Ben Challis

As Vice President and Head of Translational Science & Experimental Medicine for Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism (CVRM), I lead our human target validation, biomarker and precision medicine departments, working closely with team leaders in both early and late CVRM research. I help to direct our early-stage research priorities in CVRM and am involved in a multitude of initiatives across our early CVRM portfolio.

Our team’s collective ambition is to stop, reverse, and one day, cure CRVM diseases by delivering innovative, life-changing medicines and solutions to patients. Across our departments, patients are always the starting point of our work. To that end, the foundation of our research relies heavily on human clinical data and biological samples, rather than cellular or animal modelling.

I completed my PhD and MD at the University of Cambridge, Departments of Clinical Biochemistry and Medicine and am currently a practicing endocrinologist. The time I spend with patients shapes my understanding of their needs as well as the gaps they experience in existing healthcare systems. This is both rewarding and incredibly valuable to the work I do each day at AstraZeneca.

Working across industry and applied medicine, a key priority for me as department head is ensuring we have a clear purpose as a team. I encourage open communication of priorities to foster a collaborative and stimulating work environment where we can work together to push the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines to our patients.