detective" — joins Adam Walker for one of the most profound and wide-ranging conversations on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Originally trained as a telecoms engineer, Sharmila rebuilt her life after her own battle with ME and fibromyalgia, then spent months in Mexico rehabilitating her brother Arnie after a near-fatal head-on collision with a drunk driver. When Arnie later died by suicide, Sharmila connected the dots between his unaddressed traumatic brain injury and his death — and turned that grief into a mission.

Today she runs the Headstrong campaign and her Bioperformance System, using German bioresonance technology to treat the body as a communication network — identifying and clearing the disruptions that conventional medicine misses. This is a conversation about what we overlook, and what it costs us.

Adam also opens up about the death of his sister Naomi by suicide, and the striking connections between viral meningitis, brain function, and the mental health crisis that followed.

Recorded during Mental Health Awareness Week.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/search/Sharmila%20Hume%20pharma%20prescribed/episodes Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/search?term=Sharmila%20Hume+pharma+prescribed Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - Sharmila's diagnosis with ME and fibromyalgia at age 15 — and how it sparked everything - The 2009 phone call that changed her family's life: Arnie's near-fatal crash in Mexico - Two months of improvised rehabilitation in a foreign country — with a surgeon's blessing - The Will Smith film Concussion that unlocked the connection between TBI and suicide - What bioresonance technology actually does — explained clearly, no jargon - Why viruses, heavy metals and modern technology disrupt the brain's regulatory systems - The link between post-viral infection, long COVID, mood changes and suicide risk - Why "it's all in your head" is the most dangerous thing a doctor can say - How grief and trauma are stored physically in the body — and how to release them - "Receipts for love are grief and anxiety" — the Scott Galloway quote that stopped Adam cold - Why mental health cannot be resolved without first addressing physical health - The DRAMA of Sharmila's golden rule: never stop learning

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & Trigger Warning 2:15 Meet Sharmila Hume 8:40 Brain Science Meets Innovative Care 21:30 Rethinking Recovery 35:00 What's Next — Headstrong & the Future

👤 ABOUT SHARMILA HUME Sharmila Hume is a healthcare practitioner, biomedic detective and creator of the Bioperformance System. Trained in telecoms engineering, she transitioned into healthcare after her own recovery from ME and fibromyalgia and her experience rehabilitating her brother following a catastrophic road accident. She leads the Headstrong campaign to raise awareness of the long-term impact of brain injuries on male mental health and suicide prevention. 🌐 https://www.holistichub.uk 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bioperformance_uk/ 💼 LinkedIn: Search "Sharmila Hume"

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Pharma Prescribed is the podcast for people who want the conversations the life sciences industry rarely makes time for — hosted by biometrics consultant Adam Walker. New episodes every week covering clinical research, digital health, mental wellbeing and leadership. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#SharmilHume #BrainInjury #SuicidePrevention #MentalHealth #TBI #Bioresonance #Headstrong #LongCovid #MEfibromyalgia #PharmaPrescribed #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #AdamWalker

Bilal Bham on Life Sciences Strategy, Human Perspective & Building Amodaia | Pharma Prescribed

Bilal Bham — founder and CEO of Amodaia — joins Adam Walker to explore what it really takes to guide a biotech, pharma or medtech company through its most critical decision points.

Bilal brings nearly two decades of life sciences experience across regulatory affairs, medical affairs, market access, marketing communications and fundraising. But what sets him apart is the lens through which he approaches all of it: lived experience. His own journey with Graves' disease and thyroid eye disease, alongside family mental health challenges and his experience as an autistic leader, has shaped a consultancy built around the belief that science and human perspective are inseparable.

