CAMBRIDGE, Masss. and LONDON, Oct. 23,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Flagship Pioneering, the
bioplatform innovation company, today announced that Junaid Bajwa, M.D., has joined its London office as Senior Partner and Head of
United Kingdom. In this role, Dr.
Bajwa will play an integral role in advancing new strategic
opportunities and partnerships for Flagship and its ecosystem of
companies in the United Kingdom
and throughout Europe. Dr. Bajwa
will also serve as Science Partner for Pioneering Intelligence,
Flagship's strategic initiative that is building unique AI/ML
knowledge to accelerate innovation across the ecosystem.
Dr. Bajwa joins Flagship from Microsoft Research, where he has
served as Chief Medical Scientist. During his tenure, he focused on
how trusted, reliable, and human-centered artificial intelligence
(AI) can revolutionize the practice of medicine. His extensive
background, spanning over two decades, includes experience in
primary care, secondary care, and public health settings. Dr. Bajwa
has worked as a payer and policymaker in the UK, specializing in
informatics, digital transformation, and leadership.
"Junaid has broad and deep experience across AI and healthcare,
and a track record of driving successful outcomes in the UK," said
Noubar Afeyan, Ph.D., Founder and
CEO of Flagship Pioneering. "His unique blend of clinical
experience, leadership in medical science, and background in tech
and AI will be invaluable as we continue to expand our footprint in
the UK and to drive innovation in the life sciences sector
globally."
"What drew me to Flagship was the entrepreneurial mindset, the
opportunity to continually learn, and the chance to harness my
clinical and technical background for further impact," added Dr.
Bajwa. "I look forward to partnering with the talented team in the
UK and throughout Flagship globally to collaborate with the
healthcare system, inclusive of payers, providers, and regulators,
to innovate for the benefit of the patients."
About Junaid Bajwa
Junaid Bajwa has over two decades
of experience across primary care, secondary care, and public
health settings. Dr. Bajwa has also worked as a payer and policy
maker in the UK, specializing in informatics, digital
transformation, and leadership. He joins Flagship from Microsoft
Research where he served as Chief Medical Scientist focusing on how
trusted, reliable, and human-centered AI can transform the practice
of medicine. In this role, he led a number of strategic
partnerships with leading health and life sciences organizations
and spearheaded Responsible AI initiatives in the sector. He was
previously the Global Lead for Strategic Alliances and Solutions
for the Global Digital Centre of Excellence at Merck Sharp &
Dohme where he led a range of strategic initiatives to improve
patient care including the establishment of internal partnerships
across the enterprise and external partnerships across the health
care ecosystem. Junaid cofounded VelocityHealth, Europe's first prevention-focused
digital-health accelerator, in partnership with Telefonica, and has
consulted for health care systems across the US, Australia, New
Zealand, Singapore, the
Middle East, and Europe.
Dr. Bajwa serves on the boards of University College London
Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the Medicines and Healthcare
products Regulatory Agency, and HDR UK, a national institute for
health data science. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor at
University College London and a Visiting Scientist at both the
Harvard School of Public Health and NTU
Singapore.
A practicing physician, Dr. Bajwa is triple board certified
in internal medicine, surgery, and primary care, and gained his
medical degree from King's College London. He received his MBA at
the Imperial College Business School in London.
For more about Dr. Bajwa's journey to Flagship and what excites
him about the UK's role in helping drive biotech innovation, watch
"Three Questions with Junaid
Bajwa."
About Flagship Pioneering
Flagship Pioneering invents and builds bioplatform companies,
each with the potential for multiple products that transform human
health or sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has
originated and fostered more than 100 scientific ventures,
resulting in more than $75 billion in
aggregate value. Flagship is operating with $14 billion of assets under management as of its
latest capital raise, announced in July
2024. The current Flagship ecosystem comprises 43 companies,
including Foghorn Therapeutics (NASDAQ: FHTX), Moderna (NASDAQ:
MRNA), Omega Therapeutics (NASDAQ: OMGA), Sana
Biotechnology (NASDAQ: SANA), Generate Biomedicines, Inari, Indigo
Agriculture, and Tessera Therapeutics.
Media Contact
press@flagshippioneering.com
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/flagship-pioneering-announces-appointment-of-junaid-bajwa-as-senior-partner-head-of-united-kingdom-and-science-partner-for-pioneering-intelligence-302283493.html
SOURCE Flagship Pioneering
