Board of Directors and Governance

Dr. Paul is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board for Karuna Pharmaceuticals and the Venture Partner at Third Rock Ventures. He was formerly the Chief Executive Officer of Voyager Therapeutics and the Founding Director of the Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer’s Disease Research Institute and the Burton P. and Judith B. Resnick Distinguished Professor in Neurodegenerative Diseases as well as a DeWitt Senior Scholar and Professor of Neuroscience (Brain and Mind Research Institute), Psychiatry and Pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Paul was also formerly the Executive Vice President of Science and Technology and President of the Lilly Research Laboratories (LRL) of Eli Lilly and Company, overseeing the development of several of Lilly’s largest products including Zyprexa® and Cymbalta®. Prior to assuming his position at Lilly and Weill Cornell Medical College, Dr. Paul served as Scientific Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH/NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Paul is a member of various professional and honorary societies, including Phi Eta Sigma; Alpha Epsilon Delta; Sigma Xi; Phi Beta Kappa; and the Alpha Omega Alpha Honorary Medical Society. He is the recipient of many honors and scientific recognitions, including: The Distinguished Service Medal of the USPHS and the Chief Scientific Officer of the Year Award.  In 1997, Dr. Paul was elected to membership in the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and in 2004 Dr. Paul was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Dr. Paul has authored or co-authored over 500 papers and invited book chapters and was listed as one of the most highly cited scientists in the world (top 50 in Neuroscience) (1980-2000) by the Institute for Scientific Information (I.S.I.), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He holds 9 patents on inventions made both at NIH and Lilly. His current work has focused on the role of apoE in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. He is also an co-inventor of solanezumab, a humanized anti-Aβ monoclonal antibody currently in late-stage clinical testing by Lilly as a potential disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Paul is on the boards of several publicly traded and private biopharmaceutical companies including Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, SAGE Therapeutics and the Sigma Aldrich Company and is also a founder of Sage Therapeutics, Voyager Therapeutics, and Tal Medical, dedicated to discovering and developing novel therapeutics for neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Maria C. Freire, Ph.D. is the President and Executive Director and member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH). The FNIH has a substantive portfolio of innovative research and clinical programs that advance biomedical science. Prior to FNIH, from 2008 to 2012, she was President of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation, where she established programmatic initiatives that expanded the brand and reach of the foundation. From 2001 to 2008, she served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance), a not-for-profit organization that develops drugs to fight tuberculosis, and from 1995 to 2001, she directed the Office of Technology Transfer at the NIH.

Dr. Freire obtained her BS degree at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru, and her PhD in Biophysics from the University of Virginia. She completed postgraduate work in Immunology and Virology at the University of Virginia and the University of Tennessee, respectively, and at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. She is widely recognized as an expert in technology commercialization and has a wide range of experience in the public and private biomedical sectors.

Dr. Freire is active on national and international boards and committees. She is the Chair of the Business Advisory Board of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Barcelona, Spain; is a Director of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.; is on the Board of Directors for Exelixis,Inc.; has served as a member of the Commission on a Global Health Risk Framework for the Future of the National Academy of Medicine and the Executive Committee of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network; and was a member of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Dr. Freire is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2019 “Executive of the Year” Award from NonProfit PRO, the 2017 Gold Stevie Award for “Woman of the Year”, the 2017 Washington Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business Award, the HHS Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service, the Arthur S. Flemming Award and the Bayh-Dole Award.

For more information, please visit Dr. Freire's Wikipedia page.

Watch Dr. Freire speak about the transformative nature of biomedical research on The Open Mind. 

