Explore every episode of the podcast Transforming Biopharma

In this episode, Arno Sosna, president of the CRM Suite at Veeva, joins Maria Whitman to explore how AI is transforming CRM in life sciences into a dynamic engine for insight and action. They unpack the emergence of Commercial Evidence™—real-time insights into treatment barriers—and how conversational, agentic AI unlocks a new, faster way to understand and serve customers. The conversation offers a look at how this shift fundamentally reshapes decision-making, workflows and ultimately patient access to care. 

Highlights:

• Why traditional CRM models miss the full picture behind treatment barriers—and how AI generates actionable Commercial Evidence at scale 
• How conversational AI in CRM enables a continuous, omnichannel dialogue between commercial teams and HCPs 
• What it takes to move from insight to impact using AI to drive precision engagement, not just collect more data 
• Why removing friction between patients and treatment isn’t just a goal, but a “moral obligation” for the industry 

The rapid evolution of generative AI has led to increased adoption but also raises significant compliance challenges. ZS Principal Michael Shaw joins the podcast to discuss the importance of responsible and ethical AI adoption in the biopharma industry, particularly as it relates to compliance, risk management and improving patient outcomes. 

Highlights include:

• The importance of developing a comprehensive framework for responsible AI, focusing on principles like fairness, safety, transparency and accountability 
• Why effective AI governance requires cross-functional collaboration and continuous trade-off assessment
• How leveraging AI to enhance workflows can drive efficiency and effectiveness but must be implemented thoughtfully with the right controls in place

As senior vice president of customer distribution experience at McKesson, Ammie McAsey makes it a point to connect her day-to-day work with the company’s mission of improving healthcare in every setting. Learn how she’s working to connect the healthcare ecosystem to bring additional access and benefits to patients. Highlights include:

• Her view of the opportunities for collaboration to build a better healthcare value chain
• Discussion of how we can improve the patient’s experience
• Areas where she sees the most potential for innovation across healthcare

Colin Lake, VP and head of digital care transformation, neurology and rare disease at UCB, is passionate about helping patients with rare diseases. He joins Maria Whitman to talk about how UCB has focused on simplifying its digital strategy to address key pain points for rare disease patients. 

Highlights include:

• Why partnerships are an important part of this journey
• How a collaboration using ZS’s ZEBRA tool helped UCB move the needle of diagnosis
• Why pharma leaders should experiment with new technologies to drive real change and innovation

How should pharma companies respond to the current “hinge moment” where new technologies are enabling breakthroughs in drug discovery, manufacturing and customer engagement? Maria Whitman’s guest Alex Koehler, vice president and head of digital technology and innovation at Amgen, believes it’s time to be bold and move faster to capitalize on this opportunity. In this episode they discuss: 

• How Amgen is using its Amgen India Center as an innovation hub to tackle key challenges
• How AI and data-driven insights can help personalize interactions, predict barriers and improve the patient journey and access to therapies
• How biopharma can transform to better serve patients through innovation and digital enablement

The opportunities to reshape customer engagement have never been greater for pharma, but what role does the customer relationship management (CRM) system play? Kyrsten Musich, vice president of healthcare and life sciences at Salesforce, talks with Maria Whitman about how CRM can enable a more customer-centric approach for life sciences. Highlights include:

• Why we need to think about the CRM as a system of context, a system of intelligence and a system of activation
• How Salesforce is framing the concept of “digital labor”—using AI and intelligent agents to take on repetitive tasks and free up human resources to focus on higher-value, more strategic activities
• Why pharma leaders need to be directly involved in shaping the vision and strategy for CRM in order to drive true competitive advantage
  
  

Drive behavior-changing personalized customer engagement at scale by addressing customer barriers with a powerful customer relationship management (CRM) system. ZS experts Omer Hancer, Namita Powers and Srihari Sarangan talk with Maria Whitman about how companies can get started.

Highlights include:

·       Why now is the pivotal moment for pharma to embrace CRM as a strategic, customer-centric tool 

·       How to orchestrate roles, content and collaboration by pinpointing customer barriers and challenges 

·       The crucial role of field feedback in creating a responsive learning system 

Joe DePinto, McKesson’s head of cell and gene advanced therapies, supports patients, providers and payers throughout the treatment journey. He’s particularly passionate about helping patients get access to groundbreaking therapeutic interventions. Maria Whitman gets his perspective on the current state of cell and gene therapy and the promising advancements that can ensure more patients receive these treatments. 

