SpreadLove In Organizations Naji Gehchan

This episode is in collaboration with MIT Sloan Healthcare and BioInnovations Conference, an event that brings the healthcare ecosystem together. On today’s episode, Naji hosted Dr. Collin Stultz, a distinguished professor at MIT and Harvard, and a practicing cardiologist. Collin shared his inspiring journey from his roots in Jamaica to his groundbreaking work in AI for healthcare. Collin emphasizes the potential of AI to enhance patient care by analyzing vast amounts of data, which can uncover crucial insights that healthcare providers might miss. He also highlights the development of digital twins for personalized medicine, allowing simulations of drug effects on patients. Additionally, they delve into the importance of addressing biases in medical data to ensure equitable healthcare for all. Collin's insights offer a glimpse into the future of medicine, where technology and data play pivotal roles in improving patient outcomes.




"Failure Makes You Better"





MEET OUR GUEST Collin Stultz Professor in Medical Engineering and Science, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Co-Director of the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology, member of the Research Laboratory of Electronics, and associate member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.




Collin Stultz is Professor in Medical Engineering and Science, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Co-Director of the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology, member of the Research Laboratory of Electronics, and associate member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Collin is also a practicing cardiologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).



Collin’s scientific contributions have spanned multiple fields including computational chemistry, biophysics, and machine learning for cardiovascular risk stratification. He is a member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology and he is a past recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award in the Biomedical Sciences.



Currently, research in his group is focused on the development of machine learning tools that can guide clinical decision making.

Samy Sidhom shared his journey from being a patient in Egypt to fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a physician. His personal experience with a medical condition inspired him to pursue medicine and cultivate empathy for others. Throughout his career, he has focused on leadership and adapting to challenges, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.



Reflecting on his leadership journey, Samy emphasized the importance of finding balance, not only in professional roles but also in personal life. He believes that being a leader means being someone others can depend on, both at work and at home. Samy's leadership philosophy revolves around servant leadership, where service comes before authority. He encourages aspiring healthcare professionals to identify their core values and develop leadership skills in various aspects of their lives.




"Lead with your heart, transparently and honestly"





MEET OUR GUEST Samy Sidhom Associate Chair of Specialties and Chief of Pulmonary Medicine at Atrius Health.




Samy is a physician leader and innovator, currently serving as the Associate Chair of Specialties and Chief of Pulmonary Medicine at Atrius Health, part of Optum, which is one of the largest primary care and specialty practices in Massachusetts.



Samy also holds academic appointments as a Lecturer in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. With a deep focus on innovative management of chronic conditions, population health, value-based care, telehealth, and healthcare ventures, Samy has been at the forefront of advancing medical practice and healthcare delivery.  He mentors aspiring entrepreneurs through participation in the MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund and has mentored at the MIT Hacking Medicine events.



Prior to his tenure at Atrius, he played a pivotal role in developing pulmonary outpatient practices and services, and served as Chief of Pulmonary Medicine at Holy Family Hospitals in Massachusetts where he also cofounded the Center for Advanced Thoracic and Pulmonary Care. He has also contributed to public health policy and is a former member of the Board of Respiratory Care for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

This episode is in partnership with Boston Biotechnology Summit, a bridge to collaboration and innovative synergies between healthcare stakeholders. In this episode, Mark Namchuk, a seasoned drug discovery expert, shares his journey in the pharmaceutical industry and discusses his thoughts on leadership, innovation, health equity, and the future of medicine. Mark emphasizes the importance of servant leadership in fostering creativity within drug discovery teams. He highlights the need for collaboration between academia and industry to streamline the drug discovery process, with a focus on early translational work. Mark also discusses the role of AI in drug discovery and the challenges and opportunities it presents. Finally, he stresses the importance of spreading love within organizations and the need for healthcare leaders to focus on their mission and principles to attract and retain talented individuals.




"Biology will teach you great humility"





MEET OUR GUEST Mark Namchuk Executive Director Therapeutics Translation at Harvard Medical School.




Mark Namchuk is the Puja and Samir Kaul Professor of the Practice of Biomedical Innovation and Translation at Harvard Medical School.  He Joined HMS is 2020 as the inaugural Executive Director of the school’s Therapeutics initiative and was appointed as the first Professor of the Practice at HMS in the Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology in 2021.  The therapeutics initiative was established to accelerate the progression of discoveries at HMS from breakthrough biological insight towards a medicine and includes a scientific core to support drug discovery efforts and an on-campus biotech incubator (the Blavatnik Harvard LifeLab Longwood).  The initiative also aims to train the inventors of tomorrow’s medicines and includes the therapeutics graduate program for PhD students and a masters in therapeutic sciences that will be launched in 2025.  He is also currently the lead academic PI for a $30 M collaboration between HMS and Abbvie focused on disease understanding and new therapies for COVID-19. 



Namchuk joined HMS after a 24-year research and development career in biotech.  In 2015, he joined Alkermes as senior vice president of research and nonclinical and pharmaceutical development. Previously, he held a number of research positions over a 17 year career at Vertex including senior vice president of Research.  Namchuk has directed drug discovery efforts in numerous therapeutic areas, including infectious disease, oncology, neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, inflammatory and autoimmune disease and orphan diseases, including cystic fibrosis. To date these programs have led to six approved drugs and an additional molecule in active Phase 3 clinical development.  Namchuk serves on the scientific advisory board of several biotechs and as well as academic drug discovery programs at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Davis. 



Namchuk obtained a B.Sc. with honors in chemistry from the University of Alberta, a PhD in bio-organic chemistry the University of British Columbia and was an HFSP post-doctoral fellow at UCSF. 

