She Leads Biotech

What happens when a heart surgeon gets fed up with “good enough”? In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I sit down with Dr. Meghana Helder-Surgeon , practicing cardiac surgeon and Founder & CEO of Octin Health . She shares how one sleepless night in the OR — and one patient outcome she couldn’t let go of — led her to build a medtech company from her basement, starting with a garden hose, a dr...

This week on She Leads Biotech , I’m joined by Stacy Lindborg , CEO and Board Director at IMUNON , whose career journey, from stats and data to the biotech C-suite, is a powerful example of purpose-driven leadership. In this episode, Stacy shares how her training in statistics shaped her approach to decision-making, the personal values that guided her transition to CEO, and how IMUNON is advancing...

Mentorship, Mid-Career Pivots & Women in STEM — with Brittany J. Bell Description: When Brittany J. Bell realized med school wasn’t her path, she didn’t give up on science—she found a new one. In this episode of She Leads Biotech , Brittany joins host Sharron Cox to share how she turned her love of laboratory science into a purpose-driven career in commercial pharma. From lab bench to boardroo...

Welcome to Season 4 of She Leads Biotech and we’re starting strong. This week, host Sharron Cox is joined by Melissa and Amy Arthur , sisters and co-founders of the Arthur Leadership Group , who bring decades of experience coaching women in biotech, medtech, diagnostics, and STEM. Their work focuses on helping women navigate burnout, build resilience, and lead with authenticity — not exhaustion. I...

Terri Gaskell | CTO, Rinri Therapeutics Restoring Hearing. Redefining Possibility. In this episode, I speak with Terri Gaskell , Chief Technology Officer at Rinri Therapeutics , about the revolutionary work her team is doing to treat sensorineural hearing loss through stem cell therapy. Terri shares her remarkable journey from academia to biotech, the real-world hurdles of early-stage leadership,...

Showing Up Fully: Katrina Rice on Leadership, Identity & Inclusive Trials This week, I sit down with Katrina Rice , Chief Delivery Officer of Biometrics Services at eClinical Solutions , for a raw and empowering conversation about identity, leadership, and impact. Katrina shares her journey from a first-gen college student in Alabama to a self-made C-level executive — and the courage it took t...

From Molecules to Machine Learning: CTO Chaemin Lim on Drug Design & Leadership. What does drug discovery look like in the age of AI? In this episode of She Leads Biotech , Sharron Cox sits down with Chaemin Lim , Chief Technology Officer of Coiled Therapeutics , for a wide-ranging discussion that spans synthetic chemistry, startup life, and the future of AI in oncology. With over 15 years in...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I sit down with Carolyn Yeago , Director of the MS in Biomedical Innovation & Development – Advanced Therapeutics at Emory University. Carolyn’s career has taken her from being the first female co-op engineer at a med-tech company to shaping how the next generation of biotech leaders are trained — with a strong foundation in clinical, regulatory, and comm...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I’m joined by Deanna Angello , a seasoned commercial leader whose career spans some of the biggest names in healthcare: Pfizer, Kite Pharma, J&J, and Genentech. But this isn’t just a highlight reel of commercial success. It’s a conversation about what happens when life interrupts the script — and how that moment can bring clarity, courage, and an entirely...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , Sharron Cox sits down with Theresa Tribble , a dynamic entrepreneur and life sciences leader whose career has taken her from health policy and MBA halls to some of the most innovative companies in biotech. Theresa has led strategy and growth at Everlywell, BigHat Biosciences, and Droplet Biosciences, and now she’s preparing to summit Mount Kilimanjaro as part...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , Sharron Cox sits down with Katja Betts , CEO of PROGEN , one of Germany’s first biotech companies — now 40 years strong and still evolving. Katja’s leadership journey is anything but typical. From marketing to the boardroom, she now leads a 45-person team that partners globally with biotech giants like Thermo Fisher and Bio-Techne. But at the heart of it all?...

Jennifer Chain | The Leukopak Lady – Why Starting Materials Matter More Than You Think In this episode of She Leads Biotech , host Sharron Cox sits down with Jennifer Chain , immunologist, consultant, and founder of CSM Consulting , to explore a topic most people in biotech overlook, the strategic importance of starting materials in cell and gene therapy. Known on LinkedIn as The Leukopak Lady , J...