Highlights include:

• Why strategic partnerships and digital information are critical
• How McKesson is working to improve patient access and support
• The need for standardization and data transparency 

If we want to make change in healthcare, we can’t take a one-dimensional approach. We need a multifaceted plan. Having just celebrated its 100th anniversary, the American Heart Association (AHA) is pursuing that vision. Maria Whitman talks with Juliana Crawford, EVP of emerging strategies at the AHA, to find out how the association is thinking about how policy, science and consumer education can fit together in a broad approach to solving healthcare problems.

Highlights include:

• How the association is shaping its role as a convener to work more broadly to solve healthcare problems
• Why improving health literacy is a key step in improving patient experience
• Why it’s important to take a lifelong view to improve cardiac health for women
• Why community involvement and partnerships are key to addressing health equity gaps and barriers related to social drivers of health

Clinical trial sites are important players in biopharma’s success. In this episode, we hear from site experts Lauren Wall of the University of Chicago and Caroline Smith of Charter Research on how pharma can forge successful partnerships. While good communication, transparency and collaboration are key, they also discuss how investing in site engagement and understanding the challenges and needs of sites can improve the clinical trial process. 

Highlights include:

• What sites have learned about recruiting diverse cohorts of patients
• What kinds of companies are doing site engagement successfully
• Why it’s important to keep patients at the forefront

What’s the role of culture in an organization and how can it play a pivotal role in shaping performance or even helping businesses transform? Maria Whitman sits down with Paul Ingram, professor of business at Columbia University, to explore the critical role of culture and organizational dynamics in driving successful transformation. Ingram, an expert on leadership and strategy, talks about the relationship between individuals, their values and beliefs and how that connects to an organization’s overall culture. 

Maria Whitman interviews Mike Tushman, professor at Harvard Business School, about the importance of organizational architecture during times of transformation. He describes how companies that successfully transform create an organizational architecture that allows both “exploitation” of existing successful strategies and “exploration” of what they might build for the future. He also discusses the role of leaders in driving transformation and the potential of generative AI.

How can healthcare and biopharma meet patients where they are? Maria Whitman interviews Oya Gilbert, a podcaster and patient advocate, about his journey as a multiple myeloma patient. They also talk about Oya’s work with the Health, Hope and Hip-Hop Foundation, which aims to use hip-hop culture to promote health literacy in underserved communities. Covering the importance of authenticity and trust in healthcare, as well as the need for education and empowerment for patients, this conversation highlights the importance of understanding each individual’s unique experience and addressing their specific needs.

How can pharma use AI and other technology to deliver a better customer experience? Maria Whitman and a panel of ZS experts discuss pharma’s next-generation commercial model. Carolyn Morrow, Namita Powers, Srihari Sarangan and Karthik Sourirajan talk about how pharma can create behavior-changing, personalized customer engagement at scale and how companies will need to rethink data collection to achieve data connection. 

Recent headlines about the use of prescription drugs for weight loss make obesity a prominent and relevant topic in today’s discussions about health and well-being. Bill Coyle, ZS’s global head of biopharma, and Mandi White-Ajmani, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and owner, Small Brooklyn Psychology, join Maria Whitman to talk about the underlying challenges obesity presents to society and healthcare, even as new treatments emerge.

Yelak Biru, president and CEO of the International Myeloma Foundation, is passionate about patient advocacy with good reason—he’s been one himself for 28 years. Yelak joins Maria Whitman to talk about his patient experience and how it shaped his perspective as the leader of the first and largest global organization focusing specifically on multiple myeloma. He also talks about how evolving tools and technology like AI can be used to create personalized patient experience, how his passion for data and analytics informs his work today and the key areas where biopharma can engage to better support patients on their journey.

As biopharma transforms its commercial model, what can it learn from other industries? To find out, Maria Whitman sits down with Arun Shastri, global AI practice lead at ZS. Arun’s an expert on how organizations are modernizing their customer experience and the technology and mindset needed for success. He discusses key principles for the modern sales organization, the real potential of artificial intelligence and how companies can unlock success. Hear how pharma can learn from disruptors, influencers and innovators everywhere.

