In this episode, Andy Steen talks to Russell, KY native Todd Hobbs, MD about his career in big pharma and small biotech.

We cover:

• Eastern Kentucky native.

• Transylvania University alum. And University of Louisville Medical School.

• Primary care clinic in Louisville, then a diabetes clinic with Baptist Health.

• “I have T1D myself.”

• In 2004 joined Novo Nordisk, eventually being Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, North America.

• Launch teams for Ozempic and Wegovy.

• Stints with Hepion and Diasome. Stealth siRNA.

• Buffalo Trace–Eagle Rare 17.

• Trends on obesity management, including the payor perspective.

• Team Kentucky!

In this episode, Andy Steen talks to Louisville native Kevin Karem, who has led scientific operations and research at the CDC and FDA.

We cover:

• Kevin is a Seneca High School and UofL alum.
• Then received his Ph.D. at the University of South Alabama.
• Post-doc with Barry T. Rouse at the University of Tennessee.
• Heska Corporation stationed with the CDC.
• Multiple roles with the CDC over 20+ years. HPV.
• And 9-11 happened...
• Diagnostics. Did all the initial diagnostic refinement and development for monkeypox.
• "When I'm home I go to Heine Brothers'."
• Center for Global Health within CDC. Laboratory science.
• COVID hit.
• Joined FDA to rebuild a food safety laboratory.
• Another Blanton's guy.
• Consulting gigs, startups, etc.

In this episode, Andy Steen talks to UofL Medicine alum Miles Snowden.

We cover:

• Miles grew up in Kentucky and from grade school through medical school was a resident of Louisville.
• Started medical practice in Louisville and started a company focused on occupational medicine.
• UPS.
• Chief Medical Officer, Delta Air Lines. "I actually put the first AED on a Delta flight." Employee benefits with Delta.
• 9-11 happened.
• Doctor's lounge coffee!
• Moved to UnitedHealth Group, including role as Chief Medical Officer with Optum.
• Chief Medical Officer, TeamHealth, then the largest physician group practice in the country.
• Navvis.
• Value-based care discussion.
• AI (of course!).

In this episode, Andy Steen talks to Kentucky native Eric Easom, Co-Founder and CEO of AN2 Therapeutics, Inc.

We cover:

• Born in Louisville but grew up in Carrollton, KY.
• How a UofL E.E. alum ended up at Eli Lilly and Company.
• Various roles at Lilly then out to CA with InteKrin Therapeutics.
• [He was on the board of the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), a non-profit based in Seattle, which is how we met.]
• Pfizer acquired Anacor in 2016.
• AN2 Therapeutics, Inc. Anacor, too. Or two.
• "A culinary gem nestled in Louisville's vibrant Germantown neighborhood- Hammerheads.”
• Tyler Childers.
• Chagas disease.
• Louisville native and St. X alum John Lechleiter gets a mention.

In this episode, Andy Steen talks to Paducah Tilghman High School alum Emily Martin, Ph.D. about her career in biopharma.

We cover:

• Grew up all the way through high school in Paducah.

• UNC, UCSF, Broad Institute.

• "So the first decade of my career in biopharma was really in small molecules and proteins and antibodies. And then the second decade, starting at Shire, was in cell and gene therapy."

• Sabbatical travels.

• Logistics and CROs in Kentucky.

• What Emily knows about the life sciences sector in Kentucky.

• I name drop straight edge bands out of Louisville.

• Hottest topics now in the the therapeutic space.

In this episode, Andy Steen talks to Chris Nicholson, a Humana alum, who scaled and exited mPulse Mobile.

We cover:

• Originally from Northern Kentucky.
• Early career in wireless communications.
• 14 years at Humana, including a stint at the Innovation Center.
• Moving to California to start mPule Mobile.
• How he thinks Louisville can participate in healthcare innovation.
• Interesting areas in healthtech.
• Where Louisville/Kentucky could have some strengths.

In this episode, Andy Steen talks to Brian Kennedy, Director, Centre for Healthy Longevity at the National University of Singapore.

We cover:

• Born in Louisville, his father was a chemistry teacher at Jeffersonville High School.

• UW to the Buck Institute to the National University of Singapore.
• "Yeah, we're really interested in healthspan."
• Trends in aging.
• Startups out of the Buck.
• The future for aging and longevity science.
• How Louisville might play in the longevity space.

In this episode, Andy Steen talks to Jess Shull, Director of Digital Health at Vicore Pharma AB.

We cover:

• "So I grew up in Louisville."
• How she ended up in Barcelona.
• Jess' work on Almee™ (an investigational medical device in clinical development), a digital therapeutic created to address the psychological impact of living with pulmonary fibrosis.
• Perspective on digital therapeutics in general.
• What she knows about healthcare innovation happening in Louisville.
• Carmichael's for coffee. [C'mon; that is Louisville.]