Lu Zheng PhD & Max Kersting
DISRUPTING THE DISRUPTORS FRoM WITHIN
For years, healthcare braced for “big tech” disruption. Yet costs rose, infrastructure lagged, and workforce pressures intensified—not because technology is irrelevant, but because medicine is a clinical, human system that tech alone cannot rewrite. Biopharma can lead the next wave by building expert teams and durable platforms that turn digital from a set of projects into a repeatable capability.
The future of digital health isn’t more apps—it’s systems that learn.
The operating model is the story. Progress now depends on moving beyond vendor-led pilots and temporary task forces to embedded, high-performing product teams—spanning clinical, regulatory, engineering, design—and on building interoperable platforms that scale what works. Fit-for-purpose partnerships should extend internal capacity without outsourcing ownership. A clear North Star aligns business cases to long-term architecture, avoiding strategy debt and turning outcomes into a continuous, closed-loop learning cycle that strengthens medicines, not just tools.
When Capability Becomes the Strategy:
From Resources to Experts and Systems
What you’ll learn
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Why biopharma is positioned to lead in a trust- and regulation-driven ecosystem—and what has to change to do so
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How to shift from disconnected initiatives to embedded expert teams and modular platforms that reduce infrastructure and strategy debt
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What fit-for-purpose partnerships look like—and why ownership of product, architecture, and roadmaps must stay inside
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How a strategic North Star aligns investments, accelerates reuse, and turns projects into capability
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Why closed-loop systems (learning from real-world use) convert digital tools into long-term strategic assets that amplify therapy, outcomes, and value models
Lu Zheng is Vice President, Head of Digital Health at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, where she leads the enterprise-wide digital strategy and innovation across R&D, commercial, and patient-facing domains. With deep experience in strategic planning, digital transformation, and launch excellence, she has held a variety of leadership roles across the pharmaceutical industry. Lu holds a PhD in Molecular Cancer Research from the University of Zurich and an MBA from the University of St. Gallen. She is active in health partnerships and alumni governance, and co-founded the Etheoros HealthData Foundation to advance decentralized health data ownership and management.
About the Author
Lu Zheng PHD
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Max Kersting is Head of Digital Health Platform at Takeda Pharmaceuticals. He is currently driving a flagship initiative in narcolepsy, where he is exploring new ways of working and technology choices in close collaboration with cross-functional teams. Prior to Takeda, Max founded a VC-backed digital health start-up, exited a consumer tech company, and advised pharmaceutical and corporate clients on digital product and growth strategy. He holds a Master’s degree in Management and Entrepreneurship.
About the Author
Max Kersting
