In this episode I am joined by Kate Haviland, who most recently served as President and CEO of Blueprint Medicines, guiding it from a clinical-stage company through a fully integrated commercial business and ultimately through its roughly $9.5 billion acquisition by Sanofi in 2025. Over a more than twenty-year career spanning Genzyme, PTC Therapeutics, Sarepta, Idera, and Blueprint, Kate has built a reputation for bridging rigorous science with sharp business instincts, equally fluent in the lab and the boardroom. She studied biochemistry and economics at Wesleyan, earned her MBA at Harvard Business School, and today serves as Board Chair of both Fulcrum Therapeutics and GC Therapeutics, as a director at Bicara and Avalyn, and on the board of BIO. This episode was recorded in 2025

Robert Plenge is a physician-scientist known for his work at Merck, Celgene, and BMS, translating insights from human genetics into breakthroughs in drug discovery and development, resulting in new medicines. On his well-known blog, he writes with inspiring clarity about genomics, therapeutic target validation, and lessons from translational research, bridging academic rigor and industry practice for scientists and clinicians alike. In this interview, we explore Robert's passion for causal human biology, drug development, and leading teams.

Roberts Blog: https://www.robertplenge.com

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