Speaker Profile
Biography
Sarah has more than 20 years of industry experience in leading RD organizations, CLIA and GLP laboratories, device manufacturing, consortiums, assessment and implementation of technology strategies, and development of in vitro diagnostics. In addition, she continuously works to further education and awareness in Precision Medicine and Companion Diagnostic spaces. Prior to joining BMS, Sarah was the Vice President, Precision Medicine Companion Diagnostics for Celgene, where she founded their Precision Medicine Organization in 2016. She joined Celgene after having held the position as the Global Head of Future Precision Medicine for Novartis, where the team submitted and gained approval for multiple Health Authority applications; including the first pre-market approval for a distributable NGS CDx.Sarah has also held multiple roles with increasing responsibility within Johnson and Johnson (JNJ) including Global Head of Operations, Assay Program Leader for Companion Diagnostics Center of Excellence, Director of Materials Process Development and Enabling Technologies.
Session Abstract – PMWC 2026 Silicon Valley
Track Chair:
Burns Blaxall
PMWC Award Ceremony
• Euan Ashley, Stanford
• Jeffrey R. Balser, Vanderbilt
• Howard J. Jacob, Abbvie
Precision Medicine at Scale: Lessons from Vanderbilt
• Jeffrey R. Balser, Vanderbilt
From First Patient to a Million Genomes
• Chair: Howard J. Jacob, Abbvie
• Jeffrey R. Balser, Vanderbilt
• Euan Ashley, Stanford
Keynote: AI and Data-Driven Individual Health: Optimizing Wellness, Preventing Disease and Empowering Precision Medicine
• Lee Hood, Phenome Health
Keys to successful implementation of a Precision Medicine Program
• Chair: Howard McLeod, GeneDx
• Kevan Simms, Ochsner Health
• Chris Lunt, NIH
Key players in successful implementation – Beyond Oncology
• Chair: Damon Hostin, Illumina
• Shaista Malik, UC Irvine
• David E. Lanfear, Henry Ford Health
• Oren Caspi, Rambam
Precision Medicine at Scale: Lessons from a Statewide Genomic Initiative
• Chair: Premal Shah, MyOme
• Niall Lennon, Broad Clinical Labs
Integrating Multi-Modal Biology into Precision Care Pathways: A Systems Framework for Scalable Implementation
• K V Venkatesh, IIT Mumbai
Fireside Chat: From $/Gb to Outcomes: Simplifying Genomics for Health Systems
• Jacob Thaysen, Illumina
Achieving Comprehensive Precision Medicine
• Chair: Burns Blaxall
• Trish Brown, GeneDx
• Charles Sailey, Molecular Testing Labs
• Sarah Hersey, BMS