Email address: mfreire@fnih.org

Phone: (301) 443-1811

Distinguished Service Professor of Neuroscience, Pharmacology & Psychiatry
Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University

Mr. Mayer is the former CEO of CoGenesys Inc., a privately owned biopharmaceutical company that he co-founded in 2005. CoGenesys was acquired by Teva in 2008. Prior to joining CoGenesys, Mr. Mayer was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Human Genome Sciences Inc. Mr. Mayer previously served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of GenVec Inc., an early stage gene-therapy company, and Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for TheraTech Inc., a leading drug-delivery company. Mr. Mayer is a Trustee of The Landon School, has served on the NASDAQ Issuer Affairs Committee, on the Financial Accounting Standards Board Small Business Advisory Committee, as a Director and Treasurer of the Strathmore Hall Foundation in North Bethesda, Maryland, and as a Trustee of The Norwood School in Bethesda, Maryland. Mr. Mayer holds a B.A. in economics from Williams College and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

Deeda Blair is a long standing effective advocate for bio medical research. Mrs. Blair is Director Emeritis of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation. She worked closely with Mrs. Lasker on the Citizens Committee for the Conquest of Cancer. Together they initiated one of the most successful public health outreach campaigns. The National Campaign Against High Blood Pressure which sought to educate the public concerning the need for blood pressure screening – involving a collaboration of federal Health Agencies, pharmaceutical companies and the Advertising Council. Mrs. Blair has had a long time interest in cancer research and served for more than 12 years on the Board of the American Cancer Society on the Research Committee, and in the 1970’s served on the Breast Cancer Task Force of the National Cancer Institute and served on the Board of Trustees of the Scripps Research Institute.

Since 1982, Mrs. Blair has had a deep involvement in the Harvard School of Public Health, with a focus on Basic AIDS research. She is Co-Chairman of the Harvard AIDS Initiative International Advisory Council and also serves as an Advisor to the Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease. Through her time living in Asia and Europe as the wife of Ambassador William McCormick Blair, Jr., Mrs. Blair developed an abiding interest in global approach to prevention of infectious diseases and the development of vaccines. She worked as a longtime advisor to Sandoz/Novartis in developing academic collaborations and biotech alliances. She was a consultant to Health Care Ventures for a number of biotech companies.

Dr. Kathy Bloomgarden is the CEO of Ruder Finn, one of the largest independent communications consultancies in the world serving clients across four key pillars – Technology & Innovation, Corporate & Public Trust, Health & Wellness, and Consumer Connections. In her more than 30 years of experience, Dr. Bloomgarden has developed communications programs to help shape and enhance reputation for a clients across industries, including Novartis, Citi, PepsiCo, Cisco, Sanofi and Microsoft. In today’s environment in which business reinvention and transformation has become a vital component of success, she works closely with C-suite executives to highlight the impact their business has on society, as well as their personal leadership values, while also building confidence and engaging stakeholders. Under Dr. Bloomgarden’s leadership, Ruder Finn opened one of the first global communications offices in China over 25 years ago, which has grown to eight offices in the region. Dr. Bloomgarden has also overseen the growth of Ruder Finn Innovation Studios (RFI), one of the industry’s largest dedicated digital teams, with expertise in online presence and reputation management, and development of insights and data analytics.

Dr. Bloomgarden is a board member of the FNIH and the Partnership for New York City, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Advisory Board of the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs.  She is the author of Trust: The Secret Weapon of Effective Business Leaders.  She holds a BA from Brown University, and an MA and Ph.D. from Columbia University in Political Science. She is fluent in French, and has a working knowledge of Chinese, Italian, and basic German and Russian.

Mrs. Buffy Cafritz is an Honorary Trustee of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, advisory member of the Library of Congress, Madison Council. She is a former advisory board member of the Harvard School of Public Health, former board member of Vice President Al Gore’s Residence Foundation, as well as the President Ronald Reagan’s Presidential Foundation, Ford’s Theatre, Sasha Bruce Youthworks, Friends of the Arts and Preservation and The Ronald Reagan Institute of Emergency Medicine.

Marijn Dekkers is currently the founder and chairman of Novalis LifeSciences LLC, an investment and advisory firm for the life science industry. He is also the former Chairman of Unilever.

From 2010-2016, Dr. Dekkers served as Bayer AG’s CEO. He was the first Bayer CEO to be appointed from outside the company. During his tenure, Bayer acquired the consumer care business of Merck & Co., Inc., floated the material science subgroup on the stock market under the name “Covestro,” and systematically focused on the life sciences businesses. Under Dr. Dekkers’ leadership, Bayer’s previous structure - comprising a strategic management holding company and operational subgroups - was replaced by an integrated organization under the umbrella of the Bayer brand. While there he served for two years as President of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI), Frankfurt.

