Tania Small

Bio:

Dr. Tania Small is a physician, scientist, humanist, and systems builder shaping a new standard for how biopharma develops breakthrough science and carries it into meaningful patient impact. She is advancing Patient-Driven Science—the enterprise discipline of building science around patient realities and the systems required to change care and improve lives.

She began her career as a pediatric hematologist-oncologist, caring for children and families facing life-threatening diseases. Those experiences shaped her conviction that patients should not simply be the destination of innovation; their realities should help determine its direction. That perspective has guided her from the bedside into global biopharma leadership.

As Senior Vice President and Head of Medical Affairs at Bristol Myers Squibb, Dr. Small leads a global organization of physicians, scientists, and medical professionals advancing medicines across oncology, hematology, cardiovascular disease, immunology, and neuroscience. Her work brings patient realities into enterprise decisions earlier and builds the evidence, trust, partnerships, and systems required to carry innovation into clinical practice. Throughout her career, she has helped lead the development and approval of more than a dozen medicines across more than 30 indications.

A frequent keynote speaker, Dr. Small is the founder, executive producer, and host of DoctoRx Unscripted, a platform for candid, scientifically rigorous conversations about medicine, innovation, and the future of healthcare.

She is Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society in New York City, serves on the board of the Accreditation Council for Medical Affairs, and recently received the 2026 American Cancer Society Humanitarian Award for her commitment to improving the lives of people facing cancer and other serious diseases.

Her defining principle is simple: science only matters when it changes the lives of patients.