This is a conversation about the gap between clinical data and commercial reality — and what it takes to close it.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/6gPpTo25uSfdcVQCtcBw2X Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-bilal-bham-ceo-of-amodaia/id1829715970?i=1000769475494 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - What Amodaia does and why integrated consultancy beats siloed departments - Navigating regulatory, medical affairs and market access as a unified strategy - Why patient-first thinking must drive commercial strategy — not follow it - Bridging the gap between clinical data and the human story payers and providers need to hear - Fundraising realities for emerging biotechs at critical decision points - How lived experience with chronic illness and neurodiversity shapes Bilal's leadership - Why the most important question in drug development is still: does this improve a patient's life?

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Bilal Bham — founder of Amodaia 2:00 The mission: helping biotechs survive & reach patients 3:30 From medical writing to cross-functional consultancy 5:00 "Telling them their baby's ugly" — diagnosing client friction 7:00 The consultation process: NDAs, diagnostics & trust building 9:00 Trust, loyalty, respect — Amodaia's six core values 11:00 Shared experience: redundancy as the spark for independence 12:30 Losing his father, returning home & going freelance 15:00 Growth strategy & the AI reset reshaping life sciences 17:30 Building proprietary AI vs off-the-shelf tools 20:00 Breaking pharma silos — why pillars beat silos 22:00 The AI stack: Claude, ChatGPT, Scite, Perplexity & beyond 24:30 Scaling lean — seven-figure revenue without a big headcount 26:30 It takes a village: mentors inside and outside the industry 30:00 Self-education through audiobooks — dead time to active time 32:30 Empathy as a leadership principle — "it costs nothing to be nice" 33:00 Living with autism, ADHD & the power of neurodiversity 37:30 Masking, diagnosis & finding a methodology that works 40:00 Routine as regulation — bookending the day 42:00 Quick-fire round 44:00 Closing reflections

👤 ABOUT BILAL BHAM Bilal Bham is the founder and CEO of Amodaia, a senior-led life science consultancy supporting biotech, pharma and medtech teams across regulatory affairs, medical affairs, market access, marketing communications and fundraising. With nearly two decades in life sciences, he brings both strategic rigour and a human perspective shaped by his own experience with Graves' disease, thyroid eye disease and life as an autistic leader. 💼 LinkedIn: Search "Bilal Bham Amodaia"

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Pharma Prescribed is the podcast for people who want the conversations the life sciences industry rarely makes time for — hosted by biometrics consultant Adam Walker. New episodes every week covering clinical research, digital health, mental wellbeing and leadership. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#BilalBham #Amodaia #LifeSciences #Biotech #PharmaStrategy #MarketAccess #RegulatoryAffairs #PatientFirst #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #HealthcareLeadership #Neurodiversity

Adam Baumgart on RBQM, AI in Clinical Trials & 38 Years of Hard-Won Pharma Wisdom | Pharma Prescribed

Adam Baumgart — biometrics and risk consultant with 38 years across AstraZeneca, Covance and beyond — joins Adam Walker for a masterclass in risk-based quality management, the future of clinical trials, and what it actually takes to build a career worth having.

Adam fell into clinical research in 1988 when data was collected on non-carbon required paper. He's watched the industry move from paper forms to web-based entry, integrated databases, and now AI-driven analytics. Along the way he discovered a passion for RBQM — and spent four years leading the risk-based monitoring initiative at Covance that transformed how clinical trials are overseen.

This episode is part technical deep-dive, part career masterclass, and part honest conversation about mentorship, loss, men's mental health and the Monday morning accountability group that changed both Adam's life and the host's.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/6XT6cpwCmk4eo3KookDaMA Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pharma-prescribed-with-adam-baumgart-from-paper-to/id1829715970?i=1000767784416 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