From 2002-2009, Dr. Dekkers served as CEO of Thermo Fisher Scientific (he was COO from 2000-2002). As CEO of Thermo, he initiated extensive restructuring measures, divesting various organizational units and strengthening the company’s core business by means of targeted acquisitions, including the purchase in 2006 of the significantly larger laboratory consumables supplier Fisher Scientific. This created a global life sciences company which now employs 55,000 people and generates annual sales of $18 billion.

Dr. Dekkers began his career in 1985 as a research scientist at General Electric, gaining experience in various units of the company before joining Honeywell International in 1995.

Dr. Dekkers received his Ph.D. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Eindhoven and his B.S. in chemistry from the Radboud University, both in The Netherlands. He holds dual U.S. and Dutch citizenships.

Mr. Donovan has worked in investment banking, investment management and corporate strategy for nearly two decades. He is Managing Partner at Goldman Sachs, a firm he joined in 1993 and has served in a variety of positions. Mr. Donovan is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Virginia School of Law. Mr. Donovan serves on the Board of Trustees of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is a member of The Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology and established the Jim Donovan Fund for Prostate Cancer Research at Dana-Farber in 2008, in honor of a friend who died of cancer. Mr. Donovan earned his B.S. degree in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School in 1989. He earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1993. Mr. Donovan lives with two daughters, two sons and his mother in Virginia. An avid runner, he participates in road races to raise money for cancer prevention and treatment.

In addition to serving as Chairman of the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases. Dr. Herrling is also a professor of Drug Discovery at the University of Basel, Switzerland.

“Paul’s expertise with tropical infectious diseases will be vital to us as we continue our relationship with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and on other global health initiatives,” according to Charles A. Sanders, MD, FNIH chairman. “Bettering global health is a priority for the FNIH.”

Prior to his current position, Herrling was head of both Novartis Institutes for Developing World Medical Research supervising four institutes. In addition to the FNIH, he serves on boards of The Scripps Research Institute, University Council of the University of Basel, Scientific Advisory Committee of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, and is Vice President of the Board of Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology.

“Paul’s strong global network and deep understanding of neglected diseases will make him an invaluable board member,” according to Kathy Bloomgarden, FNIH board member. “He’s dedicated himself to advance biomedical research and provided innovative thinking to the access to medicines debate. He will be an asset in helping to overcome some of the most challenging and integral health issues of today.”

Thomas R. InselThomas R. Insel, M.D, Founder and President of Mindstrong Health, is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist. From 2002-2015, Dr. Insel served as Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) committed to research on mental disorders. Most recently he led the Mental Health Team at Verily.

Prior to his appointment at the NIMH, Dr. Insel was a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Director of the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience at Emory University School of Medicine. He also served as Director of the Center for Autism Research and is a member of the scientific advisory board at the Autism Science Foundation. Dr. Insel is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and has received numerous national and international awards including honorary degrees in the U.S. and Europe

Dr. Kovler, a psychotherapist in private practice for more than 30 years, provides individual, family and couples counseling to adults and adolescents. Dr. Kovler is a Director of the Kovler Foundation, which supports scientific and humanitarian programs. Additionally, she is a Board member at DC Prep, a group of charter elementary and middle schools that work to increase the number of students from underserved communities who succeed in competitive high schools and colleges. Dr. Kovler has worked as a consultant to various government agencies, including the State Department, Treasury Department, Secret Service and the White House. In the Washington, D.C., area, she has served as a consultant to several schools and corporations. Dr. Kovler earned a BA from Stanford University, an MSW from the University of California, Berkley, and a PhD from Catholic University.

Dr. Krall is Adjunct Professor of Neurology at the University of Rochester. He is a member of the Board of the Foundation for the NIH, of the Safety Board of Takeda Pharmaceuticals, is Chairman of the Board of Pierian Biosciences and consults for a number of healthcare companies.

Former Chief Medical Officer for GlaxoSmithKline (Retired), Dr. Krall worked for four companies (Lorex Pharmaceuticals, Abbott Laboratories, Zeneca/AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline) over 25 years.  His areas of expertise include the ethics of human subject experimentation, drug development, regulatory science and the safety of medicines.  Dr. Krall was a founding member of the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership, served on its Executive Committee and led its research subcommittee.