Susan Nichols has spent her career bridging the gap between innovation and impact. Now, as CEO of Propel Biosciences, she’s helping startups in the cell and gene therapy space build commercial strategies that work, for patients, investors, and everyone in between. In this episode of #SheLeadsBiotech, Susan shares how her personal connection to rare disease shaped her path, what she learned transit...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , Sharron Cox sits down with Angela Vollstedt , Director of Global Cell & Gene Therapies Portfolio at Novartis , for a conversation that blends operational grit with visionary thinking. Angela’s career spans two decades in pharma — from legacy manufacturing to advanced therapies — and she’s now at the forefront of shaping how personalized medicine can becom...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I sit down with Jeanne Hecht , CEO & Chairwoman of Lexitas Pharma Services , whose career spans global operations, clinical development, and private equity-backed growth — but whose leadership style is anything but cold and corporate. Jeanne gets real about the lessons she learned the hard way: the dangers of micromanagement, the beauty of asking for help...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , Sharron Cox sits down with Mini Manchanda , Senior Director of Precision Medicine at Kura Oncology , to explore a career built on curiosity, compassion, and bold pivots. From her early research days in India to global biotech roles at Thermo Fisher, AstraZeneca, and now Kura, Mini shares how she’s helped shape the future of healthcare — one personalized solut...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I sit down with Rhonda Wallen , Founder & CEO of IleraBio , and a biotech leader whose career spans science, venture capital, entrepreneurship, and health equity. Rhonda has built and advised companies from every angle, lab bench, boardroom, and investor pitch, and now she’s applying that experience to transform how we treat serious diseases through drug...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I’m joined by Kristen Mittal , Co-founder & CEO of Mittal Consulting , a firm that’s quietly become one of the go-to regulatory partners for early-stage medtech startups across the U.S. Kristen’s background as a biomedical engineer, combined with her deep understanding of regulatory and commercialization strategy, gives her a unique lens into what founder...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , CEO Sharron Cox speaks with Paula Soteropoulos , a biotech leader whose career spans Genzyme, Moderna, and founding and leading Akcea Therapeutics from inception to IPO. With deep experience in rare diseases, drug development, commercialization, and board leadership, Paula reflects on how she built a career defined by curiosity, impact, and authentic leadersh...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , host Sharron Cox , CEO of CNA International USA, speaks with Barbara Commisso , Business Development Manager at Evidenze, about building a biotech career from the ground up and why non-linear paths often lead to the most rewarding roles. Barbara’s journey began with academic research in Germany and evolved through unexpected pivots, including a role as a stud...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I’m joined by Ami Mehr , COO & Digital Health Leader, who brings decades of experience in biotech, clinical trials, and digital health , and one of the most powerful personal stories I’ve heard. Ami has led global teams, built startups, launched digital platforms, and advised major pharma, but she’s also a three-time cancer survivor. Her perspective on le...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I’m joined by Kristien Van Vlasselaer, VP of Operations at Gordian Biotechnology, a neuroscientist turned biotech exec, and someone who brings heart, systems thinking, and radical honesty to the leadership table. Kristien shares how her journey through academia, consulting, and startups was shaped by personal challenges, neurodiversity, and a refusal to settl...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I sit down with Georgie Kovacs — founder of Fempower Health and a powerhouse in the women’s health space to talk about fertility, diagnostics, and why solving for passion isn’t enough. Georgie spent years in commercial leadership roles at top biopharma companies before launching a women’s health startup inspired by her own struggle with unexplained infertilit...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I’m joined by Denise Dajles, President & CEO at Cytrellis Biosystems, Inc. who has built her career at the dynamic intersection of engineering, medical devices, and executive leadership. Denise’s story starts with curiosity in Costa Rica and takes us through academia, entrepreneurship, and boardrooms across the US. She shares how being “naively fearless”...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I sit down with Maria Haugen, founder of Foxx Health a new app designed to help women take control of their health journey and walk into appointments prepared, confident, and heard. Maria’s story began when she experienced terrifying heart symptoms and felt dismissed and misdiagnosed for months. Out of that frustration, she decided to build what she wished sh...