Dr. Corriel:
Hi everyone, and welcome to another episode! Today, we’re featuring an article from our magazine spotlighting Dr. Kristiyana Kaneva and her journey of humility, courage, and mentorship in healthcare. I’m excited to dive right in—Dr. Kaneva is here with me. Welcome! To start, can you tell our audience a bit more about yourself?

Dr. Kaneva:
Thank you so much, Dr. Corriel, for inviting me to your podcast. My name is Kristiyana Kaneva, and I’m a pediatric oncologist by training. For the past five years, I’ve been working in the healthcare industry outside of clinical medicine. I was most recently at Tempus AI, a data and diagnostics company focused on molecular diagnostics for cancer. I worked on developing new diagnostics for oncology patients and recently transitioned into the pharmaceutical industry, where I now focus on the clinical development of oncology drugs.

Dr. Corriel:
Wonderful—congratulations! We featured your interview in our magazine’s leadership section, especially timely given our recent Women in Healthcare Leadership Conference. With that in mind, many of our questions today will focus on leadership. First up: you recently moved from Tempus to AbbVie. What inspired this change, and how did you know it was the right time?

Dr. Kaneva:
Great question. It wasn’t an easy decision—it took a lot of thought. I realized I wanted to learn more about drug development, and it felt like a “now or never” moment in terms of my career. I wanted to diversify my skill set. I’m very comfortable in molecular diagnostics, but diagnostics are only part of the puzzle—you need drugs to actually treat patients. So while it was a big change in workflow and environment, I’ve been happy with the transition.

Dr. Corriel:
You’re now serving as a Medical Director in early oncology development at AbbVie. What does a typical day look like for you, and how do you plan to make an impact?

Dr. Kaneva:
I’m still settling in—I’ve been with AbbVie for just over a month—but my days are collaborative. I work with a fantastic, multidisciplinary team focused on early drug development. It’s a hybrid role, so I work from home on Mondays and Fridays—like today—and I’m in the office the rest of the week. My goal is to contribute meaningfully to AbbVie’s mission and make a positive impact in oncology.

Dr. Corriel:
You mentioned being promoted twice at Tempus. What do you think contributed most to that growth?

Dr. Kaneva:
Hard work, definitely—but also the ability to collaborate effectively and stay humble. I valued everyone’s contributions to the projects we worked on, and I think that mindset is key to succeeding in biotech, health tech, and pharma. Working well with others really matters.

Dr. Corriel:
That’s great advice. Speaking of career transitions, many clinicians are curious about moving into pharma but don’t know where to start. What would you say to them?

Dr. Kaneva:
I’d say: network. Reach out to colleagues who’ve made the transition and ask for feedback. Reflect on what you truly enjoy doing and how those interests could translate to industry. Clinical skills are highly transferable—it’s just a matter of finding the right niche and aligning it with your passions.

Dr. Corriel:
You’re clearly passionate about mentorship. What’s your approach, and how do you balance it with your own career growth?

Dr. Kaneva:
Mentorship is very important to me. I aim to identify what’s unique about each mentee and help them develop their potential. Sometimes we don’t recognize our own strengths, and having someone to reflect them back to us can be transformative. I make time for mentorship because it’s deeply fulfilling and helps shape the next generation of leaders.

Dr. Corriel:
What’s a common leadership mistake in healthcare, and how can new leaders avoid it?

Dr. Kaneva:
One common mistake is jumping in and trying to change too much too quickly—especially when you’re new to a role or organization. The best leaders I’ve observed take time to listen, understand what’s already working, and only make thoughtful changes where needed. And they involve their teams in the process, rather than making decisions unilaterally.

Dr. Corriel:
You’ve had several impactful mentors—from high school to fellowship to pharma. How have those relationships shaped your leadership?

Dr. Kaneva:
They’ve been absolutely instrumental. From my high school teacher who believed in me even before I spoke English fluently, to mentors in medical school and industry, each one helped shape my path. For example, Dr. Jacqueline Beigel at CHLA introduced me to precision oncology, and at Tempus, Dr. Kim Blackwell and Dr. Helen Mary supported my growth and ensured I had a seat at the table. I’ve been very fortunate.

Dr. Corriel:
You’ve gone from leading a team at a smaller company to an individual contributor role at a large pharma. What leadership skills are you relying on most during this transition?

Dr. Kaneva:
It’s a big shift—going from delegation to focusing on personal contributions. But leadership isn’t just about managing people. It’s about building strong relationships, contributing to good decision-making, and fostering collaboration. Those skills still apply, even if my role is different.

Dr. Corriel:
Final question—if you had to create a personal leadership mantra for this chapter of your career, what would it be?

Dr. Kaneva:
That success is not linear. Building a meaningful career sometimes involves lateral moves or stepping down from a title to build new skills. My current role may be a step back on paper, but it’s a strategic investment in my long-term growth. That would be my mantra for this season.

Dr. Corriel:
That’s a beautiful note to end on. Thank you so much for this thoughtful conversation. Is there anything else you’d like to leave our audience with?

Dr. Kaneva:
Nothing more—just thank you for the opportunity, and I wish everyone a great day!

Dr. Corriel:
And thank you for joining us. Until next time.