In this episode of Spread Love in Organizations, Naji is joined by Amy Simon, Chief Medical Officer of Beam, for a conversation about leadership, scientific innovation, humility, and the human side of healthcare. Amy shares her remarkable journey from physician-scientist and academic researcher at Tufts University to biotech executive leading the development of transformative medicines. She reflects on what drew her to medicine, her passion for solving complex problems, and how curiosity and a desire to bring scientific discoveries closer to patients shaped her career.
Amy opens up about one of the most important transitions in her career: moving from academia, where she had built expertise and recognition, into biotech, where she had to relearn how to lead in a different environment. She shares the humility that came with realizing that technical expertise alone is not enough — effective leadership requires influence without authority, continuous learning, curiosity, and the ability to create environments where people feel safe to speak up. We discuss psychological safety, trust, healthy conflict, feedback, and the importance of building cultures where diverse perspectives can help teams make better decisions.
We also explore the future of medicine and the promise of precision therapies, including how new technologies could transform the way we prevent and treat disease. Amy shares her hope for the next generation of leaders: people who are mission-driven, willing to challenge conventional thinking, and courageous enough to innovate beyond what has been done before. A powerful conversation on leadership as a never-ending journey, the responsibility we have to patients, and why bringing humanity, care, and even love into organizations can help us achieve extraordinary things together.
“We never stop growing or needing to grow.”
MEET OUR GUEST Amy Simon, M.D. is Chief Medical Officer of Beam.
Amy Simon, M.D. is Chief Medical Officer of Beam. Dr. Simon brings more than 20 years of clinical experience to Beam, serving in roles as a physician-scientist in academia and the biotechnology industry.
Dr. Simon joins Beam from Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, where she spent over a decade in various roles with increasing responsibility for the clinical development of RNAi-based medicines, most recently serving as Vice President, Clinical Development. During her tenure at Alnylam, she led the successful execution of clinical programs from natural history studies to Phase 1 through Phase 4 studies, regulatory interactions with both U.S. and ex-U.S. authorities, and drug approvals in the U.S. and EU. Dr. Simon was the lead clinician developing GIVLAARI® (givosiran) for patients with acute hepatic porphyria, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2019. Prior to entering the biotech industry, Dr. Simon worked in academia at Tufts University, serving as a professor and a director of the Asthma Center in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division at Tufts University School of Medicine and as a professor at Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Science where her laboratory conducted basic science research on asthma. She began her career in clinical practice, training as a resident in internal medicine and as a fellow in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Tufts Medical Center.
Dr. Simon holds a B.A. in History and Science from Harvard University, and an M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Amy Simon
Naji Gehchan: Welcome to SpreadLove in Organizations, the healthcare leadership podcast where we explore leadership with purpose.I’m Naji, your host, and I’m delighted to be joined today by Amy Simon, Chief Medical Officer of Beam. Amy brings more than 20 years of clinical experience, serving in roles as a physician-scientist in academia and the biotechnology industry. Prior to Beam, Amy spent over a decade at Alnylam in various roles of increasing responsibility leading the clinical development of RNAi-based medicines, most recently serving as Vice President of Clinical Development. During her tenure there, she led successful clinical programs from natural history…
