SpreadLove In Organizations - Healthcare Leadership

In this episode of Spread Love in Organizations, Sophie Kornowski reflects on a remarkable leadership journey spanning global pharmaceutical companies, biotech, investing, and entrepreneurship. From her early days in diagnostics during the AIDS epidemic to leading Boston Pharmaceuticals through its successful transformation and acquisition, she shares how both inspiring mentors and difficult setbacks s...

In this episode of Spread Love in Organizations, Kristina Masson, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of Business Operations at Acrivon Therapeutics, shares her journey from scientist to entrepreneur and biotech executive. She reflects on how a passion for cancer research, combined with the right timing, technology, and partnerships, led to the creation of Acrivon and its pioneering precision prote...

In this episode of Spread Love in Organizations, Naji is joined by Amy Simon, Chief Medical Officer of Beam, for a conversation about leadership, scientific innovation, humility, and the human side of healthcare. Amy shares her remarkable journey from physician-scientist and academic researcher at Tufts University to biotech executive leading the development of transformative medicines. She reflects on...

In this episode of Spread Love in Organizations, Naji Gehchan sits down with Pedro Coelho, Founder and CEO of Biorce, to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the future of clinical research. Pedro shares the deeply personal story that inspired his mission: the loss of his father to melanoma despite gaining access to an innovative clinical trial. That experience led him to question the in...

In this episode of Spread Love in Organizations, Naji Gehchan sits down with Greg Tietjen, Co-Founder and CEO of Revalia Bio, for a fascinating conversation that bridges science, technology, leadership, and humanity. Greg shares his unconventional journey—from studying English literature and pursuing a career in jazz guitar to becoming a physicist, scientist, Yale professor, and biotech entrepren...

In this episode of Spread Love in Organizations, Naji Gehchan sits down with Justin McKay, co-founder of Radiological Care Services (RCS), to explore how a personal healthcare experience sparked a mission-driven company focused on patient and staff safety. After contracting an infection from contaminated X-ray garments while working in hospitals, Justin realized a major gap existed in infection prevent...

In this episode, Naji welcomes Elisabetta Vitali, Executive Director of the Giovanni Armenise Harvard Foundation, to explore her unique journey from high-level finance to leading a mission-driven organization at the intersection of science and philanthropy. After a successful career in investment banking and infrastructure funds, Elisabetta made a deeply personal and values-driven transition into the n...

In this episode of Spread Love in Organizations, Naji Gehchan sits down with Mona Flores, a physician, former Global Head of Medical AI at NVIDIA, and a leader at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and impact. Mona shares her unconventional journey from investment banking to cardiac surgery and ultimately to pioneering work in artificial intelligence. She reflects on the power of reinvention, ...

In this episode of Spread Love in Organizations, Naji Gehchan welcomes Catharine Smith and Jason Cordeiro for a conversation on leadership, ecosystem building, and the future of biotech. Catharine Smith, an experienced healthcare and nonprofit leader, shares her journey from clinical and health system roles to leading the Tremier Institute, where she focuses on developing the next generation of biotech...

In this inspiring episode of SpreadLove in Organizations, Naji Gehchan sits down with serial biotech entrepreneur and investor Moise Khayrallah to explore a remarkable four-decade journey across pharmaceutical drug development, leadership, and purpose-driven innovation. From his roots in Lebanon and academic beginnings in psychology at the American University of Beirut and UNC Chapel Hill, Moise reflec...

In this episode of Spread Love in Organizations, Naji Gehchan sits down with Kylie Wagner, a senior commercial leader at Takeda with more than 20 years of experience across rare, specialty, and chronic care markets. Kylie shares the personal journey that brought her into healthcare, from her upbringing in the Midwest and her background as a competitive tennis player to the deeply personal experiences t...

In this episode of Spread Love in Organizations, Naji Gehchan sits down with Lina Polimeni, Chief Marketing Officer, Consumer at Eli Lilly, to explore what it truly means to lead with purpose in healthcare marketing. Lina shares her unconventional journey into the industry, from aspiring to work in music and film to building a 20+ year career at Lilly, and how her passion for meaningful, impactful work...

In this insightful return to Spread Love in Organizations, Naji welcomes back award-winning leadership professor and executive coach Amer Kaissi to discuss his newest book, The Positive Intent Mindset. Building on the foundation of his previous work, Humbitious, Amer shares how his upbringing in war-torn Lebanon, and the example of his mother leading an orphanage during the civil war, shaped his belief...

In this episode of SpreadLove in Organizations, Naji sits down with Hafedh Haddad, medical director and founder of B2G Life Sciences, to explore a career shaped by curiosity, courage, and meaningful encounters. From medical school in Tunisia to leading pioneering gene therapy clinical trials in France, Hafedh shares how openness to opportunity, rather than rigid planning, guided his journey across acad...

In this episode of Spread Love in Organizations, host Naji Gehchan welcomes Nelson Repenning, Faculty Director of the MIT Leadership Center and Distinguished Professor at MIT Sloan, to explore why so many organizations struggle to turn proven management ideas into real, sustained impact. Drawing on decades of research in system dynamics and organizational design, Nelson unpacks the hidden forces that k...

In this deeply human and wide-ranging conversation, Giovanni Abbadessa shares the personal journey that shaped his vocation as a physician, scientist, and leader. Growing up in Naples as the son of a prominent hematologist, Giovanni initially resisted medicine, only to discover his calling through lived experiences that blended science with humanity. A transformative humanitarian trip to India, working...

In this episode of Spread Love in Organizations, Naji Gehchan welcomes Dr. Basil Upton, executive business director at Eli Lilly, servant leader, and catalyst behind the podcast itself. Basil shares his deeply personal journey from growing up in Maine under the guidance of his grandparents to building a 24-year career in healthcare. With a background in psychology and counseling, Basil reflects on how ...

In this special episode, part of our collaboration with the Biosciences Lebanese International Network (BIOLINK), I had the joy of welcoming an extraordinary leader whose career sits at the intersection of science, innovation, and purpose: Rania Abou Samra, Vice President and Head of Innovation & R&D for Nestlé Middle East and North Africa. With more than two decades of experience across global...

In this inspiring episode of SpreadLove in Organizations, in partnership with the Termeer Institute, host Naji Gehchan welcomes Charlene Son Rigby, CEO of Global Genes, who shares the deeply personal journey that brought her into the rare disease space. After years of searching for a diagnosis, her daughter was found to have STXBP1, a rare neurodevelopmental disorder. That life-altering moment led Char...