Expanding the CMO Role: The Value of Difference

In this episode of The Emerging Biotech Leader, Chief Business Officer Kim Kushner and Dr. Carrie Brownstein, SVP Medical at SSI Strategy are joined by Dr. Chrystal Louis, Chief Medical Officer at TScan Therapeutics, to discuss how different professional experiences shape leadership approaches in the biotechnology sector. Dr. Louis brings extensive experience across clinical development and medical affairs, with a career spanning pediatric oncology, industry leadership roles, and the buildout of medical strategy teams at both early-stage and commercial-stage biotech companies.

Drawing on their respective backgrounds in clinical development and medical affairs, Dr. Brownstein and Dr. Louis explore how different career experiences shape decision-making, stakeholder engagement, and development strategies within the CMO role.

Being a CMO with medical affairs expertise often brings a broader focus on patient access, payer engagement, and real-world adoption, while those from clinical development backgrounds typically lead with regulatory strategy and trial execution. Dr. Brownstein and Dr. Louis explore how both profiles shape the CMO role, and why aligning clinical programs with real-world use is becoming increasingly important. The medical affairs perspective remains less common in biotech leadership today but offers growing strategic value across early and late-stage development.

They also discuss how some biotech companies are shifting focus from oncology to immunology and metabolic diseases, partly in response to changing investment trends. This shift brings new challenges for leadership teams, including recalibrating risk-benefit expectations, regulatory standards, and long-term access planning.

The episode closes with a discussion on the importance of deliberate career development and mentorship, particularly in supporting diverse leadership pipelines. Dr. Louis shares practical advice on planning career moves over a five-year horizon, gaining cross-functional experience, and driving leadership advancement with strategic intent.