She Leads Biotech

Reimagining Rare Disease Drug Development with Nerissa Kreher In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I’m joined by Nerissa Kreher, Chief Medical Officer of Alltrna, for a conversation about rare disease innovation, precision medicine, and the future of drug development. With more than 20 years of experience in rare diseases, Nerissa shares her journey from pediatric endocrinologist to biotech exec...

Leading with Purpose in Rare Disease with Sarah DiSalvatore In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I’m joined by Sarah DiSalvatore, Fractional SVP of Clinical Operations & Biotech Executive, for a conversation about leadership, rare disease, and the realities of bringing innovative therapies to patients. Sarah shares her journey from bench research to executive leadership, why quality and comp...

Beyond Burnout: Rethinking Leadership and Identity with Melody Keel In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I’m joined by Melody Keel, CEO of The Research Associate Group, for a candid conversation about clinical operations, leadership, burnout, and building a life beyond your job title. With more than 20 years of experience in clinical operations, Melody shares what she’s learned about leading tea...

Building Your Own Table with Jennifer Daily In this episode of She Leads Biotech, I’m joined by Jennifer Daily, neuroscientist, biotech executive, and founder, for a conversation about leadership, drug development, and the journey from employee to entrepreneur. Jennifer shares how working across clinical development, regulatory affairs, manufacturing, and preclinical research gave her a unique per...

Rethinking IVF with Ivana Muncie-Vasic In this episode of She Leads Biotech, we’re joined by Ivana Muncie-Vasic, CEO & Founder of Vitra Labs, for a conversation about fertility innovation, bioengineering, and building a biotech company from the ground up. Ivana shares how her work in stem cell biology led to the development of hormone-free IVF technology designed to reduce the physical and fin...

Changing the Conversation Around Women’s Health with Saundra Pelletier & Mitch Rosen In this episode of She Leads Biotech, we’re joined by Saundra Pelletier and Mitch Rosen from Evofem Biosciences for a candid conversation about women’s health, education, intimacy, and the importance of normalizing these discussions. We explore why women deserve more options, why men need to be part of the con...

Trusting Your Judgement in Biotech with Anna Polak-Andersen In this episode of She Leads Biotech, we’re joined by Anna Polak-Andersen, CEO of AnRes Clinical, for a thoughtful conversation about clinical development, leadership, and navigating the biotech industry across Europe. Anna shares her journey from studying pharmacy in Poland to leading a clinical development consultancy supporting biotech...

Building a biotech company takes more than science. In this episode of She Leads Biotech , Dr. Stella Vnook, CEO of Aviva Ventures, shares her journey from arriving in the US with nothing to leading multiple biotech ventures and supporting the next generation of founders. We explore the realities of building in biotech, from self-doubt and uncertainty to navigating the business side of science, an...

Solving More Than Science with Adrienne Mendoza Cell and gene therapy is advancing rapidly, but science alone isn’t enough. In this episode of She Leads Biotech , Adrienne Mendoza, Chief Operating Officer of BBG Advanced Therapies, shares what’s really needed to move the field forward, from improving access and infrastructure to rethinking how these therapies reach patients. We also explore her jo...

Rethinking Eye Care: From NanoDropper to Mu Medical What started as a student project has turned into a company reshaping how eye care is delivered. In this episode of She Leads Biotech , we’re joined by Allisa Song, CEO of Mu Medical, and Mackenzie Andrews, CCO, to talk about the journey from an idea sparked in a research lab to a product now used across thousands of clinics. They share how a sim...

Finding Your Path in Biotech with Connie Chang Careers in biotech rarely follow a straight line. In this episode of She Leads Biotech , we speak with Connie Chang, Chief Operating Officer of ONL Therapeutics, about a career that has spanned big pharma, academia, and emerging biotech, and how each step has shaped the way she leads today. Connie shares how early career decisions don’t always define...

Leading Women’s Health Innovation: From Clinical Practice to CEO with Mandy Pulliam In this episode of She Leads Biotech, I’m joined by Samantha (Mandy) Pulliam, CEO and Chief Medical Officer at Axena Health, for a conversation that highlights what it really takes to lead in women’s health. Mandy’s journey is a unique one. She started her career as a practicing physician before stepping into the b...

Rethinking Rare Disease: A New Model for Ultra-Rare Therapies with Beth White In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I’m joined by Elizabeth (Beth) White, COO and Co-Founder of Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator , for a conversation that really stayed with me. Beth has spent her career at the intersection of science, strategy, and commercialization, and today she’s focused on one of the biggest chall...

From Data to Discovery: Accelerating Drug Development with Samantha Dale Strasser In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I sit down with Samantha Dale Strasser, VP of Strategy at Cellular Intelligence , for a fascinating conversation at the intersection of biology, computation, and patient impact. Samantha’s journey spans biomedical engineering, applied mathematics, physics, and a PhD at MIT, but...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , Sharron Cox speaks with Joanna Ghayad, Founder & CEO of Joanna Ghayad Coaching , about leadership, influence, and the transition many scientists struggle to make as their careers grow. Joanna’s career has taken her from working as an oncology pharmacist supporting cancer patients at the bedside, to roles in biotech and big pharma, and ultimately to launch...

Megan McGill | Leadership, Credibility & Persistence in Biotech CEO, Brenig Therapeutics What does it really take to build credibility as a leader in biotech? In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I sit down with Megan McGill, CEO of Brenig Therapeutics , to talk about leadership, persistence, and the realities women still face when building careers in the life sciences industry. Megan shares...

What does it really take to move from academia to industry… and then into the C-suite? In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I sit down with Sailaja Battula, Chief Scientific Officer at Ankyra Therapeutics , whose journey is anything but conventional. Born and raised on a farm in South India, Sailaja became the first in her family to attend college. She completed her PhD while raising two young c...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech, I sit down with Mori Mohseni, Head of Biology at VidaVinci, for a powerful conversation about persistence, purpose, and what it really takes to lead in drug discovery. From her early fascination with biology to pivotal roles at AstraZeneca, Novartis, BMS, and now startup biotech, Mori’s career has been defined by one recurring theme: give her the hard problem....

Closing the Diagnostic Gap: Leadership, Equity, and Global Health with Devasena Gnanashanmugam In this episode of She Leads Biotech , I sit down with Devasena Gnanashanmugam, VP of Medical Affairs at Cepheid , for a deeply thoughtful conversation about diagnostics, equity, and what it really means to lead in global healthcare. Devasena’s journey spans medical training in India, pediatric infectiou...

In this episode of She Leads Biotech , host Sharron Cox speaks with Megan Forrest , Chief Operating Officer at Caring Cross , about a purpose-driven career shaped by science, family, and impact. Megan shares how she navigated: Becoming a mother while completing her degrees Career shifts between biotech and nonprofit Leading a viral vector program through BLA approval Taking a full year off — and c...

Kate Skrable didn’t plan on a career in biotech. But when med school doors didn’t open, she built a different path — one that’s led her to Pfizer, where she now serves as VP of Strategic Partnerships, leading global deals across multiple therapeutic areas. In this episode of She Leads Biotech , Kate joins Sharron for a candid, funny, and deeply insightful conversation about owning your story, lead...

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...