A novel approach to treating neurodegenerative disease

Guest: Dr. Leen Kawas, Ph.D., President and CEO, Athira Pharma

In this episode of Conversations in Healthcare, Mike Ward, Global Head of Thought Leadership at Clarivate, speaks with Dr. Leen Kawas, president and CEO of Athira Pharma. Dr. Kawas shares the company’s innovative approach to treating Alzheimer’s disease by developing small molecules to restore neuronal health and stop neurodegeneration. They also discuss Athira’s recent IPO following a successful series B funding round, all during the pandemic. Learn more in the full episode.

About our guest

Leen Kawas, Ph.D., has served as chief executive officer and as a member of board of directors since January 2014. Previously, Dr. Kawas served as vice president. Dr. Kawas serves on multiple boards, including the Washington Governor’s Life Science Advisory Board, Scientific Review Board for the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation and Alzheimer’s Association – Washington Chapter Board. She also served as the co-chair of the International Alzheimer’s Association Business Consortium.

Dr. Kawas earned a Ph.D. in molecular pharmacology from Washington State University in 2011 and a pharmacy degree from the University of Jordan in 2008.

About our host

Mike Ward serves as Global Head of Thought Leadership at Clarivate. As both a journalist and analyst, Mike has been writing, analyzing and commenting on the life sciences industry for more than 35 years. He has held editorial and content leadership roles at various publications and organizations across the industry.