“AI is going to be super transformative... we’ve all moved too slowly and need to speed up our integration.” says Houman Ashrafian, Head of R&D at Sanofi. In this episode, Ashrafian joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Sam Fazeli to unpack how AI-powered portfolio construction, franchise-based innovation and a long-term mindset are reshaping the pharma giant’s R&D strategy. They explore Sanofi’s ambition to become a premier immunology powerhouse, how the company is applying venture-style rigor to pipeline decisions, and why cultural transformation -- not quarterly earnings -- is the key to staying relevant through 2040.

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“Mental health care is still living in the mid-20th century,” says Mark Frank, CEO and cofounder of SonderMind. Frank joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer to break down how SonderMind is reimagining behavioral health from its antiquated roots by layering technology and data, and while seamlessly integrating digital tools into therapy. The pair also discuss the company’s pandemic pivot to virtual care, its move toward risk-based contracting and the role AI will play in transforming behavioral care from a subjective art into a data-driven science — which Frank sees as the key enabler for mental health to be treated with the same precision as physical health.

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“We want to bring health care to a place where claims are processed in real-time, like checking out on Amazon,” says Stephen Krupa, CEO of HealthEdge. Krupa joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer to unpack how HealthEdge’s core platform powers claims processing for more than 110 million people. He shares how legacy infrastructure still dominates (with 60% of health plans still relying on decades-old technology), why automation and gen AI will drive touchless transactions and how payer platforms must evolve to support member-centric care. Krupa also reflects on HealthEdge’s journey from startup to its transformation under Blackstone, and what the next chapter might look like with Bain Capital.

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“We exist to solve prior authorization so patients can get the care they deserve,” says Dr. Jeremy Friese, founder and CEO of Humata Health. Friese joins Bloomberg Intelligence health-care analyst Jonathan Palmer to discuss how Humata’s AI-driven technology is transforming one of health care’s most notorious administrative headaches. They cover how Humata connects deeply into medical records, helps both providers and payers streamline approvals and is expanding into specialty pharmacy. Friese also shares his journey from Mayo Clinic radiologist to serial entrepreneur — and why he believes solving back-office burdens can unlock better patient care.

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“This isn’t just an incremental shift, it’s a drastically different treatment dynamic,” says Rob Barrow, CEO of MindMed. On this episode of Vanguards of Health Care, Barrow speaks with Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jean Rivera Irizarry about how MM120, a pharmaceutically optimized form of LSD, could transform the treatment landscape for anxiety and depression. They explore MindMed’s unique no-therapy approach to psychedelic trials, the design of its pivotal Phase 3 studies, and how it’s navigating regulatory hurdles to bring this once-taboo drug class into the mainstream.

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“Health care is finally ready to operate at information speed,” says Jonathan Bush, co-founder and CEO of Zus Health. Bush joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer to explain why he believes health care is poised for a digital transformation. He unpacks how Zus uses AI and FHIR-native tools to pull patient data from fragmented sources, clean it and serve it back to providers in actionable form. From uncovering the “fire in the trash” to helping doctors identify high-risk patients before costs spike, Bush shares what it means to be a modern health-tech platform and why he came out of retirement to build it. They also discuss the early customers driving growth, lessons from Athenahealth and why gross margin, not buzz, is the new benchmark for digital health.

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"The idea is you could use AI and technology to help understand this data such that we can quantify it much more so, so that it can lead to much more objective decisioning rather than subjective decisioning,” Founder and CEO Wardah Inam explains to Bloomberg Intelligence. In this Vanguards of Health Care podcast episode, Inam sits down with BI analyst Matt Henriksson for an in-depth interview to talk about Overjet, how its AI platform can analyze digital imaging that are already in the markets to make an tangible dental decision, and how Review Pass can connect directly with the insurers to reduce the coverage decision process from weeks to minutes.

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“Ease of use is what drives adoption,” Tandem Diabetes CEO John Sheridan explains to Bloomberg Intelligence about what can fuel further insulin-pump penetration. In this episode of Vanguards of Health Care, Sheridan sits down with BI analyst Matt Henriksson for an in-depth interview about Tandem’s Mobi pump, designed for discretion and simplicity, and the AI-powered Control-IQ Plus algorithm, now approved for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The conversation also touches on the company’s international market strategy, value-based reimbursement and future product development, including the tubeless Sigi.

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“We didn’t start Model to launch a company — we started it because no one else met our standards,” says Dr. Daniel Haders II, CEO and founder of Model Medicines. On this episode of Vanguards of Health Care, Haders speaks with Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Andrew Galler about building an AI-native drug discovery engine capable of identifying cryptic binding pockets and designing first-in-class drugs. They unpack why hit rates and novelty must go hand-in-hand, an overview of the company’s pan-antiviral MDL-001, and why generalizability — not reinforcement learning — is the true litmus test for AI in biotech.

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“The most effective therapies for solid tumors are also the most toxic — and we need to fix that,” says Dr. John Connolly, chief scientific officer of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. In this episode of the Vanguards of Health Care podcast, Connolly tells Bloomberg Intelligence pharmaceutical analyst Sam Fazeli why managing toxicity is the key to unlocking CAR-T’s potential in solid tumors. They explore the rise of in vivo cell therapies, evolving views on the tumor microenvironment and why foundational cancer vaccines may shape the future of all immunotherapy. Connolly also shares the clinical trials he’s watching closely, the ones that could flip the script on cancer care.

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