As an attending physician, principal investigator and academic publisher, Dr. Ashita Batavia has a deep appreciation for the importance of data in clinical development. In her role as Head of Hematology and Oncology Data Sciences, R&D, at Johnson & Johnson, she’s helping shape the future of clinical trials. In this podcast episode, Dr. Batavia shares her ideas for improving clinical trials and delivering better therapies to patients. She is particularly interested in pragmatic trial desi...
Jul 15, 2025•24 min•Ep. 82
Stacy Hurt has found her dream job as Chief Patient Officer at Parexel. On this episode of The Health Pulse , Hurt shares how her 25-year career in health care, along with personal experiences as a caregiver and Stage 4 cancer survivor, fuel her passion for patient advocacy. From AI’s clinical applications to patient data ownership, Hurt sees all innovations through the lens of patient empowerment – offering time, information, resources and hope. Tune in for her insights and inspirations for org...
Jun 24, 2025•26 min•Ep. 81
The work of delivering innovative therapies to patients must be done well and quickly. This became the leadership mantra for Nevine Zariffa, former Head of Biometrics and Information Sciences at AstraZeneca, following her personal battle with cancer. Diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) at 33, Zariffa's cancer has been in remission for 25 years thanks to an investigational drug she received through a compassionate use clinical trial. In this episode, Zariffa joins Alex to discuss the ev...
Jun 03, 2025•22 min•Ep. 80
What is a learning health care system, and how close are we to achieving it? According to Dr. Marc Berger, we have a long way to go, but there’s plenty of cause for optimism. Berger is a physician, scientist and researcher who spent much of his career in clinical and outcomes research in the pharmaceutical industry. Now semiretired and consulting, Berger recently joined host Alex Maiersperger on the podcast. He explained that a true learning health care system removes the barriers between resear...
May 13, 2025•35 min•Ep. 79
Lita Sands, Managing Director of Life Sciences at Deloitte, is passionate about how people and technology come together to create a healthier future. In this episode, Sands explains to Host Alex Maiersperger why life sciences organizations must strengthen their relationships with health care and ensure data and analytics form the backbone of their companies. According to Sands, technology is easy, while change management and the partnership between business and IT represent critical challenges. ...
Oct 29, 2024•26 min•Ep. 78
Dr. James Hildreth, MD, PhD, President and CEO of Meharry Medical College, is a passionate leader speaking about health equity, the power of AI in medicine and how aspiring physicians can be supported throughout their studies. In this episode, Hildreth speaks about the influence of social determinants of health-on-health equity and offers advice on reducing inequities. Host Alex Maiersperger and Hildreth discuss impactful AI use cases in health care, such as the documentation of notes from patie...
Oct 01, 2024•29 min•Ep. 77
Dr. Onyi Daniel, Sinai Health System Board Member and former Vice President for Data and Analytics Strategy at Highmark Health, is a passionate health tech leader who speaks about change management, AI use cases, health equity and the importance of responsible AI. In this episode, Daniel shares her leadership experience and explains why it is incremental that health care leadership can articulate the vision for technological change and define the associated value. Host Alex Maiersperger and Dani...
Sep 10, 2024•29 min•Ep. 76
Artificial intelligence holds tremendous potential for advancing clinical research. On this episode of The Health Pulse podcast, host Alex Maiersperger connects with Dr. Greg Goldmacher, Associate Vice President for Clinical Research and Head of Clinical Imaging and Pathology at Merck. Goldmacher identifies AI’s ability to automate advanced image measurements and improve insight into disease biology to support clinical development. From a clinical radiology perspective, AI has the potential to i...
Aug 20, 2024•27 min•Ep. 75
In a world where your zip code can have as great an impact on your health as your genetic code, how can we create a healthier future for everyone? On this episode of The Health Pulse, we hear from Dr. Joyonna Gamble-George, a neuroscientist at the Yale School of Public Health, and Dr. Karriem Watson, Chief Engagement Officer of the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program, about how the All of Us program deepens our understanding of social determinants of health and addresses h...
Aug 06, 2024•24 min•Ep. 74
Dr. Otis Brawley, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of oncology and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, is passionate about cancer research, prevention and high-quality cancer care. He served as Chief Medical and Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of the American Cancer Society from 2007 to 2018 and has published over 200 scientific articles. In this episode, Dr. Brawley speaks about the impact of socioeconomic factors on cancer rates. Smoking, obesity and poverty are leading ...
