Michelle McMurry-Heath is a medical doctor, immunologist, and from June 2020 until October 2022 served as

Chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

for the

Biotechnology Innovation Organization The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) is the largest advocacy association in the world representing the biotechnology industry. It was founded in 1993 as the Biotechnology Industry Organization, and changed its name to the Biotechnology ...

(BIO).

Early life and education

McMurry-Heath was born and raised in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. Her mother was a public health nurse, and her father was a psychologist. After first pursuing a double major in art history and psychology during college, she changed her focus to biochemistry and received an undergraduate degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

. She is the first Black graduate of the

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

combined MD / Ph.D. Medical Scientist Training Program, and completed her Ph.D. in

immunology Immunology is a branch of medicineImmunology for Medical Students, Roderick Nairn, Matthew Helbert, Mosby, 2007 and biology that covers the medical study of immune systems in humans, animals, plants and sapient species. In such we can see there ...

Career

After completing her education, McMurry-Heath worked in research for 12 years. After training from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, she shifted to science policy, which included work from 2001 to 2004 as a legislative aide for Senator

Joe Lieberman Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; born February 24, 1942) is an American politician, lobbyist, and attorney who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. A former member of the Democratic Party (Uni ...

and drafting a bioterrorism preparedness bill in 2002. During her work with the

Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. The institute's stated aim is the realization of "a free, just, and equitable society" through seminars, policy programs ...

, she was a founding director of the Aspen Institute's Health, Biomedical Science, and Society Policy Program. She also worked as an adjunct assistant professor of health policy at George Washington University. In 2010, she became the associate director at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health at the

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...

. In this role, she developed partnerships with medical device nonprofits. Towards the end of 2014, she became an executive at

Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...

and her management role later expanded. While at Johnson & Johnson, she was advised by Michael D. Watkins, who continued as an advisor after she moved to her role as president and CEO of the

(BIO). She has previously worked with the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...

. From 2018 to 2020, she was Chair of the NESTcc Governing Committee. She is a member of the AAAS Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy (COSEPP). In June 2020, McMurry-Heath became the chief executive of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), a lobbying organization that represents several hundred biotech companies, including most of the companies that developed

COVID-19 vaccines A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an est ...

, as well as academic institutions. At BIO, she led the Coronavirus Collaboration Initiative, a group focused on developing COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. In 2021, she was named as a possible nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration. McMurry-Heath resigned from her role as CEO of BIO effective October 11, 2022, and she continues to serve as an advisor to the board.

Fellowships

* AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow *

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is an American philanthropic organization. It is the largest one focused solely on health. Based in Princeton, New Jersey, the foundation focuses on access to health care, public health, health equity, ...

Health and Society Scholar

Personal life

McMurry-Heath is married to Sebastian Heath, a veterinarian. They have one daughter and currently live in Washington, D.C.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McMurry-Heath, Michelle American women chief executives Food and Drug Administration people African-American scientists American physicians Duke University School of Medicine alumni Harvard College alumni