This episode is in partnership with Boston Biotechnology Summit, a bridge to collaboration and innovative synergies between healthcare stakeholders. I had the pleasure to sit with Vanessa Elharrar, VP of Vaccines at PPD to discuss "partnering with international sponsors to launch clinical trials in the US and globally", the topic of her masterclass at the summit. You'll hear Vanessa's story and insights from her extensive experience in clinical research within NIH and leading a CRO. Listen to her take on diversity, AI, and COVID vaccine research, as well as several other leadership lessons.

"Spread love, knowledge, and goodwill"

MEET OUR GUEST Vanessa Elharrar Vice President, Vaccines Business Strategy Lead, at PPD.

Vanessa Elharrar, MD, MPH is Vice President Vaccines Business Strategy Lead, Clinical Research, at PPD, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific. Vanessa has more than 17 years in infectious disease clinical research and NIH leadership. Vanessa joined PPD in 2016 with more than eleven years of experience at the National Institutes of Health where she served as a medical officer, deputy branch Chief and Director of HIV therapeutics research at the Office of AIDS Research. 

Vanessa holds a Bachelor of Science in Physiology from McGill University, a medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine, and completed her residency in Preventive Medicine along with a Master’s in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.

This episode is in partnership with Boston Biotechnology Summit, a bridge to collaboration and innovative synergies between healthcare stakeholders. I had the pleasure to sit with Yvette Cleland, CEO of Cpl Life Sciences to learn about her personal story before digging into her expertise in recruitment. Yvette shared what she considers as key capabilities for talents in biotech and healthcare, and we discussed “Talent Management in the Era of Artificial Intelligence”, the topic of her workshop at the summit. Bringing humanity into the recruitment process is one of her focus areas. Hear Yvette's story and words of wisdom for us leaders in healthcare.

"What sits in the heart of our business is kindness"

MEET OUR GUEST Yvette Cleland CEO at Cpl Life Sciences.

Yvette Cleland is the Chief Executive Officer of Cpl Life Sciences, a global talent firm. In 2019 and 2021 Yvette was nominated by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) as one of the top 50 most powerful women in staffing globally.

After eight years working in the pharmaceutical sector, she moved to professional staffing and combines knowledge of both life sciences & staffing in her work at CPL. In 2012 she joined Clinical Professionals to scale the business for acquisition, drive growth and expand the brand portfolio and global footprint expanding into the US in 2017. Under her leadership, the business was successfully acquired, launched the award-winning Graduate Academies and CEO/CMO Biotech summits, and was involved in the UK apprenticeship trailblazers.

In 2019 she wrote a Parliamentary Review on life science skill shortages, speaks regularly for industry around the “wake-up call” and her passion is addressing the growing skills gaps in life sciences.

This episode is in partnership with MIT Sloan Healthcare and BioInnovations Conference, an event that brings the healthcare ecosystem together. We sat with Nate Beyor, Managing Director & Partner at Boston Consulting Group, and discussed Digital Innovation, specifically data. For Nate, the key to all those digital innovations is the transformation of how we work with technology rather than adding tech. The biggest moves will be around automation and how we can "make steps go away" in processes to improve efficiency and experiences. With our current moves with data in healthcare, more interoperability, access, and connectivity will allow for further automation and improvements. Those algorithms will certainly be the less risky option for decision-making while ensuring we are empowering humans to make the final call.

"Build first. You'll learn more by trying to do it than you will by spending a year debating what to do."

MEET OUR GUEST Nate Beyor Managing Director & Partner at Boston Consulting Group.

Nate Beyor is Managing Director & Partner at Boston Consulting Group where he leads Health Tech based out of Southern California.  Nate is passionate about the interface between technology and biology, with a healthy appreciation for operational rigor. He has spent his career exploring different avenues at this intersection, from microfluidics to biologics manufacturing, to stem cell therapy development, and now in digital health.

At BCG, Nate has hands-on experience launching digital solutions remote monitoring, clintech, supply chain, and precision medicine.  Nate believes in the power of technology to change how we treat, how we heal, and how we live.

Be kind and honest to maximize your team's growth and potential, which ultimately means your organization's potential. Those are Allyson Jacobsen's beliefs around leadership, ensuring we build a culture of love, and care so that people support one another, feel safe to try things, and be at their best to deliver on our purpose in healthcare. Hear Allyson's story, and experiences across marketing and other functions always putting the patient at the center of what she does. We're on a mission in healthcare to solve patients' problems and we should never forget that noble cause.

"Never forget your purpose and passion"

MEET OUR GUEST Allyson Jacobsen Vice President of Marketing at TeraRecon.

Allyson Jacobsen is a Global Marketing Executive who has led award-winning teams across the U.S., Europe, and Asia that were the recipients of 5 Gold Quill IABC Awards for Applied Intelligence, Beyond Imaging, The Future of -Ray, and Make Time Mammo, in addition to a Ragan Video, Visual, & Virtual Award.

With over 20 years of expertise, her background in entrepreneurship and technology expands across industries, including Healthcare, bio-pharmaceutical, Financial Services, and Public Sector. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Christopher Newport University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Texas A&M University.

