The Skills Needed for a Successful Transition from Academia to Biotech

Priti Hegde, PhD, joined Foundation Medicine as the Chief Scientific Officer in August 2019. Dr Hegde oversees clinical product development, cancer genomics, and early-stage research, as well as regulatory and quality assurance, to accelerate advancement of the Company’s leading comprehensive genomic profiling portfolio. She is passionate about innovation in cancer research and translating innovations to precision medicine tools to advance care for patients.Dr Hegde has spent nearly two decades in the biopharmaceutical industry, with a proven track record in drug development, registration, and commercialization of therapeutics with companion diagnostics in cancer immunotherapy.Prior to joining Foundation Medicine, Dr Hegde spent 12 years at Genentech, a member of Roche Group, where she held roles of increasing responsibility. Most recently, Dr Hegde served as senior director and principal scientist in oncology biomarker development at Genentech, during which she established and led the biomarker group accountable for translational science strategies in cancer immunotherapy. Dr Hegde was instrumental in the approvals for atezolizumab in both the United States and European Union, as well as its forthcoming diagnostic filings.Before joining Genentech, Dr Hegde was the manager of disease and biomarker transcriptomics at GlaxoSmithKline. Dr Hegde completed her post-doctoral fellow at The Institute for Genomic Research and holds a PhD in Biochemical Pharmacology from SUNY Buffalo, as well as a B. Pharmacy from Mumbai University, India.