📖 WHAT WE COVER - RBQM explained simply: the four pillars of quality by design, risk management, quality control and quality assurance - Why 38 years of broad experience is what made RBQM click — and how to accelerate that understanding - From paper forms in 1988 to AI copilots in 2025: the technology evolution in clinical data - Critical to quality factors: the one place every company should start before anything else - How to reduce 60 active risks down to 20 manageable ones — and why that changes everything - The skills young people need now: critical thinking, data science, UX awareness and relationship building - Why programming experience — even two years of it — makes you a fundamentally better clinical trial professional - Mentors that shaped him: from Glaxo Med Africa to an inspiring father-in-law who was a post-war refugee - 10 years teaching clinical data management for ACDM — and why giving back matters - Ryan Parke's Monday morning men's accountability group: what it is and why it works - Visualization, discipline and learning to follow your passion without guilt - Operation Cyclops: cataloguing a comic collection started in 1976

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Adam Baumgart — biometrics & risk consultant 2:00 Mission: transforming RBQM across the industry 3:30 RBQM explained in plain English — the four pillars 7:00 How a career spanning 38 years led to this passion 9:00 From agrochemical field trials to clinical data management 11:00 Lean Six Sigma, the 2014–2017 guidance changes & the RBQM spark 13:00 Mentors: Glaxo Med, Covance & an extraordinary father-in-law 16:00 Giving back through ACDM — 10 years of teaching 19:00 From paper to pixels: the technology evolution since 1988 22:00 Why trials are exponentially more complex than they used to be 23:00 Key skills for the next generation: critical thinking & data science 25:00 UX design, relationship building & not being intimidated by brilliant people 27:00 The value of two years programming — and why it still pays off 30:00 Building RBQM from scratch: where to start 31:00 Critical to quality factors — filtering out the noise 33:00 Ryan Parke's Monday morning men's group & the power of accountability 37:00 Visualization, discipline & being forgiving of yourself 39:00 Quick-fire round 43:00 Closing reflections & how to connect

👤 ABOUT ADAM BAUMGART Adam Baumgart is a biometrics and risk consultant with 38 years of experience across clinical research organisations and pharma, including leadership roles at AstraZeneca and Covance. He is an advisor at ZS Associates and Alcedo Consulting, a volunteer expert on RBQM for the Association for Clinical Data Management (ACDM), and a passionate advocate for risk-based approaches to clinical trial quality. 💼 LinkedIn: Search "Adam Baumgart"

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Pharma Prescribed is the podcast for people who want the conversations the life sciences industry rarely makes time for — hosted by biometrics consultant Adam Walker. New episodes every week covering clinical research, digital health, mental wellbeing and leadership. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#AdamBaumgart #RBQM #ClinicalTrials #RiskBasedQualityManagement #ClinicalData #PharmaLeadership #PharmaPrescribed #LifeSciences #ClinicalResearch #AstraZeneca #Covance #ACDM #MensHealth #AdamWalker

Adam Walker interviews namesake Adam Walker; GMP, Sepsis & 900k NHS Doses a Year | Pharma Prescribed

Two Adam Walkers, one conversation. This week the host is joined by his namesake — Adam Walker, Qualified Person, Head of Development and Innovation at the North East and North Cumbria Medicines Manufacturing Centre, and co-founder of the Help Me GMP educational platform.

Adam qualified as an NHS pharmacist in 2003 and quickly realised the clean room, not the ward, was where he could do the most good. In this episode he explains the quiet revolution underway in NHS pharmaceutical manufacturing: a new hub-and-spoke model, one of four national aseptic pathfinder hubs, and a brand-new facility in Northumberland going live in 2027 — built to produce around 150,000 chemotherapy doses and up to 750,000 ready-to-administer antibiotic doses a year.

The patient impact is immediate. A ready-made antibiotic bag pulled from a fridge means the one-hour door-to-needle target for suspected sepsis is met, and nurses get 12–15 minutes per dose back for patient care.

Then the conversation turns personal. Adam shares his "why" — his mother's Grade 4 metastatic bowel cancer diagnosis in 2003, her remarkable response to the FOLFOX regimen, and the nine extra years it bought: his wedding, meeting his first son. It's why he gets up in the morning.