She has led large-scale marketing efforts and strategies on behalf of tech & medtech global corporations at several premiere industry events, including AWS re:Invent, GE's Global Data Science Symposium, SXSW, and the Azure Cloud Summit. She is a dedicated educator and thought leader on AI across Healthcare, Pharma, and Marketing topics.

Allyson is also a passionate mentor and presenter on topics around Women in Technology, AI, and Digital Marketing Transformation. She was in the Top 10 Most Listened To Podcasts of 2020 with Outcomes Rocket on How Data Can Improve Patient Outcomes. Allyson is dedicated and driven to change the dynamics for the future by using visibility, diagnostic tools, and technology to help save lives across the World.

Together, different healthcare stakeholders, should join hands, and work to fix healthcare distribution inequities across the world. Those are Gaurav Deshpande's words of plea for all of us healthcare leaders. After years in clinic, academic and global health, Gaurav is now leading one of the largest non-profits in the world in cleft disease: Operation Smile, helping kids get the surgery and cleft care needed wherever they call home throughout their childhood and adolescence. Access to safe and quality care is a universal human right. Hear Gaurav's story, his experiences across different geographies, and his leadership beliefs leading teams and helping thousands of children across the globe have a better future.

"We should fix together healthcare distribution inequities for a better world."

MEET OUR GUEST Gaurav Deshpande Head of Medical Oversight and Safety at Operation Smile.

Gaurav Deshpande is an Experienced healthcare professional with 12 years of clinical, academic, and global health experience. He is currently the Head of Medical Oversight and safety at one of the largest cleft NGOs in the world, Operation Smile.

Gaurav is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at PennState Hershey School of Medicine with several publications in the craniofacial and cleft field.

Gaurav is passionate about global surgery and constantly seeks to bridge the gap between patients and healthcare corporations by helping develop and disseminate high-quality products and therapeutics.

This episode is in partnership with MIT Sloan Healthcare and BioInnovations Conference, an event that brings the healthcare ecosystem together. We sat with Jami Taylor, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Protagonist Therapeutics and a global Justice Fellow at Yale University to talk about Accessibility in a Global Health Setting. It starts with courageous and tenacious leadership, leaders who believe we can do something about it, think of innovation for access, advocate, and think of affordability as they build new life-saving treatments for patients. Hear Jami's story, and her incredible experiences bringing accessibility to patients and striving for global justice. For Jami, Spreading Love in Organizations opens the floodgates to progress for a healthy equitable world.

"Spreading love opens the floodgates to progress"

MEET OUR GUEST Jami Taylor Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Protagonist Therapeutics.

Jami Taylor is Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Protagonist Therapeutics, and a Global Justice Fellow at Yale University, working to design new models to improve access to medicines in the world's poorest and most challenging settings.

Earlier in her career, Jami held global leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson across key divisions and was a founding member of Johnson & Johnson Global Public Health. Jami has served as a member of the National Academy of Medicine Forum on Microbial Threats; the Private Sector Delegation to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; the Chairman’s Circle at the Center for Global Development; the Global Health Advisory Council at Harvard Medical School; and on many other committees and forums addressing priority issues in medicine and society.

In 2014, Jami was named a Cross-Sector Leadership Fellow at the Presidio Institute, a program created by the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation to advance the work of leaders addressing society’s most complex challenges.

This episode is in partnership with MIT Sloan Healthcare and BioInnovations Conference, an event that brings the healthcare ecosystem together. We sat with Dr. Assaad Sayah CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance and discussed his personal story, his leadership beliefs, and the “Value-Based Care”, topic of his panel at the conference. Value = Quality / Cost, this is the way to think about value-based care; it has to be of great quality with the best patient experience at a contained cost. Health equity in this context is key. We need first of all to be in the underserved communities and be thoughtful, and purposeful about addressing their needs to narrow equities gaps. For Assaad, leadership is about providing the space for people to do the work, it is about trust, clarity, transparency, and accountability. The ultimate success of a "care delivery system" is for it to disappear because we worked on education, prevention, and screening for the community to remain healthy.

"Provide the space for people to do the work"

MEET OUR GUEST Assaad Sayah Chief Executive Officer Cambridge Health Alliance.

Dr. Assaad Sayah, President and CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance. Assaad was named CHA's President and CEO in January 2020 after serving as the interim CEO since June 2019 and Chief Medical Officer since 2013.

Before that, Assaad served as the chief of emergency medicine and Senior Vice President of Primary Care. In the Emergency Department, he led tremendous advancements at all three CHA hospitals, resulting in enhanced efficiency, quality, volume, and patient satisfaction. He spearheaded primary care growth by more than 50 percent, expanding CHA's access in underserved communities and integrating primary care and behavioral health services and systems to address social determinants of health. Assaad also plays a key role in CHA's commitment to the communities it serves, including his tenure as the co-chair of the Cambridge City Manager's Opioid Working Group established in 2018 to develop recommendations for strengthening the city's response to the opioid epidemic.

Additionally, Assaad is Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. His research and publications focus on operational efficiency, improving the clinical environment, and patient experience of care.