Dr. Krall is a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, holds a B.A. in mathematics from Swarthmore College, an M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, was a Staff Associate in the Epilepsy Branch of the National Institutes of Health, and completed his training in neurology and a fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Rochester.

Dr. Krall currently makes his home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where he serves as Chair of the Board of the Yampa Valley Community Foundation, is President of the Timbers Water and Sanitation District, and serves as advisor and ranch manager for BookTrails, a 501(c)3 literacy organization for children. Dr. Krall and his wife own and operate Off the Beaten Path, an independent bookstore, coffeehouse and bakery café (www.steamboatbooks.com) - one of the 28 “coolest” independent bookstores in America (https://matadornetwork.com/read/28-coolest-independent-book-stores-us/).

During her 35-year career in medicine, Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall has been on the frontlines of health care as a clinician, educator, researcher and leader in the biopharmaceuticals and life sciences industries. She served as Pfizer, Inc.’s Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President until the end of 2018 and as Chief Patient Officer and Executive Vice President during 2019. In these roles, Dr. Lewis-Hall expanded outreach to patients, reshaped the focus on patient engagement and inclusion, improved health information and education and amplified the voice of the patient within company culture and decision-making. She was responsible for the safe, effective and appropriate use of Pfizer medicines and vaccines. 

Before joining Pfizer, Dr. Lewis-Hall held senior leadership positions of Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President, Medicines Development at Vertex Pharmaceuticals; Senior Vice President, US Pharmaceuticals at Bristol Myers Squibb; Vice President, Research and Development, Product Development at Pharmacia Corporation; and Product Team Leader and Director at Eli Lilly and Company. 

Dr. Lewis-Hall currently serves on the Board of Fellows of The Harvard Medical School, the Board of Advisors of the Dell Medical School and the Board of Governors for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. She currently serves on the corporate boards of Milliken and Company, a global diversified industrial manufacturer; 1Life Healthcare, Inc., a health services company; Exact Sciences, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company; and SpringWorks Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company.

Prior to joining the biopharmaceutical industry, Dr. Lewis-Hall served as vice chairperson and associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Howard University College of Medicine and was an advisor to the National Institute of Mental Health. She earned a B.A. in Natural Sciences from The Johns Hopkins University and an M.D. from Howard University College of Medicine. She launched her medical career as a practicing physician and then focused her academic research on the effects of health care disparities and the impact of mental illness on families and communities.

Dr. Lewis-Hall is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom. She is a frequent speaker on issues such as improving patient safety and health outcomes, reducing stigma and health care disparities, women’s health, public health, corporate leadership and diversity. Dr. Lewis-Hall is an accomplished developer of consumer education and medical outreach programs, including national television and radio shows such as segments on Dr. Phil, The Doctors, THE REAL, TEDMed, The Urban Health Report and multiple online sites.

With more than two decades of experience in law and business, Ms. Julie Bell Lindsay serves as the Executive Director at the Center for Audit Quality (CAQ), a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization which that advocates on behalf of the public company auditing profession.

Prior to her time at CAQ, Ms. Lindsay served as was Managing Director & Deputy Head of Global Regulatory Affairs at Citigroup Inc. and as Counsel for Hogan Lovells.

In addition, among other endeavors, she served as Counsel to Commissioner Cynthia Glassman at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Ms. Lindsay holds a B.A. in political science from The Ohio State University as well as a J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School.

Dr. Liu is the President and CEO of The Jackson Laboratory, an independent, not-for-profit organization focusing on mammalian genetics research, in order to advance human health. Dr. Liu, who is also a Past President of the Human Genome Organisation, joined the Laboratory in January 2012 from the Genome Institute of Singapore. As its founding Executive Director, he built the Genome Institute from a staff of three into a major research institute of 27 laboratory groups and a staff of 270, with faculty in functional genomics, computational biology, population genetics and genome-to-systems biology. Before moving to Singapore in 2001, Dr. Liu was the scientific director of the National Cancer Institute’s then Division of Clinical Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Liu’s research has focused on the functional genomics of human cancers, particularly breast cancer, uncovering new oncogenes and deciphering the dynamics of gene regulation on a genomic scale. He has authored over 300 scientific papers and reviews and co-authored two books. Dr. Liu is a native of Hong Kong. In his spare time, he pursues jazz piano and composition and writes for the lay public on science, medicine and society.