He also opens up on mentorship, Annex 1, and building Help Me GMP for the "TikTok generation" of pharma professionals.

Two disciplines — GMP and GCP — one shared mission: getting the right medicine to the patient at the right time.

🎧 LISTEN TO THE AUDIO Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ks5oLfSDf0u9F1I8GUjti Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/adam-walkers-pharma-prescribed-podcast/id1829715970 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean: https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com Full transcript and episode notes: https://pharmaprescribed.com/episodes

Youtube: https://youtu.be/2MoNyxxkDiE 

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:35 Meet Adam Walker (QP) 1:00 Finding pharma manufacturing 9:00 Development & innovation: the NENC hub 15:00 Patient impact and the sepsis window 18:00 A personal why: his mother's cancer and FOLFOX 21:00 Mentors and career shapers 27:00 The Help Me GMP mission 31:00 Creating content with AI — the GMP way 33:00 Quick fire round 36:00 Golden rule and wrap up

👤 ABOUT ADAM WALKER (GUEST) Qualified Person and pharmaceutical quality leader. Head of Development and Innovation at the North East and North Cumbria Medicines Manufacturing Centre, leading the build of next-generation NHS manufacturing facilities. Co-founder of Help Me GMP, delivering free, practical GMP training worldwide. NHS pharmacist since 2003, specialising in GMP manufacturing, aseptic processing and medicine supply. 💼 Search "Adam Walker Help Me GMP" on LinkedIn 🌐 https://www.whatisgmp.com ▶️ Help Me GMP on YouTube

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Pharma Prescribed is the podcast where leaders, innovators and hidden voices in healthcare open up. No soundbites, no spin. Just raw insight, one prescription at a time. Hosted by biometrics consultant Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@pharmaprescribedpodcast 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/ 🏢 https://uk.linkedin.com/company/pharma-prescribed-podcast

#AdamWalker #HelpMeGMP #GMP #NHS #AsepticProcessing #MedicinesManufacturing #PharmaPrescribed #PatientSafety #Chemotherapy #Sepsis #QualifiedPerson #Pharma

Lisa Kerr on why 95% of eligible patients never join a clinical trial | Pharma Prescribed

Lisa Kerr is Head of Patient Engagement at Evinova, AstraZeneca's health tech business — a PhD chemist who climbed to global project director, hit a cliff edge, and came back with a mission.

In this episode Lisa talks openly about the divorce, the clinical depression, and the three months as an outpatient at the Priory that reshaped her career. She founded AstraZeneca's Safe Space employee resource group after one Workplace post she thought would end her career — and built mental health navigation tools that scaled globally.

She then turns that lived experience on the industry itself: only 5–7% of eligible patients ever join a clinical trial, and that number has barely moved in a decade despite digitisation and healthcare transformation. Lisa explains the EACH framework, why patients are the real investors in a trial (time, health, trust — given for free), and why AI has just destroyed pharma's last excuse for not designing trials with patients.

Honest, funny, and unusually direct. No soundbites, no spin.

🎧 LISTEN TO THE AUDIO Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ks5oLfSDf0u9F1I8GUjti Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/adam-walkers-pharma-prescribed-podcast/id1829715970 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean: https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com Full transcript and episode notes: https://pharmaprescribed.com/episodes

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:35 Meet Lisa Kerr 1:30 A mission built on lived experience 2:50 From PhD chemist to global project director 4:20 The cliff edge: divorce, depression, the Priory 5:50 "Ask people how they are twice" — the colleague who saved her 8:50 The mental health access crisis 11:40 Building Safe Space at AstraZeneca 16:10 The navigation tools that scaled globally 20:10 Purpose, energy and humour 22:45 Lessons from the Priory 26:40 Patient engagement: being the voice in the room 29:10 The EACH framework and patients as consumers 30:50 Why only 5–7% of eligible patients ever join a trial 32:35 When the system fails even the well-informed 35:30 AI kills the industry's last excuse 38:10 Misinformation, hallucination and pharma's silence on social 41:50 Quick fire round 44:20 Where to find Lisa

