Welcome to LifeSci Beat!
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We are excited to introduce a brand-new podcast, LifeSci Beat, coming to you from the Wharton Business School and sponsored by the Wharton Healthcare Club. LifeSci Beat captures the business beat of early-stage life science innovation and the entrepreneurial journeys that make it happen! This podcast will be dedicated to exploring the business of innovation in the life sciences, across biotech, medtech, diagnostics, and more. Each episode, we’ll hear from some of the most prominent leaders in the early-stage life sciences, from high-profile venture capitalists to leading entrepreneurs of the most exciting life sciences start-ups out there. Join us as we discuss everything from the latest discoveries in the field, to the business challenges in bringing cutting edge tech to market, to the journeys faced by leaders changing the world through the life sciences!
We wanted to briefly introduce ourselves as your new Hosts of this podcast: Shubham Chatterjee, Jaclyn Kawwas, Kevin Nguyen, and Jessi Izhakoff Yellin.
Shubham Chatterjee
Shubham is thrilled to explore cutting edge biotechnology commercialization through LifeSci Beat! Prior to Wharton, he focused on healthcare consulting at the Boston Consulting Group across a variety of sub-sectors, including biotech commercialization, pharma operations, public sector (CMS, HHS), medtech strategy and pricing, and more.
Shubham is in Wharton’s Health Care Management program, pursuing a dual degree with a MBA/MSE degree in Bioengineering from the Penn School of Engineering. In addition to co-hosting LifeSci Beat, he’s involved in Wharton Venture Partners and GUIDE (Penn undergraduate mentorship). Outside of campus, you can find Shubham exploring the Philly food scene, playing tennis or squash, and listening to his favorite stand-up comics. Shubham graduated from Princeton University in 2017 with a degree in Bachelor of Science and Engineering in Chemical Engineering.
Jaclyn Kawwas
Jaclyn Kawwas is eager to dive deeper into the journeys of medtech entrepreneurs. Prior to Wharton, Jaclyn spent her career in medical device design and development at Medtronic Cardiovascular. Her experience ranges from early stage development to commercial launch of coronary and vasculature products.
Jaclyn is currently a first year student in the Wharton MBA Health Care Management Program. Beyond co-hosting the LifeSci Beat podcast, Jaclyn serves on the Wharton Health Care Business Conference committee, participates in Wharton Hockey and the Entrepreneurship club, and dabbles in creating her own health and wellness start-up. Outside of campus, you can find Jaclyn exploring new restaurants in Philly, attending themed events, and traveling abroad. Jaclyn graduated from the University of Michigan in 2017 with a Bachelors of Science and Engineering in Biomedical Engineering.
Kevin Nguyen
Kevin is passionate about advancing life science innovation to address the world’s unmet medical needs. Prior to Wharton, he was at 5AM Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on building next-generation life science companies. Before that, he was at Evercore, where he focused on small-to-mid cap biotechnology companies. In both roles, he was based in San Francisco, CA.
Kevin is in Wharton’s Health Care Management program, where he aims to connect deeply with and learn from his peers and faculty across all verticals of healthcare. In addition to co-hosting LifeSci Beat, he’s involved as a Consultant in Penn Biotech Group and “Former Athlete” in various sports clubs. Kevin earned his Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences and Economics from University of Southern California.
Jessi Izhakoff Yellin
Jessi is excited to dig into the medtech sector and speak to innovators in the world of medical devices. Prior to Wharton, Jessi was a Director at Health Advances, a boutique life sciences strategy consulting firm, where she worked with clients across a variety of sectors, focusing primarily on medtech strategy and commercial due diligence.
Jessi is in Wharton’s Health Care Management MBA program. In addition to LifeSci Beat, Jessi sits on the boards of Wharton Health Care Club, Wharton Women in Business, and Wharton JAMBA. Outside of the classroom, you can find Jessi on the Peloton, high fiving everyone on the leaderboard. Jessi graduated from Harvard in 2015 with a BA in Biology and Statistics.
