Pharma Sessions

What happens when you put blockchain underneath AI in healthcare? According to Archita Samant, Head of Data Strategy & Analytics for Global Vaccines at Merck — you finally solve the interoperability problem that's been holding the industry back for decades. In this episode, Jonathan sits down with Archita to unpack the real-world challenges of fragmented health data, why agentic AI demand...

What separates a good pharma sales rep from a great one? According to Jennifer Muszik, it's the ability to understand the question behind the question — the real need behind what a customer is asking. In this episode, Jonathan Kaskey sits down with Jennifer Muszik, Head of Learning & Development at Alkermes and board member of LTEN, to unpack what it takes to build world-class training pr...

In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Frank Sorce, Chief Commercial Officer at UPM Pharmaceuticals, to share insights into the critical decisions involved in selecting contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs). Pharma Sessions provides general insights into the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry through conversations with its guests. The co...

In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Dr. Simon Chowdhury, a Consultant Medical Oncologist based at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, to talk about Open Medicine, a platform designed to take what’s inside the minds of the world’s leading oncologists and make it accessible to any clinician on a mobile phone. Pharma Sessions provides general insight...

In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Timothy Smith, Senior Director of AI Innovation and Head of the Data Sciences Communities at Takeda, to explore how AI is transforming drug discovery and development, why trust and governance are still major hurdles, and why the biggest bottleneck in pharma innovation might not be technology but people. Pharma Sessions provides...

In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey welcomes back Danie du Plessis, the first-ever guest on Pharma Sessions, for a wide-ranging conversation about what it takes to lead in medical affairs today. Pharma Sessions provides general insights into the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry through conversations with its guests. The content shared in this podcast is for informatio...

Here’s what keeps pharma leaders awake at night: 70% to 80% of ChatGPT usage is healthcare-related; however, most pharmaceutical organizations still treat AI as a future consideration rather than an immediate competitive necessity. In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Emily Lewis, Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Lead for Digital Care Transformation at UCB, t...

In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Sonia Talwar, Senior Director of Scientific Communications and Medical Information in Hematology/Oncology at Pharmacosmos Therapeutics, to discuss how medical affairs can evolve from a reactive support function into a true strategic connector. Pharma Sessions provides general insights into the pharmaceutical and life sciences in...

In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Eytan Abraham, the Chief Commercial and Technology Officer at Minaris Advanced Therapies, to dive into how pharma companies can choose the right CDMO partners, the future of cell and gene therapy manufacturing, and the hard-earned lessons behind building sustainable, high-performance organizations in one of the most complex area...

In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey sits down for a second time with Dr. David Shulkin, President of Shulkin Solutions, to challenge the pharmaceutical industry’s fundamental approach to drug pricing and argue that outcomes-based contracting is the path forward for sustainable profitability and patient access. Pharma Sessions provides general insights into the pharmaceutical a...

In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Dr. David Shulkin, President of Shulkin Solutions, to discuss what it actually takes to lead through a healthcare crisis at scale. Dr. Shulkin shares insights about the current state of U.S. public health, the intersection of policy and care delivery, the role of innovation and technology, and what must change to better serve pa...

In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Punit Kumar, the Executive Director of Customer Engagement for the US Enterprise Portfolio at Novartis, to dive into why execution excellence matters more than hype, how AI agents are freeing up your team from manual work to focus on high-impact insights, and the counterintuitive skill that matters most in pharma today: getting...

In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Farrell Simon, Chief Commercial Officer at Trevi Therapeutics, to discuss what commercial leadership looks like long before launch, sharing lessons from a career that spans Procter & Gamble, Pfizer, and biotech. Pharma Sessions provides general insights into the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry through conversations...

Drug launches in oncology don’t succeed simply because the technology works; they succeed when the evidence is strong enough to change physician behavior. In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Shaun Bagai, CEO of RenovoRx, to discuss the long and uncertain journey of building a medtech company grounded in clinical proof. From turning down medical school to leading a...

In this solo episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey breaks down what actually determines whether a new technology implementation in pharma succeeds or quietly dies in a steering committee meeting. After helping pharma companies implement nearly $200 million in new software platforms over the course of his career, Jonathan shares the patterns he’s seen again and again. Pharma Sessions is...

Drug launches don’t succeed at the finish line. They succeed or fail years earlier, when teams decide what evidence they’ll generate, how they’ll publish it, and which assumptions they’ll pressure-test before it’s too late. In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Ana Bozas, Director of Clinical Evidence Strategy and Scientific Communications at Vera Therapeutics, to d...

Drug launches don’t succeed at the finish line. They succeed or fail years earlier, when teams decide what evidence they’ll generate, how they’ll publish it, and which assumptions they’ll pressure-test before it’s too late. In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Ana Bozas, Director of Clinical Evidence Strategy and Scientific Communications at Vera Therapeutics, to d...

Generative AI is changing analytics in pharma, but not in the way most people fear. In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Adam Mico, Principal Data and Analytics Strategist at Moderna, to dive into what future-proofing really looks like when AI lowers the barrier to building dashboards, writing code, and generating insights. Pharma Sessions is hosted by Jonathan Kas...

In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Jeremy Zhang, Senior Director and Head of Data Science Solutions at Otsuka, to discuss why AI initiatives succeed or fail in pharma and why it has almost nothing to do with the technology itself. Pharma Sessions is hosted by Jonathan Kaskey Follow along on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonkaskey/ Or join the Pharma Sessi...

In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Sean Sheffler-Collins, Director of Scientific Communications and Content at Astellas Pharma, to discuss how Medical Affairs is evolving to meet HCPs' needs through omnichannel communication strategies, accessible and engaging scientific data, and technology-enabled solutions like digital microsites and AI analysis. Pharma S...

In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Trevor Landry, the Executive Director of CNS Sales at Otsuka, to unpack how commercial leaders can use data and AI without losing the on-the-ground realities that drive great selling and sustainable revenue growth. Pharma Sessions is hosted by Jonathan Kaskey Follow along on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonkaskey/ Or jo...

In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey sits down with Matthew Krzywosz, Director of Scientific Communications & Content at Astellas, to explore how Medical Affairs teams can create differentiated scientific narratives, use omnichannel strategy to amplify impact, and help brands stand out in highly competitive markets.\ Pharma Sessions is hosted by Jonathan Kaskey Follow along...

In this special episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey steps behind the mic solo to share the evolving vision for the podcast and the personal career shift that inspired it. What began as a show centered on medical affairs is now broadening to reflect the realities of modern pharma: commercial strategy, analytics, AI, organizational change, and the people navigating it all. Jonathan shar...

In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Martin McLaughlin, former Head of Launch and Business Excellence at Takeda, to share the frameworks and lessons that help pharma organizations align people, processes, performance, and technology for success. Pharma Sessions is hosted by Jonathan Kaskey Follow along on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonkaskey/ Or join the...

In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Jens Øllgaard, Head of Customer Experience at Novo Nordisk, to discuss how forward-thinking pharma leaders are dismantling silos between medical and commercial teams, leveraging AI-driven insights, and fundamentally reimagining how field teams create value in an era of declining physician access. Pharma Sessions is hosted by Jon...