👤 ABOUT LISA KERR Head of Patient Engagement at Evinova (AstraZeneca). PhD chemist, 20+ years across global pharma and health tech. Founder of AstraZeneca's Safe Space ERG and the Evinova I&D network. Advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, neurodivergent communities and trauma survivors. Charity trustee. Singer in rock and pop covers band The Torrists. 💼 Search "Lisa Kerr" on LinkedIn 🎸 The Torrists — on Instagram and Facebook

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Pharma Prescribed is the podcast where leaders, innovators and hidden voices in healthcare open up. No soundbites, no spin. Just raw insight, one prescription at a time. Hosted by biometrics consultant Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@pharmaprescribedpodcast

Alen Hadzic on Engineering Clinical Trial Enrollment with Predictive AI | Pharma Prescribed

Alen Hadzic — founder and CEO of Clinical Trial Scan, Olympic fencer and patent-pending inventor of Dyno AI — joins Adam Walker for one of the most data-driven conversations on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Alen's path to clinical trials started with Facebook ads, a friend called Artyom, and $5–7 million in advertising spend across 50 studies. When margins got squeezed, he didn't walk away — he took control of the funnel, built a predictive AI that calculates the true cost per enrollment before a study starts, and filed a patent on the methodology.

His golden rule: just show up. Kobe Bryant said it best.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/3sRsBTqdRbRK7sTzhjSWi1?si=TQgkyijsS-WTX7OXGwoC0g

Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/alen-hadzic-on-engineering-clinical-trial-enrollment/id1829715970?i=1000775363752  Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean → https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com/

Youtube → https://youtu.be/02tkkvXY4VU?si=-6PyzKLqEqWK-E-T

📖 WHAT WE COVER - $5–7M in Facebook ad data across 50+ clinical trials — and what it revealed - Dyno AI: predicting the true cost per enrolled patient before you spend a dollar - The seven funnel steps from ad click to enrollment — and why each probability matters - Monte Carlo simulations for enrollment cost forecasting - Why a 10% deviation in one funnel step can double your cost per patient - Hot leads vs cold databases: why speed to call changes everything - 70% answer rate across nine calls — but only if you call in the evening - The Colombia call centre: American Colombians running three call blocks a day - Why most AI in clinical trials doesn't work — and how Alen's actually does - Olympic fencing, coach Alexey Cheremsky and waking up at 4am - Bosnian father, French literature PhD mother and never listening to advice - Recording a death metal album while scaling a clinical trial startup - Patent pending on the cost per enrollment methodology

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Alen Hadzic — founder of Clinical Trial Scan 2:00 Former Olympic fencer, musician, writer, drummer 3:00 How sport and consulting gave him a unique perspective 4:00 Finding clinical trials through Spravato and COVID 5:00 Affiliate marketing: running ads for the biggest recruitment vendors 6:00 $5–7M in advertising data across 50+ studies 7:00 Margins squeezed — so he took control of the funnel 8:00 Understanding the real cost per enrollment 9:00 Why questionnaire design kills your ad performance 10:00 Cost per lead by city: $66 Detroit, $52 Miami 12:00 The algorithm, keywords and why simple ads outperform 13:00 Dyno AI: protocol upload to funnel prediction 14:00 The seven funnel steps — call to enrollment 16:00 Dropout, concierge and speed to call 17:00 Why cold databases fail and hot leads win 18:00 48-hour contact window — the critical threshold 19:00 End-to-end delivery and site-centric pricing 20:00 Small funnel deviations = massive cost changes 21:00 Colombia call team: bilingual, driven, three blocks a day 24:00 Initiation fees, difficulty scores and transparent pricing 25:00 AI hype reality check — "we are not an AI company" 26:00 Why small databases won't save your study 27:00 How Dyno's AI actually trains and improves 28:00 Monte Carlo simulations and confidence intervals 29:00 Expanding: Colombia, Brazil and LATAM 31:00 Mentors: coach Cheremsky, parents, the clinical trials community 34:00 Quick-fire: let life do the work — stop forcing outcomes 36:00 Show up, good attitude, bring yourself 37:00 Music: Iron Maiden changed everything — recording an album 38:00 Golden rule: show up — Kobe Bryant said it best 41:00 dyno.clinicaltrialscan.ai and closing thanks

