Gurdyal Kalsi: Importance of AI and Patient Voice in Pharma R&D

Today, we are honored to have Gurdyal Kalsi as our guest, holding the position of Chief Medical Officer at Asklepion Pharma and AdventHealth and overseeing a varied Research and Development portfolio. Gurdyal explores the significance of AI in healthcare and emphasizes a long-overdue shift toward giving patients a voice in clinical trials. He underscores the necessity of addressing illnesses and striving for a definitive cure, which he terms "One and Done." Additionally, Gurdyal provides insights into the future direction of the life science field and emphasizes the role AI is poised to play in shaping it.

 

IN THIS EPISODE:

 

• [03:56] Gurdyal shares his professional journey and his childhood experiences that led to his desire to become a doctor

• [5:41] Gurdyal discusses his current role, goals and objectives, and where he sees the industry going

• [10:14] Gurdyal explains what it means to let the patient have a voice in clinical trials and also the importance of AI in the medical field

• [16:50] Gurdyal explains why he scaled his professional journey and why it is critical to multitask and obtain across-the-board learning

• [20:52] Gurdyal talks about the people and events that have framed his career and gives advice on what he has learned and wants to pass on to the listeners

• [26:35] Gurdyal reveals how he continues his learning and balances his personal and professional life

• [30:08] Jasmeet asks Gurdyal a series of rapid-fire questions

KEY TAKEAWAY:

 

• [6:43] Many medicinal products in the marketplace are not cures. A change needs to happen in this area of medicine to look for a cure and not continuous treatment.  

• [10:02] The future is moving toward letting patients have a voice in clinical trials, which is the right way of doing a clinical trial.

• [11:21] Gurdyal is encouraged by the use of AI. There are still areas where more work must be done to achieve accuracy. 

 

RESOURCE LINKS:

 

Podcast - Leading Minds

Jasmeet Sawhney - LinkedIn

Gurdyal Kalsi - LinkedIn

BIOGRAPHY:

Gurdyal Kalsi is a seasoned executive, a physician-scientist, and a leader engaged in developing novel therapeutic approaches for challenging diseases in rare, orphan, cell, and gene therapy areas.

 

He's a veteran of global transformational R&D leadership with over two decades of experience specializing in pharmaceutical and critical care medicine. His work has resulted in the development and commercialization of several important human pharma drugs. Gurdyal started his professional journey in the UK and earned his MFPM from the UK joint Royal Colleges of Physicians and medical degrees in medicine and surgery from the Glancy Medical School.

 

He transitioned into the biopharmaceutical space, first in neuroscience and then in inflammation and immune modulation therapies. He later moved to the US and was instrumental in several strategic investments and collaborations between the public-private sector and US federal agencies. He currently serves as the chief medical officer of AdventHealth and Asklepion Pharma, and manages a diverse R&D portfolio. 

YOUR HOST: JASMEET SAWHNEY 

 Jasmeet Sawhney is a life sciences industry executive, marketing leader, and serial entrepreneur with deep roots in technology and data analytics. He is currently the global head of marketing at Axtria. Jasmeet has over 20 years of experience in the life sciences domain and has helped build and scale three successful companies. He has received several company and individual awards, including Inc 500, Deloitte Fast 500, Crain’s NY Fast 50, NJBiz Fast 50, Business of the Year, SmartCEO Future 50, Top CMO, Forty Under 40, and many more.