When pondering if she wanted to spend the next 10 to 15 years continuing to climb that academic ladder or do something that would be impactful for patients, Laura Niklason, M.D., Ph.D., opted for the latter.

Taking a company public may not be every entrepreneur’s dream, but it is for many life sciences companies. As 2020 forever changed how IPOs are done, it seems like there is a great opportunity to capture some wisdom from those who have been there, done that.

Recent events of female athletes expressing the need to focus on their mental health seems to point toward mental wellness being one of the next big things, along with women leaders being willing to "rewrite the rules."

Eric Dube, Ph.D., was dubious when an executive recruiter pitched him the CEO position at previously embattled Retrophin (remember Martin Shkreli?). But he took the job in January 2019 and now has guided the $1.5 billion biopharma as it has increased sales, implemented a new diverse and inclusive culture, advanced its pipeline, and adopted a new name (Travere).

I believe waiving IP protections on COVID-19 vaccines (developed by three U.S. companies in record time) will not have any appreciable impact on fixing the global health crisis in the short term.

Mei Mei Hu, J.D., and her husband Lou Reese know what it’s like to develop a drug during a pandemic. Nearly 20 years ago they helped develop a vaccine and antibody test for the SARS outbreak. But now they were considering starting a COVID-19 vaccine company — during 2020.

The world is hurting. Now more than ever, people need and want to be inspired by people. Just imagine what we can accomplish if we all strive to be the inspiration we seek.

In 2012 Neil Kumar, Ph.D. read an article in Nature Biotechnology and was so inspired by the paper’s theories on drug discovery and development, that he eventually decided to quit his job and start his own biopharma called BridgeBio.

The majority of my interviews have been over the phone. As for how many interviews for feature articles I’ve conducted via Zoom, the number is exactly two — both appearing in this issue.