This episode is in partnership with Boston Biotechnology Summit, a bridge to collaboration and innovative synergies between healthcare stakeholders. In this conversation, we speak with Matthias Lambert, a scientist and patient advocate, who shares his remarkable journey from being a patient to becoming a scientist. Matthias was born with a rare neuromuscular disease. Despite being the only one in his family with this condition, he didn't know the genetic cause for 25 years. However, during his PhD, he discovered the gene responsible for his disease, TPM3.



Matthias now works at a lab in Boston, focusing on neuromuscular diseases. He emphasizes the importance of patient scientists in drug discovery, highlighting that their work directly impacts their lives and the lives of others with similar conditions. Matthias discusses the challenges of working on rare diseases, including funding and the scarcity of research talent in the field.



He explains the significance of innovation in gene therapy, particularly in finding effective delivery methods to target specific tissues. Matthias stresses the need for a more inclusive approach to research, with patients playing a crucial role in decision-making processes.



Lastly, Matthias urges healthcare leaders to listen to patients, emphasizing that patients often know more about their own diseases than anyone else. He encourages patients to speak up and pursue their ideas, serving as an inspiration and beacon of hope for others facing similar challenges.




"Our metric is to save lives"





MEET OUR GUEST Matthias Lambert Senior Scientist in the division of Genetics and Genomics at Boston Children's Hospital.




Matthias Lambert is a Senior Scientist in the division of Genetics and Genomics at Boston Children's Hospital, and Instructor in the department of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Matthias identifies as a patient-scientist, navigating life with a rare congenital myopathy. His research focuses on studying the mechanisms that contribute to the pathogenesis of rare muscle diseases including his own genetic condition. He is actively engaged in pioneering efforts to advance cutting-edge therapies for these conditions. His work is supported by prestigious grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), and the AFM-Telethon. In 2024, Matthias plans to establish his own independent research group.

This episode is in collaboration with MIT Sloan Healthcare and BioInnovations Conference, an event that brings the healthcare ecosystem together. On today's episode, we had the privilege of speaking with Britt Wahlin, a passionate advocate for gender equity and reproductive justice. Britt shared her insights on the progress we've made in these areas, highlighting the development of more inclusive frameworks for discussing these crucial issues. She emphasized the importance of reproductive justice, a framework created by Black women that goes beyond just abortion rights to encompass broader issues like the right to have children, not to have children, and to raise children in safe communities. While acknowledging the progress made, Britt also discussed the setbacks we're facing in reproductive health and rights due to policies and politicians threatening bodily autonomy.



We delved into Britt's work with Free the Pill, a coalition-driven campaign advocating for over-the-counter access to birth control. She explained how, after two decades of advocacy, the FDA approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill last year. However, Britt emphasized that the work is far from over, as they now focus on ensuring the product is accessible and affordable to all who need it.



Britt also shared her leadership philosophy, emphasizing the importance of leading with values, collaboration, and principled partnerships. She discussed her approach to effective leadership, which prioritizes collaboration and empowerment. Finally, she offered valuable advice to healthcare leaders, encouraging them to prioritize innovation, listen to communities, and work towards expanding access to care. Britt's insights offer valuable lessons for anyone passionate about social impact and healthcare equity.




"Leading with values, collaboration, and principled partnerships is key to making impactful and sustainable change"





MEET OUR GUEST Britt Wahlin Vice President for Development and Public Affairs at Ibis Reproductive Health.




Britt Wahlin is the Vice President for Development and Public Affairs at Ibis Reproductive Health, a global nonprofit research organization working to advance sexual and reproductive autonomy, choices, and health. She leads fund development, communications, and policy and advocacy initiatives and serves on the senior management team.



Britt is proud to be part of the leadership of Free the Pill, a coalition-driven campaign operated by Ibis that aims to move birth control pills over the counter in the United States and ensure they are affordable, covered by insurance, and available to people of all ages without a prescription. Before Ibis, Britt created public engagement campaigns for social justice-themed films and worked in women’s and girls’ philanthropy.



Britt obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Modern Thought and Literature and Master of Arts in Humanities from Stanford University. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with her husband and two daughters.

This episode is in collaboration with MIT Sloan Healthcare and BioInnovations Conference, an event that brings the healthcare ecosystem together. In this episode, I sat with Michael McKeown Head of Research at Bullseye Biosciences. We discussed his journey from academia to entrepreneurship and his leadership experience in biotech. Michael highlights the importance of mentorship, learning from others, and the need for humility in leadership. He emphasizes the significance of reducing mistakes in scientific endeavors and adapting to new technologies and methodologies. We also discuss the future of clinical trials, focusing on the importance of biomarkers, decentralization, and innovation. Michael advocates for leveraging biomarkers to match the right patients with the right drugs, as well as embracing decentralized trials to increase diversity and accessibility.




"Science is hard. We've got to reduce our incidents of mistakes that we could have prevented."





MEET OUR GUEST Michael McKeown Head of Research at Bullseye Biosciences.




Michael McKeown is CSO/head of research for a stealth start-up at the Pagliuca Harvard Life Labs. Michael started out in California getting his BS in Chemistry at UCSD and working in the Nobel Prize winning Tsien lab on fluorescent proteins. He then moved to Boston, earning a PhD in Chemical Biology from Harvard while working on novel cancer therapeutics at the DFCI. During this time, Michael contributed to several start-ups spun out the the lab, ultimately joining Syros Pharmaceuticals.



As part of this work, he developed novel patient biomarker and pharmacodynamic markers to enable selection of the right patients and kinetic monitoring of response. With 10 years of industry drug discovery and development experience in the Boston area, Michael has contributed and led multiple successful programs.



Most recently, he led pharmacology at Kronos Bio supporting combinations, biomarkers, and PD assays for the clinical programs as well as leading biology for their most advanced pre-clinical program generating an asset currently in IND enabling studies.