Joel S. Marcus is the Executive Chairman and Founder of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE), an urban office REIT uniquely focused on collaborative life science and technology campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations. Mr. Marcus co-founded Alexandria in 1994 as a garage startup with $19 million in Series A capital and, as Chief Executive Officer from March 1997 to April 2018, has led its growth into an S&P 500 company with an approximately $18 billion total market capitalization and a total shareholder return of approximately 1,300% since the company’s IPO in 1997. Today, Alexandria, which celebrated its 20th anniversary as an NYSE listed REIT in May 2017, is the only publicly traded pure-play office/laboratory REIT.

Mr. Marcus has built Alexandria’s unique business model around four business verticals — real estate, venture investments, thought leadership, and corporate responsibility. With its core focus on real estate, Alexandria has a proven track record of developing Class A buildings on urban life science and technology campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, including Greater Boston, San Francisco, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle Park. In 1996, Mr. Marcus founded the company’s venture capital arm, Alexandria Venture Investments, to provide strategic investment capital to innovative life science and technology entities developing breakthrough therapies and technologies. Mr. Marcus introduced the company’s thought leadership platform in 2011, when he co-founded the renowned Alexandria Summit®. The Alexandria Summit convenes a diverse group of visionary partners and key stakeholders — from the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agribusiness, technology, medical, academic, venture capital, private equity, philanthropic, patient advocacy, and government communities — to address the most critical challenges in global healthcare, agriculture, and the environment. Focusing on sustainability and philanthropy, Alexandria’s corporate responsibility business vertical affirms the company’s commitment to making a positive impact on the world. Mr. Marcus is also personally engaged in numerous mission-critical philanthropic efforts, including through his service as Chair of the Navy SEAL Foundation’s 2017 New York City Benefit, which raised $12.8 million to help support the Naval Special Warfare community and their families.

Mr. Marcus was one of the original architects and co-founders of Accelerator Life Science Partners, for which he serves on the board of directors, and AgTech Accelerator Corporation, for which he serves as Chairman of the board. He also serves on the boards of Applied Therapeutics Inc., Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATRA), Boragen Inc., Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ITCI), MeiraGTx Limited, and Yumanity Therapeutics; Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), Friends of Cancer Research, MassBio, NewYorkBIO, and The Scripps Research Institute; the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Navy SEAL Foundation, the Partnership for New York City, and Robin Hood Foundation; as well as on Nareit’s 2018 Executive Board.

Prior to co-founding Alexandria, Mr. Marcus had an extensive legal career specializing in corporate finance and capital markets, venture capital, and mergers and acquisitions. During that time, he acquired an expertise in the biopharmaceutical industry and was one of the principal architects of the Kirin-Amgen EPO joint venture in 1984. He was also a practicing certified public accountant and tax manager with Arthur Young & Co., where he focused on the financing and taxation of REITs.

He was named one of Real Estate Forum’s 2017 Best Bosses in commercial real estate and was previously a recipient of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award (Los Angeles — Real Estate). Mr. Marcus earned his undergraduate and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Gilbert Omenn is the Harold T. Shapiro Distinguished University Professor of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, Internal Medicine, Human Genetics and Public Health and founding director of the Center for Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His research is focused on proteo-genomics and bioinformatics of cancers. He led the global Human Proteome Project (www.hupo.org) for the past decade. He previously worked on biochemical genetics of the brain, cancer prevention, health promotion and disease prevention for older adults, and science and health policy. He is an author of 620 publications with 39,000 citations/h-index 81 and editor/author of 18 books.

