Gaurav Shah, MD

Gaurav Shah, a co-founder of Rocket Pharma, serves as Chief Executive Officer and Corporate Board Member. Prior to this role Gaurav was a Global Program Head in the Cell & Gene Therapies Unit at Novartis, where he had strategic oversight of 12 functions and helped spearhead pivotal trials with CART-19 for patients with leukemia and lymphoma. Earlier roles at Novartis included Global Clinical Program Head for CART-19 and for Biosimilars, and lead physician for Afinitor in several global oncology submissions. Gaurav started his career in industry at ImClone/Eli Lilly as a Medical Director overseeing oncology trials focused on monoclonal antibodies. Gaurav graduated from Harvard College (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) with a degree in behavioral neuroscience. He received his MD from Columbia (AOA), completed his internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and hematology/oncology fellowship training at Memorial-Sloan Kettering. After receiving board certification in medical oncology, he served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Oncology at Columbia. To find balance, Gaurav also has a passion for Indian classical music and has toured extensively including performances at Carnegie Hall and on National Geographic TV, a feature in the Smithsonian Grammy nominations in 2019 (Falu’s Bazaar) and 2024 (Abundance in Millets) and 2022 Grammy win (A Colorful World).