👤 ABOUT ALEN HADZIC Founder and CEO of Clinical Trial Scan. Creator of Dyno AI (patent pending). Former Olympic fencer. Columbia University. Vlerick Business School. 🌐 https://dyno.clinicaltrialscan.ai 💼 Search "Alen Hadzic" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#AlenHadzic #ClinicalTrialScan #DynoAI #PatientRecruitment #ClinicalTrials #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #CostPerEnrollment #MonteCarlo #DigitalAdvertising #FacebookAds #OlympicFencer #LifeSciences #ClinicalResearch #PatentPending

Dr. Pat Boulogne on Functional Medicine, Fasting Since 17 on Zero Medications @71 | Pharma Prescribed

Dr.Pat Boulogne — performance optimisation strategist, functional medicine expert and bestselling author — joins Adam Walker for one of the most practical wellbeing conversations on the Pharma Prescribed Podcast.

Dr.Pat is 71, takes zero medications, works 14-hour days with full mental clarity, and has spent 30+ years helping high performers close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Her father wanted her to be an electrical engineer. She chose to become an engineer of life and health instead.

Her approach is pharma unprescribed.

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR PREFERRED APP Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Xda2P6nkvkSzHwKyRr02f?si=8sT0tSfNQf-E1m6MApUnwQ Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dr-pat-boulogne-on-functional-medicine-fasting-since/id1829715970?i=1000774232267 Amazon Music → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast

📖 WHAT WE COVER - 71 years old, zero medications, 14-hour days — how she does it - Root cause medicine vs symptom masking: the sleep medication story - Intermittent fasting since age 17 — before anyone called it that - How to pair foods so your body isn't stressed — and why timing matters - Alkaline tide: why you crash after lunch and what to do about it - The three brains: lizard, mammalian and conscious — and how they talk - Why affirmations only work if you ask "why" at the end - The organic broccoli dating analogy — and the woman who stole it - "If it's brown, don't eat it in the morning" - Adam's back surgery, the body keeping score and the V-shaped trees - Be true to yourself — the golden rule

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction & podcast mission 1:00 Meet Dr.Pat Boulogne — performance optimisation strategist 2:00 Mission: saving lives through physical, mental and emotional health 3:00 From electrical engineering to engineer of life and health 4:00 71, zero medications, sharp brain — how 5:00 University of Michigan and the question that got her uninvited 6:00 Outside-the-box medicine and why she never looked back 7:00 85% of headaches are metabolically involved 8:00 The sleep medication story: first full night in weeks 9:00 Intermittent fasting since 17 — one meal a day 10:00 Water intake calculated by body weight 11:00 Brain performance: when to study, eat and exercise 12:00 Alkaline tide: why food makes you crash 13:00 In-a-Gadda-da-Vida: exercise to a heartbeat 14:00 Bread, self-regulation and pushing away from the table 15:00 Scarpetta la piatra: how Italians eat bread right 16:00 Microbiome, labels and knowing your food sources 17:00 Corn syrup, ultra-processed foods and why labels lie 18:00 Injured gut: probiotics won't save you 19:00 Dairy: raw milk vs dead milk — source matters 21:00 Body signals: bloating, cramps and what they mean 22:00 Foot adjustment: five days pain-free after 20 years 23:00 Adam's back surgery and the body keeping score 25:00 Three brains: lizard, mammalian and conscious 26:00 Affirmations plus "why" — rewiring the mammalian brain 28:00 The V-shaped trees, the ring and Adam's daily ritual 30:00 Golfer's pickup and protecting your pelvis 32:00 "I open the fridge and look in the medicine cabinet" 34:00 Organic broccoli is like dating — the story 36:00 Food as medicine: lifestyle not diet 37:00 "Play with your grandkids or watch them?" 39:00 Quick-fire: go to school sooner, say what you think 40:00 Honesty, integrity, action — and cooking 41:00 Golden rule: be true to yourself

