Karen Lasch

Dr. Lasch has 19 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with work spanning from R&D clinical development to Medical Affairs.  She began her career in R&D, which served as a critical foundation for understanding clinical study design, rationale, and execution.  In more recent leadership positions in Medical Affairs, she has held responsibilities for medical strategy related to lifecycle management. She has led clinical and commercial cross functional teams, which contributed to the successful launch of 4 GI products. She is currently leading the US medical affairs team for Takeda’s treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (vedolizumab), short bowel syndrome (teduglutide), and chronic idiopathic constipation (prucalopride), as well as planning for novel therapies in complex perianal fistulas and eosinophilic esophagitis.

She has been awarded the Takeda Global Award, which recognizes individuals for exemplifying integrity, fairness, and honesty in their work. Dr. Lasch has a range of therapeutic area exposure including genitourinary and rheumatology with a strong concentration in GI over the past 15 years.  She is a member of the American Gastroenterological Association and Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America.

Dr. Lasch received her Doctor of Medicine in 21 (Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society) from Tufts University and her B.S. degree from the University of Michigan in 1997. She currently lives in Chicago, IL with her husband and their 1 year old son and enjoys all of Chicago’s sporting events, and hiking nature trails with them.