“A lot of the work is in asking ‘how do we distill this down into the simplest, most digestible narrative that feels obvious when you hear it back?’” Kim Kushner, Chief Business Officer, SSI Strategy. Episode 18 of the Emerging Biotech Leader welcomes a new voice to the show: Kate Goldstein, Senior Vice President of SSI. Fresh off the heels of Episode 17, Kate, Kim, and Ramin continue to unpack more value from Luminopia’s founding story and subsequent growth. If you haven’t had a chance to liste...
Jun 20, 2023•23 min•Ep. 18
“I won't say that we had this all planned out because when I started, it was just a crazy idea that we were excited about, but it ended up working out really well where we're trying to create a new class of medicine with digital therapeutics or with prescription digital therapeutics.” Scott Xiao, Co-Founder and CEO, Luminopia . What’s possible when you think about leveraging technology to drastically improve a condition that hasn’t seen innovation or adaptation to the standard of care in 30-40 y...
Jun 05, 2023•33 min•Ep. 17
“You may not have the resources as a CMO, especially with smaller biotech companies, but you have to be resourceful.” Ramin Farhood, Senior Vice President, SSI Strategy Every guest on the Emerging Biotech Leader builds on the insights from our previous contributors while also adding their own unique best practices, analogies and experience. In that spirit, for Episode 16, we’re grateful to have Hootan Khatami, Senior Vice President of Medical at SSI driving the conversation forward on CMOs, (Chi...
May 15, 2023•23 min•Ep. 16
“The expansions of your expertise and your external network are two key fundamental things that one should be focusing on as you think about developing your career towards a CMO pathway.” Dr. Christopher Morabito, Astria Therapeutics. Welcome to this week’s Emerging Biotech Leader recap. In our previous Episodes, we touched on the topic of careers and what to know about the role of Medical Affairs. In doing so, we uncovered two key trends relevant to career progression within that function: work...
May 01, 2023•45 min•Ep. 15
In Medical Affairs, timing is everything. If we had to summarize this next Episode of the Emerging Biotech Leader in one sentence, it would be “a deeper dive on both the impact and importance of Medical Affairs,” inspired by our interview with Rachel Couchenour in Episode 13 . But that single sentence alone wouldn’t convey the robust takeaways and mindset shift that this episode provides. Max Craig, Vice President at SSI Strategy, joins hosts Ramin and Kim for a detailed discussion, one where al...
Apr 17, 2023•30 min•Ep. 14
“I've found that it's usually not the ‘what’ or the ‘how’ that will get me where I need to go with a Senior leader. It's the why. They want to understand the why behind it.” Rachel Couchenour, VP, Global Medical Affairs, Travere Therapeutics. Working cross-functionally. Some would call it a skill. Others would say it’s a talent. For our guest on Episode 13 of the Emerging Biotech Leader, it’s her natural way of being. During her 20+ year career, Rachel Couchenour has held the titles of Assistant...
Apr 06, 2023•39 min•Ep. 13
“The good news and the bad news are the same news.” Rik Reppe, VP Digital, Acquis Consulting Group We are excited to announce a new service, Digital-Led Biotech Strategy, in partnership with Acquis Cortico-X. Through this service, our clients will get access to medical, business, and digital experts to maximize theraputic value through a digital-led approach to solving challenges for biotech companies. Our mission with each episode of the Emerging Biotech leader is to provide actionable insights...
Mar 28, 2023•31 min•Ep. 1
“The best leaders that I've seen are the ones that realize that it’s always “go, go, go,” and they need to move fast. But they still consciously take time to think, to pause a little bit and have a more of a multi-dimensional view of what's happening, as opposed to always being at a fast pace, moving forward and getting things done.” Ramin Farhood, Emerging Biotech Leader Host+Vice President Of Medical Affairs Practice, SSI Strategy We’re back again with Episode 12 of the Emerging Biotech Leader...
Feb 20, 2023•20 min•Ep. 12
“I don't know any other leader that's had that type of prior steps in their careers. It almost feels like you need pieces of all those things to actually be a leader, you know, soldier, lawyer, investment banker. I'm sure they all came in handy.” Doug Locke, SSI CEO. Some biotechs are created from research and academia. Others are born from firsthand, personal experience. Such is the case for Solid Biosciences Founder and former CEO Ilan Ganot. After the personal Duchenne diagnosis of his son, I...
Feb 06, 2023•46 min•Ep. 11
“Digital impacts our lives all the time in every way, including in medicine.” Jen Seda, M.D. The day of digital medicine is here. And while software and digital apps can be created rapidly, historically, the healthcare ecosystem has implemented change at a much slower pace. This contrasting combination, or tension as today’s episode describes it, presents two extremes: immense opportunity and innovation and areas of ambiguity for innovators, payors, and the medical community as a whole. For biot...