👤 ABOUT DR. PAT BOULOGNE Performance optimisation strategist. Functional medicine expert. Author of Why Are You Sick, Fat, and Tired? 30+ years clinical experience. 📚 Amazon UK and US 💼 Search "Dr Pat Boulogne" on LinkedIn

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Long-form conversations with leaders in clinical research, digital health and mental wellbeing, hosted by Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/

#DrPatBoulogne #FunctionalMedicine #PerformanceOptimisation #PharmaPrescribed #AdamWalker #IntermittentFasting #RootCause #Wellbeing #Nutrition #ThreeBrains #Affirmations #OrganicFood #Microbiome #GutHealth #HealthyAging

Andy York on AI, Data Science & Why 80% Accuracy Isn’t Good Enough | Pharma Prescribed

Adam Walker sits down with Andy York — statistician, clinical data science leader, and former VP of Clinical Data Science at Novo Nordisk — for a masterclass in where pharma's data revolution has been, where it's heading, and why the AI hype needs a reality check.
With over 30 years spanning Roche, Covance, and Novo Nordisk, Andy now advises Verisian, a company building next-generation AI and traceability tools for clinical reporting. He brings rare historical depth and hard-won perspective to one of the industry's most pressing questions: can we actually trust AI with patient safety?
In this episode: Why 80% AI accuracy equates to a process out of control — and what the Six Sigma reality check means for drug development
The journey from paper CRFs and carbon copies to EDC, CDISC standards, and AI-assisted programming
SAS vs R vs Python — what the shift to open source really means for regulatory submissions
How guardrails, not raw AI, are the key to hitting 95%+ accuracy in clinical reporting
The future of statistical programming: from code developers to validators
Why pharma's AI revolution will realistically take a decade — and what to do in the meantime
Career advice for the next generation entering clinical data science Whether you're a statistical programmer, data scientist, biometrician, or simply curious about AI's real role in drug development, this conversation will challenge your assumptions and sharpen your thinking. 🎙️ Pharma Prescribed is hosted by Adam Walker, biometrics consultant and independent voice in clinical research and healthcare leadership.
🔗 Listen on all platforms: pharmaprescribed.com 📧 Connect with Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-walker-2327951/ ⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction 01:00 Meet Andy York — Career & Mission 02:00 Why Pharma? The Noble Cause Behind the Data 04:30 Lessons From 30 Years — Advice for Newcomers 05:30 From Paper CRFs to EDC: How Data Collection Evolved 07:00 Standards, CDISC, SAS & the Programming Revolution 08:30 AI in Pharma — The Reality Check 10:00 The 80% Problem & Six Sigma Thinking 11:00 Guardrails: How to Make AI Reliable in Clinical Reporting 13:00 Human in the Loop — The FDA's Stance on AI Submissions 15:00 Parallel Streams & Freeing Up Resource Through Automation 17:00 Expanding Drug Indications With AI Efficiency 18:00 Conference Trends — The Move From SAS to R 20:00 Open Source vs Validated Systems — Regulatory Perspectives 23:00 SAS, R, Python — The Right Language for the Right Job 24:30 Future Roles: From Programmer to Data Scientist 27:00 The Next Generation — Gamers, AI Natives & Skills for Tomorrow 29:00 Science Fiction Becoming Science Fact 30:30 Verisian's Roadmap — What's Coming Next 32:30 Andy's Closing Advice for Programmers at Every Stage 🏷️ TAGS
clinical data science, statistical programming, AI in pharma, drug development, clinical trials, SAS vs R, open source pharma, CDISC standards, regulatory submission, FDA AI, Novo Nordisk, Verisian, biometrics, data science careers, pharma podcast, clinical research, Adam Walker, Pharma Prescribed, Andy York, EDC, SDTM, ADaM, PharmaVerse, R consortium, double programming, AI accuracy, patient safety, pharmaceutical industry, clinical data management, real world evidence, pharma careers