Jul 16, 2024•33 min•Ep. 73
Dr. Maya Said, Founder and CEO of Outcomes4Me, aims to empower cancer patients worldwide to be proactive about their care with information and technology. On this episode of The Health Pulse podcast, Said shares how a personal health scare illuminated for her how overwhelmed cancer patients feel when they face understanding their diagnosis and treatment options, finding the best providers and clinical trials, managing treatments and costs, and navigating their lives and relationships during trea...
Jun 25, 2024•22 min•Ep. 72
Dr. Michael von Wagner, Chief Medical Informatics Officer at University Hospital Frankfurt and a pioneer in interoperability, speaks about the importance of a seamless data exchange for personalized patient treatments and efficient health care systems. On this episode, Dr. von Wagner joins Alex Maiersperger to discuss health data standardization, new regulations, and two pioneering data and AI projects at University Hospital Frankfurt. A team of experts came together at the hospital to integrate...
Jun 11, 2024•23 min•Ep. 71
GenAI is rapidly making the once impossible possible. On this episode of The Health Pulse, SAS’ AI Product Strategy Advisor Marinela Profi chats with Host Alex Maiersperger about just how fast the needle is moving and what we can and cannot likely expect large language models (LLMs) to solve anytime soon. Some of the GenAI use cases Profi is most excited about are in the health care space, helping providers accelerate tasks and glean valuable information for diagnostic and care decisions. She sh...
May 21, 2024•33 min•Ep. 70
There is no shortage of interest around large language models (LLMs) in the health care and life sciences space. Are organizations able to successfully operationalize LLMs in a cost-efficient, regulatory-compliant and ethical manner? On this episode of The Health Pulse podcast, SAS Global Medical Director Dr. Steve Kearney and host Alex Maiersperger discuss key considerations around the application of LLMs. Explore how organizations are improving data interoperability and converging across healt...
Apr 30, 2024•17 min•Ep. 69
Health equity is a hot topic in health care, and Dr. Pooja Mittal speaks about key success components, including the importance of trust, technology and strong relationships with communities. Bringing health stakeholders and community members together is crucial to building trust and providing culturally relevant care that drives better health outcomes. From a young age, Dr. Mittal realized that health care is not equitable, and challenging environmental conditions cause higher disease rates. Wi...
Oct 03, 2023•19 min•Ep. 68
There’s no such thing as a free lunch, but there are many benefits to a balanced diet. That’s SAS’ philosophy around embracing and extending open source as explained by life sciences leaders Mark Lambrecht and Matt Becker on this episode of the Health Pulse Podcast. To keep up with the staggering pace of change, life sciences organizations need cutting-edge analytics and the flexibility to use different programming languages. Tune in for a candid conversation about the pros and cons of open sour...
Sep 19, 2023•20 min•Ep. 67
Bryan Vaughn is passionate about bending the cost curve in health care. As Senior Vice President, Hospitals and Health Systems at Labcorp, he focuses on the role of diagnostics in delivering better, more affordable care. On this episode, Vaughn notes that impactful partnerships across the health care ecosystem can help drive the cost of critical diagnostics down, creating a win for all stakeholders. When it comes to analytics, he is excited to see Labcorp’s wealth of health data empowering and i...
Sep 05, 2023•22 min•Ep. 66
Krishna Tangirala is an expert at uncovering insights about pharmaceutical products in the real world. He is Head of Data Analytics and Director of Field Outcomes Research at Organon Pharmaceuticals. In the first part of this episode, Tangirala talks to Alex about how stakeholders use health economics and outcomes research throughout the pharmaceutical life cycle to better understand the value, potential and safety of drug products. He also discusses new and emerging applications for real-world ...
Aug 29, 2023•25 min•Ep. 65
Dr. Iulia Vann, Public Health Director in Guildford County, NC, is passionate about public health and data-driven decision making. On this episode of the Health Pulse Podcast, Dr. Vann discusses the importance of prevention, the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, lessons learned about closing gaps in data and analytics and resiliency. Dr. Vann explains that effective public health strategies include strong relationships with local partners, communication and planning for health equ...
Aug 08, 2023•30 min•Ep. 64
SAS’ Andy Bayliss works with life sciences manufacturers, applying AI and machine learning to improve their processes at scale. On this episode of the Health Pulse Podcast, he tells Alex that pharmaceutical manufacturers are experts at reliably delivering high-quality products. They must be because it’s a highly regulated industry with a patient at the end of every product. The opportunity to utilize technology energizes Bayliss. Technology like sensors and computer vision allows continuous moni...