Jan 16, 2023•24 min•Ep. 10
As everyday consumers, we interact with AI (Artificial Intelligence) daily. Whether unlocking the home screen of our phones via facial recognition, using voice commands to send a text, or interacting with a chat tool when shopping online, AI adoption is continuous. But what is the role of AI in today’s healthcare? And how will AI impact medicine and the future of biotechnology? To help us examine what’s happening with AI in healthcare and what’s to come, our guest for Episode 9 of the Emerging B...
Jan 05, 2023•45 min•Ep. 9
Digital biomarkers have opened up a series of questions worth contemplating as both newer and more mature biotechs evaluate the following: Are we measuring things correctly? What's inefficient about our clinical development process? What should we be thinking about to innovate for the future? And how do we democratize access to clinical trials and improve the speed of the development processes overall? Madhav Gurijala, Senior Vice President, SSI Strategy, joins Kim Kushner and Ramin Farhood for ...
Dec 19, 2022•26 min•Ep. 8
Biomarkers themselves have been a part of medical research for decades. However, digital biomarkers have become increasingly important to the modern clinical development process. While the term “digital biomarker” is prevalent in discussions around investment, clinical trials, and measuring patient outcomes, a variety of questions surrounding digital biomarkers still exist within the industry. For example, how are digital biomarkers different from digital measurements? How soon should biotechs s...
Dec 05, 2022•42 min•Ep. 7
What does it take to launch a new class of medicine? When launching a new therapeutic, many unknowns exist, but some principles remain constant. By looking to past experiences and staying lean, emerging biotechs can derisk their organizations while hitting milestones by taking an agile team-building approach. Today’s guest is Adriana Valenciano, Senior Vice President at SSI Strategy. She is working closely with Oz from Empyrean to bring a new class of medicine to the neuro-psych market. Co-hosts...
Nov 14, 2022•29 min•Ep. 6
What if there were a way to genetically engineer fungi species and transform them into human therapeutics to help with neurological disorders? Today’s guest, Dr. Usman (Oz) Azam, just launched a biotech, Empyrean Neurosciences, that is genetically modifying fungi to create therapeutics. Biotech is hard enough as it is, but what does it take to pioneer an entirely new class of medicine as a biotech startup? Oz shares his experience and his strategies at Empyrean to navigate the intersection of ne...
Oct 31, 2022•44 min•Ep. 5
Securing funding as an early-stage biotech is no easy feat. There are a few key strategies that help differentiate a funding thesis. What separates burgeoning initiatives from those that fail? Join today’s guest, co-founder, and CEO of SSI Strategy, Doug Locke, whose experience in entrepreneurship, investing, and advising biotechs and startup companies shares key differentiators. The Medical Office While building the investor thesis, the Medical Office should be at the forefront of organizations...
Oct 17, 2022•22 min•Ep. 4
When most people think about the path to becoming a CEO, they conjure up a straight climb up the corporate ladder, rung by rung. But that’s not the only way. In fact, a few detours along the way can provide you with valuable tools that broaden your perspective and launch you into executive roles at a young age. This was the case for Niren Shah, CEO of Cove Therapeutics. A biotech company focused on developing gene therapies for the eye and muscles with established proof-of-concept in other tissu...
Oct 03, 2022•38 min•Ep. 3
At biotech companies, things often evolve at light speed, and the natural tendency of a Chief Medical Officer (CMO) can be to try and manage every detail. But it’s a superhuman task, especially when powerful egos are in play. This episode of The Emerging Biotech Leader features: Dr. Ramin Farhood, Vice President of Medical Affairs, SSI Strategy Kim Kushner, Senior VP, SSI Strategy Dr. Benit Maru, Senior Vice President, Medical, SSI Strategy The team recaps Episode 1’s conversation with Dr. Suku ...
Sep 19, 2022•20 min•Ep. 2
Being Chief Medical Officer at an emerging biotech company can feel like draining the ocean with a dixie cup. No CMO can fulfill the duties of the medical office alone. Building a solid team is critical. In this episode, SSI Strategy’s hosts Dr. Ramin Farhood, Vice President of Medical Affairs, and Kim Kushner, Senior VP, spoke with Dr. Suku Nagendran, President of R&D and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at Jaguar Gene Therapy. They discuss the challenges and rewards of being a CMO. Dr. Negendra...
Sep 06, 2022•32 min•Ep. 1
Biotech—it's complicated. A successful product launch requires grit, determination, and clear direction. But let’s be real, the path to launch isn’t a straight one. There are curves, hard turns, and dead ends. Here’s the good news, you don’t have to navigate the complexities alone. Welcome to The Emerging Biotech Leader, where we help biotech leaders maximize the value of their therapeutics from clinical development to product launch. We’re your hosts, Kim Kushner and Ramin Farhood. And we're he...
Aug 15, 2022•1 min•Ep. 1