This episode is in partnership with MIT Sloan Healthcare and BioInnovations Conference, an event that brings the healthcare ecosystem together. We sat with Andy Plump, President of R&D and Board Member at Takeda, and discussed his personal story, his leadership beliefs, and the “Challenges in Scaling Biotech Innovation” the topic of his panel at the conference. Hear his thoughts on the current and next decades of innovation, "will it be the decades of Life Science or Computer Science?" Most importantly, Andy leaves us with a message of hope. Every dark period in history anchored on the triad of war, pandemic, and social injustice has ended with greatness through science... We are on the edge of this, again, now.

"This decade will be remembered for Life Science or Computer Science... The potential is limitless."

MEET OUR GUEST Andrew Plump President of Research & Development and Board Member at Takeda.

Dr. Andrew Plum is the President of Research & Development and a Board Member at Takeda. His career spans nearly 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry and academia.

Andy has been recognized for his contributions to the healthcare industry, education, and the arts. He serves on several non-profit boards including the Board of Trustees for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation, the Biomedical Science Careers Program, and as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the PhRMA Foundation.

Prior to Takeda, Andrew served as head of Research & Translational Medicine, deputy to the president of R&D at Sanofi, based in Paris, France. Prior to Sanofi, he served as worldwide cardiovascular research head at Merck.

Andy received his M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), his Ph.D. in cardiovascular genetics, and his B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in medical genetics at UCSF.

In this special episode, we celebrate a significant milestone for SpreadLove In Organizations podcast. It has been an incredible journey, filled with profound insights, heartfelt stories, and impactful chats.

Over the past two years, we have had the honor of hosting 100 exceptional leaders, each with their unique experiences and perspectives. Through their stories, we have shared-in their triumphs, challenges, and the invaluable lessons they have learned along the way. Our guests have touched our hearts, made us smile, reflect, and most importantly, prompted us to rethink our preconceptions about culture in high-performing organizations.

To celebrate the "100 episode", we have compiled a special segment featuring the reactions of some of our influential guests to a question that has become synonymous with our podcast: What is your first reaction to 'spread love in organizations? These diverse and thought-provoking responses represent the culmination of our shared journey, highlighting the power of love in fostering healthier, more caring work environments to deliver on a shared purpose and deliver results to all stakeholders.

On behalf of SpreadLove In Organizations team, we express our deepest gratitude for your unwavering support, genuine feedback, and, above all, the love that has flooded every aspect of this incredible endeavor. Our devoted community has played an integral role in shaping this podcast into what it is today.

Hope you will embark on this special episode, united by the common purpose of cultivating empathy, genuine care, and love within organizations for people to feel safe to thrive, be at their best, and imagine a better world. Thank you for joining us on this extraordinary journey…

In this episode, you'll hear from John Bamforth, Jeremy Morgan, Gabi Mittas, Lien Le, Amy Edmondson, Jill Donahue, Daena Giardella, Enrique Conterno, Rodrigo Verdi, Otto Scharmer, Christi Shaw, Amer Kaissi, The Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi, Richard Kivel, Myriam Hakim, Bridget Akinc, Maheen Junaid, Lisa Matar, Amre Nouh, Basima Tewfik, Pravin Chaturvedi, Dina Sherif, Dave Noesges, Michael Ullmann, Naji Gehchan.

Being in healthcare is a privilege and a humbling responsibility; we impact lives. This is what Michael Ullman has done throughout his years at Johnson & Johnson from where he retired recently as Executive VP, General Counsel & Executive Committee Member. Leadership for Mike is grounded in humility, kindness, and optimism, it is above all a responsibility to other people. Hear Mike's experience leading JNJ to deliver on covid vaccine that saved humanity during the pandemic, and his thoughts on ESG, Health Equity, social responsibility, and how to build high-performing teams to ensure we deliver on our purpose. As leaders, our job is not to be superstars but rather shine through others, through our people's greatness. Kindness is underused in the world, create a culture that demands it, treat people with respect, trust them, empower them, and help them succeed.

"Kindness is underused. Create a culture that demands it."

MEET OUR GUEST Michael Ullmann, (Retired) Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Executive Committee Member, Johnson & Johnson

Michael Ullmann retired from Johnson & Johnson earlier this year after over 33 years with the Company.  For the last 11 years, he served as a member of the J&J Executive Committee and the Executive Vice President, General Counsel leading a global organization of over 2,000 employees in 60 countries encompassing Legal, Government Relations & Policy, ESG Strategy, Intellectual Property, Corporate Governance, Data Privacy, Compliance and Security. 

As General Counsel of the world’s largest Life Sciences company, he successfully guided JNJ through high-profile and high-risk situations, while helping to grow the business to annual sales of $94 billion, increase shareholder value and maintain its reputation as one of the most admired companies in the world. 

Mike joined Johnson & Johnson in 1989 as a mergers & acquisitions attorney and held various management positions, including General Counsel of the Worldwide Medical Devices Group, before becoming the company's General Counsel in 2012. Michael is a member of the Board of Directors of Americares and serves on the Columbia Law School Board of Visitors.