Naji Gehchan, MD, MBA, is the Chief Medical and Development Officer at Kyverna Therapeutics and is responsible for the Company’s research, clinical development, regulatory, and medical affairs functions. Naji is an accomplished biopharmaceutical physician-executive with extensive experience in drug development, commercialization, and general management.

Prior to joining Kyverna, Naji worked at Eli Lilly and Company as the Head of Clinical Development for imlunestrant, a novel breast cancer treatment. In this role, he advanced this complex development program from Phase 1 to global submissions, laying the groundwork for a successful launch. He spent more than 16 years at Lilly, holding key senior leadership positions, including Associate Vice President of Sales for the U.S. Diabetes Team and Chief Marketing Officer/Business Unit Senior Director for Lilly France, Belgium and The Netherlands, where he successfully led the launch of Lilly’s immunology medicines. Prior to this, Naji worked as a Business Unit Manager, European Medical Affairs Lead, and Clinical Research Physician. He began his career as a medical doctor at Hôtel-Dieu de France in Beirut and served as a First Responder, Team Leader, and Member of the Medical Committee at the Lebanese Red Cross. In addition to his professional career, Naji has been a Faculty Mentor and Guest Lecturer at MIT Sloan since 2023 and a Lecturer in Leadership and Management at ESCP Business School since 2019.

Naji holds a Doctor of Medicine and a Master of Biological Science from Saint Joseph University of Beirut, a Specialized Master of Healthcare Management and Pharmaceutical Marketing from ESCP Business School, and a Master of Business Administration from MIT Sloan School of Management.