Jul 25, 2023•13 min•Ep. 63
Dr. Michel van Genderen, physician, AI leader and founder of the Datahub at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands, shares his passion for ethical AI in hospitals. Could AI be a game-changer for the health care industry? Dr. van Genderen thinks so, and explains the two biggest global health care challenges are the shortage of personnel and an increasing health care demand. He believes trustworthy AI could alleviate these pressures and solve clinical challenges faster. For example, Erasmus Med...
Jul 11, 2023•11 min•Ep. 62
Steven Lehmann is passionate about the impact of data science in business. He is Head of Data Science and Analytics Strategy for Johnson & Johnson in EMEA. He also wrote the book Digital Jackpot on what it really takes to make data driven decisions that matter in business. Hint, the answer often isn’t more data. On this episode of the Health Pulse Podcast, he talks with Alex about the importance of telling the right story with data so that people will listen. He introduces the concept of dat...
Jun 20, 2023•27 min•Ep. 61
Dr. Meg Schaeffer, an Epidemiologist and Public Health Advisor at SAS and an elite athlete and champion for health equity, is a perfect example of what passion for public health looks like. In this episode, Dr. Schaeffer speaks about the evolution of the bird flu and explains that North America, Europe, Asia and some African countries are in the midst of the largest bird flu outbreak, with millions of birds culled. Monitoring outbreaks is crucial to predict the future of health care and to preve...
May 30, 2023•22 min•Ep. 60
Dr. Richardus Vonk, VP, Head of Oncology Statistics and Data Management at Bayer, wants to see cancer become a manageable disease in his lifetime. With as many as one in two people getting cancer at some point in their lives, the goal to better treat and eventually prevent and cure cancer is incredibly impactful. On this episode of the Health Pulse Podcast, Vonk sits down with host Alex Maiersperger to discuss the role of data, analytics, AI and automation in advancing cancer research and drug d...
May 02, 2023•19 min•Ep. 59
More than a decade ago, Bruno Boulanger made a big bet on applying Bayesian statistics in clinical trials. At the time, very few in the industry thought the method, which applies probabilities to statistical problems, had a place in clinical development. Boulanger saw an opportunity, founding a company that quickly grew and was acquired by CRO PharmaLex in 2018, where he now serves as global head of statistics and data science. In this episode, Boulanger explains how Bayesian statistics uses pro...
Nov 15, 2022•14 min•Ep. 58
What makes value-based care work? Bryony Winn shares her views on key enablers, implementation challenges and how they can be overcome. Winn is President of Health Solutions at Elevance Health. Being born and raised in Africa, educated in the UK, having worked in Europe as a consultant and moved to the United Stated, Bryony Winn has a truly international career path and a wealth of knowledge of different health care systems. On this episode, host Alex Maiersperger and Winn talk about the role te...
Nov 01, 2022•22 min•Ep. 57
Are placebo-free clinical trials the next normal? Nino da Silva thinks so. In this episode, he shares his views on trends in drug development and clinical research, including the integration of genetic data into drug development with synthetic control arms and the importance of data protection. Da Silva is an international leader in medical informatics, health care and business strategy. He is currently Deputy Managing Director at BC Platforms, a Singapore-based global data science solutions lea...
Oct 18, 2022•22 min•Ep. 56
Levana Sani is co-founder and CEO of NalaGenetics, a company bringing individual genetic information to patients and health care settings in Southeast Asia. On this episode, Sani talks with SAS’ Antonio De Castro about the importance of ethnic diversity in genetic research. She explains that polygenetic risk scores, which calculate a single score for many variants in the human genome, are greatly improved when genetic samples from multiple ethnic groups are included. Sani and De Castro also disc...
Oct 04, 2022•21 min•Ep. 55
Could the bird flu cause the next pandemic? Dr. Robert Redfield thinks so, and shares his views on the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic and lessons to prepare for new infectious diseases. Redfield is a virologist and former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Advisor to the Governor of Maryland and Senior Medical Advisor at PERSOWN. Dr. Redfield joins host Alex Maiersperger to speak about public health measures against the COVID-19 pandemic an...
Sep 20, 2022•38 min•Ep. 54
Tobias Kruse never dreamed of being an entrepreneur. He recognized a problem he knew he could solve and founded the clinical trial recruitment company Trials24, where he is now CEO. On this episode, Kruse shares his company’s inception story with Alex. As a young scientist working on a clinical trial, Kruse realized that dated, print-based patient recruitment tactics weren’t working. He had learned a thing or two about online marketing from one of his side hustles and decided to take a leap. He ...
Sep 06, 2022•18 min•Ep. 53
