News Release

Michael Milken Engages Crisis Leaders in New Podcast

Responding to COVID-19: Conversations with Mike Milken features medical research, business, and public policy leaders

LOS ANGELES, April 7, 2020 – The Milken Institute today introduced a new program focusing on leaders in the war against COVID-19 who are charting the path to recovery from the health and economic crisis.

Responding to COVID-19: Conversations with Mike Milken is an illuminating series of interviews conducted by Milken Institute chairman Michael Milken with individuals at the forefront of public health, medical research, the bio-pharmaceutical industry, finance, education, public policy, and other areas. The series is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other platforms, as well as on the Milken Institute website, with transcripts included.

In one of the first episodes, Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky shares up-to-the-minute insights into the development of a lead candidate for a COVID-19 vaccine that is on track to start a human trial in September.

Among other guests to be featured are:

James Allison, Nobel laureate and immunologist, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
David Baltimore, Nobel laureate and president meritus; Caltech
Arie Belledegrun, oncologist and co-founder of Allogene
Francis Collins, director, National Institutes of Health
Lynn Goldman, dean, George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health
Alex Gorsky, chairman and CEO, Johnson & Johnson
Rod Hochman, chair-elect, American Hospitals Association, president & CEO, Providence
Esther Krofah, executive director, FasterCures
Freda Lewis Hall, chief patient officer and executive vice president, Pfizer
Rob Manfred, commissioner, Major League Baseball
Eric Schmidt, former executive chairman, Alphabet
Padmanee Sharma, oncologist, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

“We have been working in six areas to address this crisis: education, testing, prevention, treatments, development of cures and financial assistance,” Milken said. “These podcasts with leaders on the front lines of medical research, industry and government are part of our education initiative to give the public an accurate frame of reference. We want to help people get safely back to work and we want to assure that the international community is better prepared for the next crisis.”

As an organization, the Milken Institute has mobilized its staff, along with its research and programmatic agenda in the battle against COVID-19 and to spur recovery from the crisis. In addition to the podcast series, resources and programs being made widely available include a webinar series, a COVID-19 treatment and vaccine tracker, among other projects.

Milken Institute experts with frontline experience in health, finance, and public policy are also available to provide expertise and insight through media interviews and in various other platforms.

Updates and additional details about these and other programs underway will be posted online at https://milkeninstitute.org/ and on social media @milkeninstitute