AI Adoption for Business Leaders to Build Real Systems That Drive Productivity with Ruby Kansagra

Why curiosity, tenacity, and courage are now the ultimate career advantages with Craig Granowitz

Artificial intelligence is transforming every knowledge-based industry, but successful adoption depends on far more than technology. In this episode of the Digital Adoption Accelerator podcast, host Jake Herway sits down with Dr. Craig Granowitz, Chief Medical Officer at Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, about what it really takes to succeed in the AI era. Dr. Granowitz explains why AI should strengthen human thinking rather than replace it. Dr. Craig Granowitz is the Chief Medical Officer at Lexicon Pharmaceuticals. A physician-scientist with both an M.D. and Ph.D., he has spent his career helping bring innovative therapies to patients through leadership roles in biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry, including Merck and Schering-Plough. He shares practical leadership lessons on curiosity, integrity, and continuous learning while challenging organizations to focus on developing people alongside new technology. Key Takeaways Why successful AI adoption starts with people—not technology. How curiosity creates better leaders and stronger organizations.Where AI adds the most value in healthcare today—and where it still falls short. Why integrity and trust remain essential in a rapidly changing industry. How the principles of Curiosity, Tenacity, and Courage can help leaders navigate the future of work. Episode Timestamps: [00:00] – Episode Teaser [01:56] – Welcome & Introducing Dr. Craig Granowitz [03:06] – Building Innovation That Reaches Patients [05:22] – Leadership, Integrity, and Playing the Long Game [08:49] – What Sparked Craig's Interest in AI [11:01] – The Difference Between Automation and Insight [12:56] – Developing People Alongside AI [15:06] – Why Saving Time Doesn't Always Create Value [19:21] – The Next Opportunity for AI in Healthcare [23:22] – Curiosity, Tenacity, & Courage Connect with Dr. Craig Granowitz: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-granowitz-a43878101/ Website (Company): https://www.lexpharma.com/ Connect with Jake Herway:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeherway/ Follow ValueAdd Group: Website: https://www.valueaddgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/valueadd-group/ Follow the Podcast: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valueaddgroup/podcastsSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1v4xjAZstZYqocvmpU7ZRL?si=7a6a7703415c4ab8 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/accelerating-digital-adoption-in-healthcare/id1815823125

AI Adoption for Business Leaders to Build Real Systems That Drive Productivity with Ruby Kansagra

In this episode of the Digital Adoption Accelerator podcast, host Jake Herway sits down with Ruby Kansagra [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruby-kansagra-93381a189/], Regulatory Portfolio Content Lead at Roche [https://www.linkedin.com/company/roche/], to explore how AI is transforming regulatory content workflows. Ruby shares her journey from AI novice to leading a groundbreaking initiative at Roche to develop an AI-powered content authoring platform. Together, they discuss the challenges of implementing AI in highly regulated environments, the importance of design and user feedback, and how technology can augment human expertise.  Ruby Kansagra is the Regulatory Portfolio Content Lead at Roche, overseeing the ophthalmology portfolio and supporting medical device regulatory work. She currently leads an initiative to develop an AI platform designed to revolutionize how regulatory content is authored, with the goal of reducing cycle time and improving quality. Ruby combines expertise in regulatory processes with a forward-looking vision for AI implementation in life sciences. Key Takeaways * AI is a tool to augment humans, not replace them. The human-in-the-loop remains critical for success. * Design up front is crucial: thoughtful planning and iteration prevent costly mistakes later. * User feedback drives adoption: involving stakeholders early and often builds trust and prioritizes deal-breaker requirements. * Managing organizational expectations is as important as the technology itself - showing incremental progress matters. * Leaders can succeed in unfamiliar domains by leaning on curiosity, collaboration, and translation from technical experts. Episode Timestamps: [00:00] – Introduction To The Episode [02:03] – Guest Introduction [04:12] – How Roche Is Exploring AI Platforms [07:08] – Design & Human-Centered Approach [09:10] – Strategies For Balancing Speed And Thoroughness [11:01] – Addressing Pushback & Adoption Challenges [13:35] – Ruby Reflects On Her Growth From AI Novice To Initiative Leader [16:34] – Insights On Curiosity, Vulnerability, And Leading In Ambiguous Domains [18:18] – AI Platform In Production And Its Future Impact [19:21] – Closing Remarks Connect with Ruby Kansagra: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruby-kansagra-93381a189/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruby-kansagra-93381a189/] * Website (Company): https://www.roche.com/ [https://www.roche.com/] Connect with Jake Herway: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeherway/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeherway/] Follow ValueAdd Group: * Website: https://www.valueaddgroup.com/ [https://www.valueaddgroup.com/] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/valueadd-group/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/valueadd-group/] Follow the Podcast: * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valueaddgroup/podcasts [https://www.youtube.com/@valueaddgroup/podcasts] * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1v4xjAZstZYqocvmpU7ZRL?si=7a6a7703415c4ab8 [https://open.spotify.com/show/1v4xjAZstZYqocvmpU7ZRL?si=7a6a7703415c4ab8] * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/accelerating-digital-adoption-in-healthcare/id1815823125 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/accelerating-digital-adoption-in-healthcare/id1815823125]

