How Amgen is RISING Above with Clinical Trial Diversity

Hassan Kadhim is the Business Engagement Leader for Clinical Operations and Development for Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Prior to this role, he was the Global Head of Clinical Trial Business Capabilities & Clinical Innovation at BMS, where his team governed the business technology capabilities strategy within Global Development Operations, and drove changes and innovation towards better outcomes for clinical trial stakeholders. Mr Kadhim is passionate about transforming the clinical research arena in the pharma industry through the use of technologies and patient-centric clinical trials, and is a firm believer of the need for clinical innovation grounded in strong business practices for sustainability, change management and adherence to compliance and regulatory commitments. Mr Kadhim regularly appears and speaks at industry events around improving the clinical trial experience with digital tools, and wrote “The Remote Clinical Trials Model” whitepaper in 2016, to formalize a new patient-centric clinical trial research model leading to what we know today as Decentralized Clinical Trials. Mr Kadhim actively collaborates across industry collaborations such as Transcelerate and others to advance relevant and high-value industry challenges.He has degrees in bioinformatics and pharmaceutical sciences, both from the University of Montreal in Canada.

Ponda Motsepe-Ditshego, MBChB is the Vice President and Therapeutic Area Head of Global Medical, General Medicine at Amgen. In this role, Dr Motsepe-Ditshego leads the development and execution of the medical strategy and tactical plans, scientific dissemination, education, and external engagements across multiple therapeutics areas, including, Cardiovascular, Metabolism, Bone, Inflammation, Nephrology and Neuroscience.Dr Motsepe-Ditshego serves as the Global Chair for the Amgen Black Employee Network (ABEN) and most recently implemented the Representation in Clinical Research RISE Team, advancing Amgen’s objectives of improving health equity and increasing minority group enrollment in clinical trials.Dr Motsepe-Ditshego holds a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) from the Medical University of South Africa and completed a Management Advanced Program (MAP) at the University of the Witwatersrand and a Global Executive Development Program (GEDP) at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, where she was awarded top Student in 2015.In 2019, Dr Motsepe-Ditshego was selected as the Healthcare Business Woman Association (HBA) and Amgen’s “Rising Star” in recognition for her perseverance, diligent work ethic, impact on Amgen’s mission to serve patients, as well as her outstanding contribution to the healthcare industry and her exemplary leadership qualities.

Jude Ngang, PharmD is Executive Director, Representation in Clinical Research (RISE) at Amgen. RISE is dedicated to improving the proportional representation in clinical trials in alignment with ESG corporate imperatives, health equity narratives, PhRMA principles, and Amgen’s ethical research commitment to improve patients’ lives.Prior to taking the lead role for Amgen’s RISE team, Dr Ngang was Team Lead in Oncology Early Clinical Development Operations, with significant work in developing targeted therapies for lung cancer and other solid tumors. During his tenure in this role, Dr Ngang received the Global Development Innovation Trail Blazer award for his leadership in the development of the clinical operations strategy for the LUMAKRAS first in human study that contributed to the acceleration of the program. He was also a post-doctoral fellow in translational medicine at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research and served as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at MCPHS University in Boston.Dr Ngang has been with Amgen for over 5 years and has held leadership roles for the Amgen Black Employee Network (ABEN). Dr Ngang specializes in clinical sciences and innovation, with a focus on patient recruitment/retention and representative participation in clinical trials across multiple therapeutic areas. Dr Ngang is also a pharmacist by training with a PharmD from Roseman University of Health Sciences.