Andreas Beust on how a small CRO covers the globe without growing | Pharma Prescribed

Andreas Beust is CEO and Managing Director of GCP Service International, a Bremen-based CRO working across medicinal products, medical devices and in vitro diagnostics. He's also President of ACROS — the Association of International CROs — and a guest lecturer at the University of Bremen.

He started on the biostatistics desk. He's now running the company, elected by a leader who — not yet 50 — went looking for a successor because clinical research moves too fast to leave succession to chance.

In this episode Andreas makes complex things accessible, which is his stated mission. He explains the ACROS model: ten similarly-sized, like-minded CROs from the US to Europe, the Middle East, India, China and Australia, who agree that once a partner joins, their country is off-limits to the others. It lets a small CRO run trials globally — 20 concurrent studies across Spain, Italy and Portugal through one trusted partner — without ballooning into the kind of large, rigid, expensive organisation that can't serve smaller sponsors. Grow together, not bigger.

He's refreshingly frank on AI: a lot of overpromise and underdeliver, quarter-of-a-million-per-seat licence fees that no small or mid-size company can pay, and real but modest gains in medical writing, programming and knowledge capture — always human in the loop.

And he's honest about the thing that actually drives growth: discomfort. Curiosity, listening first, and putting yourself in the shop window of the unknown.

An optimistic, grounded conversation about how the human end of this industry actually works — and how to break into it.

🎧 LISTEN TO THE AUDIO Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ks5oLfSDf0u9F1I8GUjti Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/adam-walkers-pharma-prescribed-podcast/id1829715970 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1a43eb87-b83e-441d-9a87-321263e3f821/adam-walker%E2%80%99s-pharma-prescribed-podcast Podbean: https://pharmaprescribed.podbean.com Full transcript and episode notes: https://pharmaprescribed.com/episodes

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:35 Meet Andreas Beust 3:00 From the biostats desk to CEO 7:00 Podcasting, curiosity and listening first 11:00 Breaking into clinical research 16:00 Advice for young talent 21:00 Hiring for attitude 23:00 Leading without ego 26:00 A flexibility mindset 27:00 Building the ACROS alliance 30:00 The presidency and the mission 35:00 A communal growth model 37:00 AI in clinical trials — a reality check 42:00 Compliance, costs and human in the loop 44:00 Hope amid uncertainty 46:00 Quickfire round 50:00 Final takeaways

👤 ABOUT ANDREAS BEUST CEO and Managing Director of GCP Service International (Bremen). President of ACROS, the Association of International CROs. Guest lecturer at the University of Bremen. Biologist by training who joined GCP Service in the biostatistics department and rose to lead the company through its international expansion. Advocate for accessible clinical research and for training new talent from the ground up. 💼 Search "Andreas Beust" on LinkedIn 🌐 https://www.gcp-service.com

🎙️ ABOUT PHARMA PRESCRIBED Pharma Prescribed is the podcast where leaders, innovators and hidden voices in healthcare open up. No soundbites, no spin. Just raw insight, one prescription at a time. Hosted by biometrics consultant Adam Walker. 🌐 https://pharmaprescribed.com ▶️ https://youtu.be/GxVq88C6ChA 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamwalkerbiometrics 🏢 https://uk.linkedin.com/company/pharma-prescribed-podcast

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