Sammi Rui Tang, PhD

Dr. Rui (Sammi) Tang is a senior pharmaceutical executive and drug development leader with extensive experience spanning research, development, medical, data, and business strategy. She is Senior Vice President and Global Head of Quantitative Sciences and Evidence Generation at Astellas Pharmaceuticals, where she drives data and evidence based enterprise decision making across clinical development, analytics, and portfolio strategy. She also serves as Site Head of the Astellas Life Sciences Center (ALSC), with responsibility for site management and operations across integrated Research, Medical & Development, Business Development, and IT teams, while fostering partnerships across Cambridge and the broader life sciences ecosystem.
Dr. Tang is recognized for driving R&D innovation through the application of AI, advanced analytics, and external data, bridging science, data, and business to improve development efficiency, portfolio value, and patient impact. Across her career, she has contributed to the development, regulatory approval, market access, and lifecycle management of therapies across oncology, rare diseases, gene and cell therapy, neurology, ophthalmology, and other therapeutic areas—helping bring innovative medicines to patients worldwide.
Previously, Dr. Tang served as Vice President and Global Head of Biometrics at Servier Pharmaceuticals, advancing AI-driven analytics to enhance drug development, and as Therapeutic Area Head of Biostatistics at Shire Pharmaceuticals, overseeing key functions across multiple therapeutic areas. She also held pivotal roles at Vertex, Amgen, Mayo Clinic, and Merck, contributing to drug development innovation and advancements that have supported the approval of life-saving therapies impacting millions worldwide.
She has authored more than 50 peer reviewed scientific publications and is an active leader in advancing the integration of science, data, and AI in drug development. Dr. Tang is an Adjunct Professor at Yale University School of Public Health, co-founder of DahShu (a global nonprofit with 6,000 members), and holds a PhD in Statistical Genetics and an Executive MBA from MIT Sloan.