He was a Research Associate with Christian B. Anfinsen at the National Institute of Arthritic and Metabolic Diseases; a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator at the University of Washington (UW); and a member of the National Cancer Advisory Board; the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Council, the Society of Fellows of the National Center for Minority Health & Health Disparities and the Scientific Management Review Committee for the National Institutes of Health. He was Dean of the School of Public Health & Community Medicine at the UW and Executive Vice-President for Medical Affairs and CEO of the Health System at the University of Michigan. He served as a White House Fellow at the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Associate Director of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy and the Office of Management & Budget, and President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He chaired the Presidential/Congressional Commission on Risk Assessment & Risk Management in the 1990s. He served on the boards of Amgen, Inc. and Rohm & Haas Company. He currently serves on boards of the Hastings Center for Bioethics, the Center for Public Integrity, the Weizmann Institute of Science and biotech firms.

Dr. Omenn is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, the Association of American Physicians and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a fellow of the American College of Physicians, the National Academy for Social Insurance and the AAAS. He received the Walsh McDermott Medal from the National Academy of Medicine and the David E. Rogers Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. He holds a B.A. from Princeton, an M.D. from Harvard, and a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of Washington. He has three children and seven grandchildren. He is a musician and tennis player.

Dame Jillian Sackler is Chairman of the Foreign Policy Association.  She is a trustee of the American Film Institute.  She is member of the Committee to Visit the Art Museums of Harvard University, and a member of the Presidents’ Circle of the National Academy of Sciences.  She served as trustee of Tufts University, the Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Ballet.  She is an alumni member of the Rockefeller University Council, the Trustee Council of the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian National Board.  She has served as International Chairman for the Edinburgh Festival Committee and on the American Committee of UNICEF.  She is a trustee of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, the Mexican Development Foundation, and Honorary Director of the Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Art and Archaeology at Peking University in Beijing, China.  She was awarded a D.B.E. (Dame of the British Empire) and received the National Academy of Sciences “Einstein” Award in 2005.

Lily Safra is the chairwoman of the Edmond J. Safra Foundation, which was established by her husband, a well-known international banker and philanthropist. The Foundation supports hundreds of projects related to education, science and medicine, religion, culture, and humanitarian relief in over 50 countries, including a wide variety of programs in the area of Parkinson's disease research and patient care. Mrs. Safra also serves on the boards of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York. Among her most significant initiatives for brain science are the establishment of the $150 million Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; a cutting-edge neuroscience center and the Alfredo J. Monteverde School (which teaches science and technology to 1,000 disadvantaged children) in Natal, Brazil; and Parkinson's disease programs at dozens of hospitals and research centers around the world.

Mrs. Safra holds honorary doctorates from institutions including the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, Brandeis University, and Imperial College London. She is an honorary fellow of King's College London and of the Courtauld Institute of Art. In addition, she is a Commandeur of France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and Officier de la Légion d'honneur.

Mrs. Safra and the Edmond J. Safra Foundation were the lead benefactors in the construction of the Edmond J. Safra Family Lodge, a guest house on the campus of the National Institutes of Health for patients being treated at the NIH Clinical Center and their families.

Dr. Sanders is the former Chairman and CEO of Glaxo Inc., and a former member of the Board of Glaxo PLC. Before joining Glaxo, Dr. Sanders spent eight years with Squibb Corp., where he held a number of posts, including Vice Chairman; Chief Executive Officer of the Science and Technology Group and Chairman of the Science and Technology Committee of the Board. Previously, Dr. Sanders was General Director of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Sanders is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Chairman Emeritus and Board Member of Project HOPE and a member of a number of corporate boards. He is past-chairman of the New York Academy of Sciences, the Commonwealth Fund and the Overseers Committee to Visit the Harvard Medical School. A native of Dallas, Dr. Sanders is a graduate of Southwestern Medical College of the University of Texas. Dr. Sanders and his wife, Ann, live in Durham, North Carolina.

Fred Seigel is President and Chief Operating Officer of Beacon Capital Partners and is based in Boston. He joined Beacon in 2001. Previously, Mr. Seigel was Managing Director of Latona Associates, Inc., a private merchant bank. Prior to that Mr. Seigel spent six years as President and Director of Energy Capital Partners, a company he founded that specialized in financing energy projects throughout the US. Mr. Seigel holds a Bachelor of Arts from New England College. He is a member of The Real Estate Roundtable, and also serves on the Board of Directors of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate and the Board of Directors of Camp Harbor View.