AI Adoption Is Failing Because Leaders Ignore Experimentation: featuring Teresa Eastwood-Kiefer

In this episode of the Digital Adoption Accelerator Podcast, Jake Herway [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeherway/] speaks with Teresa Eastwood-Kiefer [https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresa-eastwood/], the Regulatory Data and Content Leader at Roche [https://www.roche.com/]. Teresa shares her experience with generative AI and automation in the pharmaceutical industry, focusing on how these technologies are helping deliver life-saving medicines faster to patients. The conversation explores Teresa’s journey, from her time in the Moab digital cohort to her current role at Roche, where she is leading efforts in AI adoption across the enterprise. She discusses the importance of fostering confidence, being open to experimentation, and creating an environment where AI technologies can be adopted in a meaningful, sustainable way. Key Takeaways:  * AI isn't about replacing jobs, but those who use AI will shape the future of industries, especially healthcare. * Confidence gained from collaborative learning and sharing experiences with leaders from diverse industries is crucial for fostering change. * Despite the hurdle to getting everyone involved from the beginning, it is essential - in fact, the only way for successful technology integration and scaling within organizations.  * While scaling AI solutions across organizations is challenging, focusing on gradual adoption and continuous improvement will lead to broader acceptance and effectiveness. * Embracing an experimental mindset allows organizations to redefine roles and workflows, resulting in more creative and efficient ways of working. Episode Timestamps: [00:00] – Episode Teaser [01:42] – Introduction to Teresa Eastwood-Kiefer [04:28] – The Power of Experiential Learning [08:00] – AI for Industry-Wide Change [10:42] – Building Confidence for AI Success [13:35] – Challenges in Scaling AI Solutions [17:20] – The Road to Sustainable Digital Transformation [20:59] – Teresa’s Thoughts and Future Vision Connect with Teresa Eastwood-Kiefer: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresa-eastwood/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresa-eastwood/] * Website (Company): https://www.roche.com/ [https://www.roche.com/] Connect with Jake Herway: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeherway/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeherway/] Follow ValueAdd Group: * Website: https://www.valueaddgroup.com/ [https://www.valueaddgroup.com/] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/valueadd-group/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/valueadd-group/] Follow the Podcast: * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valueaddgroup/podcasts [https://www.youtube.com/@valueaddgroup/podcasts] * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/accelerating-digital-adoption-in-healthcare/id1815823125 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/accelerating-digital-adoption-in-healthcare/id1815823125] * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1v4xjAZstZYqocvmpU7ZRL?si=7a6a7703415c4ab8 [https://open.spotify.com/show/1v4xjAZstZYqocvmpU7ZRL?si=7a6a7703415c4ab8]

Realizing Interoperability - Bo Lora, Former Amazon Principal Design Technologist

Bo has seen every corner of the tech world, and the natural world! With the accumulation of experience, insatiable curiosity, Bo has launched from Amazon to found Scientix.ai, next generation Ontology for Healthcare & Life Sciences. A humanist first, his unmatched AI and tech talent is approachable and real. Going after interoperability in data sets along the healthcare value chain and within the industry, Bo has leadership, AI, and life wisdom every leader needs to hear!

Sometimes It's About Being Bold! - Cenk Undey - iCMC Digital Transformation Lead, Sanofi

It’s not necessarily the technology as much, it’s really the digital mindset and how you think about digital and transforming. It’s really transforming the way you’re working. To be honest with you, how much of this is hype? How much of this is reality is something we need to sort out and be careful how we are using it. Biopharma is known to be a little slow adapting of these technologies, but even compared to other technologies that are slow to penetrate (GenAI) has a very big competitive edge. I see so many applications for AI but one thing that doesn’t change is in order for these things to work, you need to have a strong, very strong data foundation. Sometimes we call it AI-ready data. My personal horizon is to see end to end, research from molecule to patient, but then getting the feedback loop – patients, care takers, manufacturing, suppliers – to get your medicines faster, better, in cost-effective ways to the patient. I’ve been doing this for 30 years. Five, ten years ago this was a pipedream. With how digital capabilities have advanced and skill sets, this gives me hope. Everyone at every level is skilled, interested, and motivated to use these technologies and thinking ways how they can use it better. My colleagues in IT are learning more science. And my colleagues in science are learning more in digital. That’s another reason [for hope].What works for me to differentiate is I always talk about, “What can we do? We are doing something to carry out our core business. How can I do that more automated, simpler, so I can focus on more value-added things?” But how do you bring everyone along? One exercise from my UCLA Anderson gift is I apply what’s called bringing the future to present. You simulate, “What if we are there and actually living the moment. How would we experience it?” Once we see it together, it’s hugely empowering for the team. Sometimes it’s about being bold. Take on risks, proper risks, but then go for it and try!