Madhavi Ramakrishna, global vice president and chief digital officer of commercial, GSK, is passionate about data and technology. A former executive in broadcast media, she’s now at the forefront of adopting analytics to drive commercial success in biopharma. In this episode, she shares her definition of digital transformation and discusses the biggest opportunities she sees for innovation in pharma’s commercial model. She also discusses what pharma can learn about digital success from companies like Nike and Apple, how pharma can best realize generative AI’s potential and her vision of what successful digital transformation in pharma might look like.

Savitri Basavaiah, vice president portfolio and commercialization strategy at Janssen, the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, has a deep background in biopharma. She joins Maria Whitman to talk about the broader challenges of commercial leadership and what the future might look like as pharma reimagines its commercial model. She also discusses what pharma should do next at a moment when the pace of innovation is incredibly fast and the challenges are unprecedented; why a growth mindset is critical as the industry thinks about the skills and capabilities it needs for the future; and why inclusive leadership is the key to unlocking value for patients.

Propeller Health brings digital therapeutic expertise together with respiratory care experience to create solutions that improve patients’ lives. General Manager Susa Monacelli joins Maria Whitman to give her perspective on how pharma companies can succeed on the new frontier of digital therapeutics. She also talks about the progress made so far in realizing the potential of digital therapeutics—and what still needs to be done—as well as the learning curves that may create barriers to adoption for providers and patients. Finally, she discusses the foundational questions that pharma should address before embarking on a digital therapeutic strategy.

As head of precision medicine for Merck U.S. Oncology, Dennis Flannelly is thinking ahead. He joins Maria Whitman in this episode to talk about the capability and mindset shifts biopharma needs to make to design, develop and deliver on precision medicine. He also shares the successes he's seen and what he's most excited about as precision medicine evolves. Listen to find out why navigating data will be a key capability in the future and hear advice for biopharma executives who want to succeed in precision medicine. 

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

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

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

On this episode of Transforming Biopharma, Maria Whitman hears from Josette Gbemudu, executive director of health equity and social determinants of health at Merck, about how the company is taking action to make its vision of health equity a reality. They also discuss opportunities for biopharma to cooperatively tackle the barriers to systemic change. 

Highlights:

• How Merck is mobilizing and empowering teams to create momentum around health equity 
• Why trust is an equity issue
•  The power of industry-wide collaboration in creating change—and why it’s critical to measure progress

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

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

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

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

Dr. Aarti Shah, former senior vice president and chief information and digital officer at Eli Lilly & Company, knows pharma and technology inside and out. At Eli Lilly, she led an enterprise-wide global organization with responsibilities for information technology, information security, advanced analytics, data science and digital health. Dr. Shah has been named a woman of influence by the Indianapolis Business Journal and was also named one of the fierce women in biopharma by Fierce Pharma. 

In this episode, Dr. Shah and Maria Whitman talk about how real-world evidence is driving faster industry innovations that have great potential to improve patient outcomes. 

When we use the terms digital health or digital medicine, what do we really mean? Host Maria Whitman takes up this question with Ahmed Albaiti, Head of Digital and Connected Health at ZS. Albaiti, who previously founded and led Medullan, has more than 20 years of experience in the industry. He brings his unique perspective to discuss the state of digital health today and how its next wave may impact both consumers and biopharma. 

Highlights from the episode:  

• Defining virtual care, digital health and digital medicine in today’s ecosystem 
• As digital health becomes more accessible, will consumers get on board? 
• Advice for biopharma companies that want to move into digital health  

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Transforming Biopharma by ZS, a podcast that covers a variety of perspectives on the topics shaping health and their implications, featuring industry leaders who are pushing the boundaries and redesigning the future so together we can advance global health. Your host, Maria Whitman, is joined today by Dr. Shantanu Nundy, MD, MBA, to talk about the future of healthcare. Dr. Nundy is a primary care physician, technologist, and business leader. He serves as chief medical officer for Accolade, which delivers personalized navigation and population health services to companies that cover more than 1.7 million working Americans. In addition, he practices primary care in the greater Washington, D.C., area.