Translating Discovery: How Biotech Leaders Turn Innovation Into Impact

In the “Translating Discovery: Insights from Biotech and Pharma Leaders” panel on November 13, a powerhouse panel of industry experts — all Lehigh alums — shared their perspectives on how innovation becomes impact within the biotech industry, and what it takes to bring a new product to market. The event marked the third installment of the 2025-26 College of Health Population Health Colloquium Series, which celebrates the first cohort of the Integrated Business and Health (IBH) program. This interdisciplinary collaboration between the Colleges of Business and Health prepares students to succeed in the increasingly complex world of healthcare.

Moderating the panel was Emily Winn-Deen, Ph.D. ’74, a retired senior diagnostics executive with over 45 years of experience in diagnostics and genomics product development. She was also a member of the first class of women to join Lehigh in 1974. Joining her were Tom Anderson ’77, a member of the board of directors with Zevra Therapeutics; Jeremy Schmalzle ’97, vice president, HIV program strategy lead with Gilead Sciences; and Jim Wassil ’95G ’05G, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Vaxcyte.

Winn-Deen set the stage by outlining the essential steps that guide any healthcare product’s development. “When you try and develop a product in healthcare, the first thing you have to answer is, what’s the medical need that you’re trying to address? The next step is to identify what the biomarkers are that would be appropriate to use in that. Finally, there’s the whole development process that leads up through clinical trials and FDA.”

“What I think a lot of people don't appreciate is that that is not the end,” she continued, noting it is actually the midpoint. “You still have to work with insurers to get coverage; you have to work with physicians to educate them on how to use this new product. Finally, you have to work with patients to get them to understand how this new product might benefit them.”

Wassil underscored just how long and complex this vaccine development can be, explaining that the process can take 15 years. About 10 years ago, he helped to initiate an organization called CEPI, which works to prevent disease outbreaks before they become pandemics. He said that epidemiologists and infectious disease modelers had identified coronaviruses as a top candidate for a future outbreak. At the College of Health, Professor Tom McAndrew works in this same space as an infectious disease modeler.

While they could not predict a specific event, their analysis highlighted the likelihood of a respiratory virus emerging and spreading rapidly. With this insight, they began preliminary vaccine development through government-supported programs. This groundwork paved the way for the vaccine to get out in “record time,” he said, when COVID-19 ultimately emerged.

At Gilead, Schmalzle is helping to lead work on a breakthrough innovation in HIV, a twice-yearly injection that prevents HIV and is nearly 100% effective. He described the intense, coordinated effort required to bring this product to market quickly, including collaboration with national health ministries, the Gates Foundation, PEPFAR (the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), and other public health partners.

“We got U.S. FDA approval in June,” Schmalzle said. “We got the first approval in Africa, just last month in October, and we actually have individuals in Africa taking the drug within six months of the U.S. approval.” He highlighted some of the business aspects of this work, including manufacturing, patient safety, value, sales and marketing, access and implementation.

The panel conversation explored global access to vaccines and tiered pricing, a strategy to address cost disparities across the globe. They also highlighted the traits necessary for success in these different enterprises, such as effective communication and teamwork.

“My key learning is to surround yourself with passionate, brilliant individuals who have different skill sets because you definitely need that diversity,” said Wassil.

Winn-Deen also reminded attendees to not be afraid to backtrack if they feel they have made the wrong career decision. Schmalzle expressed excitement about the way that AI is changing product development and analyzing massive amounts of data for insights and trends, and Anderson is energized by the constant innovation. 

“We are getting closer and closer to altering disease in ways we couldn’t possibly imagine five or 10 years ago,” said Anderson. “I’m very excited for the future, and I think anybody who’s interested in the life sciences ought to really seriously look at the pharmaceutical industry as a long-term career option.”

Anderson’s take home message was to stay adaptable and curious. “If you’re a combination of those two things, you can pretty much adapt to almost anything. The marvelous thing about what Lehigh did for me is that it allowed me to question things along the way and be curious about other kinds of opportunities.”

“Pay attention to what energizes you and use that as your compass, because if you do, I think you’ll enjoy what you end up doing,” Schmalzle added.

Mark your calendars for the next Population Health Colloquium, Transforming Healthcare Through Leadership, February 5 from 12:00-1:30 p.m. On the panel will be Dr. Patricia Stephenson ’78, P’08, former senior medical officer, Cigna Healthcare; Rick Anderson,  president and CEO of St. Luke’s University Health Network; Audrey Meyers, CEO emeritus of Valley Health System; and Doug Hock ’81, executive vice president and system chief operating officer, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.