TheBridge profile: Sari Kaplan
Name: Sari Kaplan
Current city: San Francisco, CA
Current job: Corporate Counsel, Genentech
Past job: Senior Associate, Hogan Lovells
Q. Favorite spot for a coffee meeting? Four Barrel Coffee
Q. Describe how a skill you learned in a previous job helped you in your current job. l've learned how to anticipate legal challenges related to all aspects of business, whether related to product, marketing, finance, research, or communications. This skill has allowed me to think ahead so that I can help clients have a competitive advantage.
Q. Job advice in three words? Be collaborative, partner.
Q. How are you (or your company, org, nonprofit) currently bridging the gap between innovation and regulation? I'm very fortunate to work among brilliant scientists who are working to discover and develop ground-breaking treatments that can change people’s lives. Genentech pursues cutting-edge science to develop medicines that make a significant medical impact for patients with serious medical conditions such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, and multiple sclerosis. I advise on strategies and programs to help bring more effective treatment options to people who need them.
Genentech is working to help "bridge the gap" with policymakers by actively engaging in constructive dialogue and proposing ideas and recommendations that can bring about positive change for the benefit of the entire healthcare system and - most importantly - for patients. Genentech is dedicated to helping find long-term, system-wide solutions that can lower costs for patients, while sustaining innovation and ensuring patients have access to the life-changing medicines they need. We are committed to being part of the solution.
Q. What can innovators learn from policymakers? Innovators can learn to better appreciate the deep intricacies of the policy and regulatory landscape. Understanding how to more efficiently navigate the regulatory process is paramount to ensuring life-changing medicine reaches more patients.
Q. What can policymakers learn from innovators? Policymakers can learn that biotech innovators share a commitment to making a meaningful difference in patients' lives. We are passionate about transforming patients' lives and work tirelessly to do so. We focus on today and look beyond tomorrow to tackle the world’s most formidable healthcare challenges.
Q. Favorite book/podcast/long-form article you recommend? Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again by Eric Topol and Harvard Business Review’s After Hours.
Q. Looking back, what advice would you give yourself in the beginning of your career? Never stop networking, and continue to maintain contacts from every part of your life. Whether it's your freshman year roommate, or a former client, everyone ends up somewhere, and those relationships matter.
Q. If you had to live in another city, which would it be? Washington, D.C. Having spent a good portion of my career in D.C., I consider it my second home and see it as the intersection point of policy, law, and technology.
Q. Best advice you’ve received? Understand the business like the back of your hand so that you can help drive creative and practical solutions to increase value for the organization.
Q. How do you unwind after work? I enjoy hiking with my husband, planning our next trip abroad, and remaining active in the Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI).
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