Sam Hong, Ph.D is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Rapafusyn Pharmaceuticals, a pre-clinical stage startup developing macrocycle-based therapeutics for treatment of various disease indications. The company is also a commercial spinout of research conducted in the lab of Dr. Jun Liu at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where Sam conducted his doctoral thesis. We chat about his journey from a post-baccalaureate fellowship at a synthetic chemistry lab at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to his current position, and everything in between. Sam also shares how he honed his business acumen, the importance of proving out a skillset, and what the work environment is like at a pharmaceutical startup company.For updates about upcoming guests, follow us on social media at Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter and visit us at hopkinsbiotechpodcast.com to check out our mission and full catalogue of episodes.Hosted by Roshan Chikarmane and Jenna Glatzer. Music by Richard Joseph Haid. Special thanks to the Office of the Provost at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine for making this program possible.