The Good Tech Companies - Engineering Health Equity: How Rohit Kadam Is Using Biotech to Close the Gaps in Global Diagnostics

Episode Date: June 9, 2025

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/engineering-health-equity-how-rohit-kadam-is-using-biotech-to-close-the-gaps-in-global-diagnostics. Dr. Rohit Kadam bridges biotech and equity by making diagnostics more accessible—transforming global health through impact, not accolades. Check more stories related to science at: https://hackernoon.com/c/science. You can also check exclusive content about #biotech-innovation, #rohit-kadam, #global-health-equity, #molecular-diagnostics, #qpcr-development, #antimicrobial-resistance, #accessible-diagnostics, #good-company, and more. This story was written by: @jonstojanjournalist. Learn more about this writer by checking @jonstojanjournalist's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. Dr. Rohit Kadam is reshaping biotech by focusing on equity in diagnostics. From COVID-19 qPCR tools to AMR detection, his work blends science with social impact, ensuring innovation reaches underserved communities. Now, he's aiming to scale access even further with a nonprofit mission rooted in global health equity.

This audio is presented by Hacker Noon, where anyone can learn anything about any technology. Engineering Health Equity. How Rohit Kadam is Using Biotech to Close the Gaps in Global Diagnostics by John Stoyan Journalist. Byline. Jason Phillips Rohit Kadam, PhD, is quietly transforming the world of molecular diagnostics, but not by inventing the flashiest new tech. Instead, he ensures that vital diagnostic tools reach those who need them. At the intersection of biology, public health, and product strategy, Dr. Kadam's work is driven by a belief that true scientific innovation is measured not by publication or patent but by impact. A mission rooted in equity, not accolades. Raised in India and

trained in the US, Dr. Kadam entered science with curiosity and purpose. Aiming to make healthcare tools more effective and equitable, his shift from academia to biotech was not a career move but a moral one. He reflects, if the science we create isn't reaching patients, what are we doing? Academic foundations? Real-world ambitions? From an early age, Dr. Kadam sought to align scientific rigor with social impact, a goal that shaped his academic path and later, his biotech journey. He earned a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the Florida Institute of Technology and W. as inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society for Academic Excellence. Eager

to put his theory into practice, Dr. Kadam transitioned from academic research to biotech product management and focused on bringing scientific innovation from the lab to real-world applications. Along his journey, Dr. Kadam learned to adapt to a new country and educational landscape and had to learn to lend scientific precision with commercial strategy when he shifted from academia to industry, Dr. Kadam's vision rapidly saw tangible results when he led the development and commercialization of QPCR instrumentation during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping address global diagnostic shortages, stepped into high-stakes roles at Azure Biosystems in Takara Bio USA, helping lead the rapid development and commercialization of qPCR systems and reagents. His contributions we repivotal in creating diagnostic tools that became foundational to the global pandemic response. His work was deployed, scaled, and

used globally in a moment dr. Kadam describes as, science having to grow up fast. This remarkable feat underscores Dr. Kadam's greatest strength, his rare ability to bridge research with reality. He is obsessed with usability and making sure diagnostic tools are intuitive, affordable, and operational at scale. He summarizes this theory with a common sense approach. Great technology does not matter if a lab cannot run it on a Tuesday night with half its staff missing. Proactively

fighting future threats. Global health contributions. Today, Dr. Kadam focuses on surveillance technologies for antimicrobial resistance, OMR, a looming crisis in global healthcare. Through his product management work, Dr. Kadam enables labs to detect resistant strains early, potentially preventing outbreaks before they start. It is not as headline-grabbing as Covid, but Dr. Kadam sees it as the next great test of global readiness, Dr. Kadam envisions starting a non-profit diagnostics consultancy aimed at making diagnostics accessible to low-income developing countries.

He wants to democratize innovation, proving that excellence in science does not have to comeet the cost of access. As he often says, the true test of biotech isn't what IT can do, but who it helps. With a track record rooted in purpose and execution, drive, Rohit Kadam is ready to scale his impact even further. Thank you for listening to this Hacker Noon story, read by Artificial Intelligence. Visit hackernoon.com to read, write, learn and publish.