Ellen V. Sigal, Ph.D., is the founder and Chairperson of Friends of Cancer Research, a Washington, D.C. based not-for-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the nation's progress toward prevention and treatment of cancer by mobilizing public support for cancer research funding and providing education on key public policy issues. Dr. Sigal also holds leadership positions with a broad range of cancer advocacy and public policy organizations, including: Duke University's Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Johns Hopkins Cancer Center Advisory Council, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the American Cancer Society. Dr. Sigal serves on the Board of Scientific Advisors for the National Cancer Institute and most recently, Dr. Sigal was named to the National Institute of Health Director's Council of Public Representatives.

In her over twenty years of commitment to advancing the war on cancer, Dr. Sigal has served in a number of critical public positions. Dr. Sigal was a Presidential Appointee to the National Cancer Advisory Board from 1992-1998 where she chaired the Budget and Planning Committee that oversees the federal cancer budget. Additionally, Dr. Sigal also serves on the National Dialogue on Cancer's research advisory panel and previously held leadership positions with the Foundation for the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

In 1998, Dr. Sigal was named Vice Chairman of the Board of The March - a national grassroots advocacy group that brought thousands of volunteers to Washington to liaise with Congress and to set a new advocacy agenda for cancer research and treatment. Dr. Sigal also has been instrumental in harnessing the energies of Hollywood on behalf of cancer research - serving as President of The Creative Community Task Force for Cancer Research.

Prior to her work in cancer research advocacy, Dr. Sigal enjoyed a highly successful and influential business career in commercial real estate. Her firm, Sigal Development, financed and developed major projects throughout the Washington and mid-Atlantic region - a portfolio in excess of one billion dollars. For her efforts on behalf of cancer research advocacy, Dr. Sigal received the 1998 American Association for Cancer Research National Leadership Award, the 1999 Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center National Leadership Award, and the 2002 American Society of Clinical Oncology Special Recognition Award.

Dr. Sigal received her Ph.D. from Rutgers University in Russian History.

Mr. Steenberg, who has more than 32 years of experience in private equity investment, is the global head of BlackRock Private Equity Partners, having joined in July 1999 as founder and head of Private Equity Partners. Prior to joining BlackRock, Mr. Steenberg was a co-founder and Managing Director of Fenway Partners, a middle-market buyout group with $1.4 billion of capital. From 1983 until joining Fenway in 1995, Mr. Steenberg was employed by AT&T Investment Management Company, where he was co-head of the AT&T Pension Fund’s $3.6 billion private equity investment portfolio. In addition, Mr. Steenberg is on the Board of Advisors for the Tuck Center of Private Equity and Entrepreneurship, Tuck Board of Overseers, serves on the Board of Westfield Methodist Church and is on the Board of Directors of the Lasker Foundation. Mr. Steenberg received his MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, an MPA from American University, and a BA from St. Lawrence University.

Dr. Paul Stoffels is Chief Scientific Officer at Johnson & Johnson (J&J). As a member of the Executive Committee, Dr. Stoffels sets the company’s innovation agenda and oversees the internal R&D across J&J's three business sectors, pharmaceuticals, consumer and medical devices. In addition, he leads the Johnson & Johnson external innovation network including Johnson & Johnson Innovation Centers, JLabs incubators, JJDC venture capital and Business Development. He also oversees Johnson & Johnson's Global Public Health unit.

Elias Zerhouni, MD, Professor Emeritus, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. USA

Dr. Zerhouni was most recently the President, Global Research & Development, and a member of the Executive Committee for Sanofi from January 2011 to July 2018

Dr. Zerhouni’s academic career was spent at the Johns Hopkins University and Hospital where he was professor of Radiology and Biomedical engineering and senior adviser for Johns Hopkins Medicine. He served as Chair of the Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vice Dean for Research and Executive Vice Dean of the School of Medicine from 1996 to 2002 before his appointment as Director of the National Institutes of Health from 2002 to 2008.

In 2009, President Obama appointed Dr. Zerhouni as one of the first presidential U.S. science envoys.

Dr. Zerhouni also served as senior fellow to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation from 2009 to 2010. He authored more than 200 scientific publications and is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine and the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.