Alexander Saint-Amand
Current Position: Co-Founder & CEO, Topography Health
LinkedIn: [alexandernyc](http://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandernyc)
Location: New York, NY
Professional Summary
Alexander Saint-Amand is a distinguished entrepreneur and executive with a deep track record of building and scaling information-driven B2B platforms in healthcare and professional learning. Currently, he serves as Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Topography Health, a healthcare technology company focused on transforming clinical research infrastructure for community physicians and expanding patient access to clinical drug trials.
Company Overview: Topography Health
Topography Health was co-founded in 2020 by Alexander Saint-Amand, Andrew Kirchner, and Mac Parish. The company is dedicated to building a national network of community physicians empowered to conduct clinical drug trials, thereby closing gaps in the clinical trial infrastructure that restrict patient access and physician engagement.
- Funding:
- $27.5 million raised at launch (January 2022; [PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/topography-health-launches-with-27-5m-funding-to-empower-community-physicians-to-run-clinical-drug-trials-301464142.html))
- Additional $21.5 million round (reported February 2022)
- Backers include venture capital firms such as a16z Bio + Health and Bain Capital Ventures
- Market Focus & Insights:
- Topography Health aims to address the substantial resource and infrastructure challenges facing community-based clinical trial programs. Alexander has publicly discussed how the capital required for physicians to establish clinical trial infrastructure often exceeds hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- The platform’s mission is to make clinical research “more joyful for physicians” and directly accessible to patients, especially in the wake of major shocks to research ecosystems such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Topography’s approach leverages technology and network effects to democratize research access outside traditional academic medical centers.
- Recent Activities and Thought Leadership:
- Media/Panels: Frequent guest and speaker on sector podcasts (such as Podnosis and a16z Bio + Health), sharing thought leadership on closing the infrastructure gap, rethinking the economics of clinical trials, and innovation in physician research engagement.
- Industry Commentary: Contributed articles and survey insights to outlets like MedCity News, BusinessWire, and Fortune on the evolving landscape of clinical trials.
Career Background
Previous Experience
- GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group, Inc.)
- Role: Founder, President, and CEO (served 1998–c. 2018)
- Under his leadership, GLG became a global pioneer in expert networks, connecting professionals and investors with subject matter experts and building a network of over 170,000 professionals, including many top healthcare experts.
- Oversaw expansion from financial services into serving Fortune 1000 companies across multiple verticals.
- Secured major strategic growth investments, scaling both the company’s product offerings and global reach.
- Drove innovation in consultative business development and learning-oriented business models, establishing GLG as a standard for professional knowledge exchange platforms.
- Recognition:
- Regarded as a “chief architect” of GLG’s mission to transform how professionals share expertise.
Education
- University of Virginia, B.A., Echols Scholar, graduated 1999
- Noted for academic distinction as an Echols Scholar, an honor awarded to top incoming students
Domain Expertise and Strategic Vision
Alexander Saint-Amand’s expertise encompasses:
- Healthcare Innovation & Infrastructure:
Focused on healthcare delivery, clinical research economics, and technology platform development for scalable, impactful change.
- Network Effect Platforms:
Deep experience creating and leveraging networks of professionals, as evidenced both at GLG and Topography.
- Go-to-Market Strategy:
Has spoken and written extensively on getting GTM right in regulated and relationship-driven sectors such as healthcare.
- Physician Engagement & Patient Access:
Advocacy and product leadership to expand research access, emphasizing the need for community practices to be empowered as decentralized research sites.
Key Public Engagements & Industry Influence
- Conference Speaker & Panelist: Regular appearances at industry podcasts (HIMSSCast, Podnosis), conferences, and investor panels regarding the challenges and opportunities in clinical research infrastructure and physician engagement.
- Published Thought Leadership: Contributions to major outlets including Fortune, MedCity News, BusinessWire, and podcast interviews with a16z Bio + Health, establishing him as a visible authority on the intersection of healthcare delivery, research, and technology.
Professional Network & Influence
- Connectedness: Maintains an extensive professional network globally, with over 500 LinkedIn connections and longstanding relationships in both healthcare and professional services sectors.
- Venture and Investment Community: Regularly interacts with prominent venture capital groups and is cited as a key thought partner on clinical research system transformation.
Summary of Actionable Insights
- Strategic priorities at Topography Health focus on enabling community physicians to become research sites at scale, leveraging technology and financial backing to remove long-standing barriers to entry in the trials market.
- Alexander Saint-Amand’s personal brand is strongly associated with scalable platforms, network business models, and healthcare innovation. His approach is data-driven and execution-focused, with an emphasis on practical infrastructure and systemic change rather than abstract vision.
- Potential discussion topics are clinical trial decentralization, physician engagement models, and the intersection of healthcare delivery with technology-enabled infrastructure.
- Expect a pragmatic leader with substantial experience in both startup scaling and established knowledge platforms, deeply invested in transforming healthcare research delivery.
[LinkedIn Profile](http://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandernyc) | [Topography Health](https://topographyhealth.com/)
