California Healthcare Institute Adds Executives from Gilead Sciences, Cedars-Sinai and Versant Ventures to Its Board
La Jolla, Calif. (PRWEB) July 21, 2014 -- California Healthcare Institute (CHI) announced today the election of three senior executives to serve on its board of directors: James Mazzo, operating partner, Versant Ventures; Shlomo Melmed, M.D., senior vice president, academic affairs and dean of the medical faculty, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; and Jim Meyers, senior vice president, commercial operations, North America, Gilead Sciences. CHI is a nonprofit, public policy research organization, representing leading California academic institutions, biotechnology, medical device, diagnostics and pharmaceutical firms.
“These leaders and their respective organizations exemplify the range and depth of CHI’s membership and all we stand for,” said CHI President and CEO Todd Gillenwater. “The experience and expertise James, Shlomo and Jim bring to bear will further bolster CHI’s work to shape and drive state and federal policies that advance biomedical research, investment and innovation in California.”
Mazzo is the operating partner for Versant Ventures. As Versant’s operating partner, Mazzo’s focus is on patient needs, new technology advancements and investment opportunities in the healthcare field worldwide. Mazzo is also the executive chairman and CEO for AcuFocus. AcuFocus specializes in presbyopia correction and is known for its revolutionary KAMRA inlay. He is also the executive chairman for Neurotech. Neurotech Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company developing sight-saving therapies for retinal diseases. Previously, Mazzo assumed the position of senior vice president, Abbott Laboratories and president, Abbott Medical Optics following the company's February 2009 acquisition by Abbott. Prior to AMO running the ophthalmic division for Abbott, he was chairman and CEO of Advanced Medical Optics, Inc., a position he assumed following the company's 2002 spin-off from Allergan. Additionally, he serves on the board of directors for Microsemi Corporation, Aerie Pharmaceuticals and Glaukos Corporation.
Melmed received his medical degree with distinction from the University of Cape Town, School of Medicine in 1970. At Cedars-Sinai since 1980, he is now senior vice president for academic affairs, and dean of the medical faculty. He is also professor and associate dean of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine, and director of the Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He holds the Helene A. and Philip E. Hixon Chair in Investigative Medicine. Melmed is a diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine, certified in Endocrinology and Metabolism; a Master of the American College of Physicians; an elected member of the Association of American Physicians and the American Society of Clinical Investigation; recipient of the Endocrinology Medal of the Royal Society of Medicine; the Endocrine Society Clinical Investigator Award; the Society of Endocrinology Transatlantic Medal; Ipsen Fondation Endocrine Regulation Award; the Pituitary Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and is listed in BEST Doctors of America. At Cedars-Sinai, Melmed has spearheaded major academic growth and development by leading building efforts, recruiting talented nationally recognized faculty leadership, establishing new programs and maintaining standards of excellence for educational programs. His executive leadership continues to maintain Cedars-Sinai as a top tier academic medical center.
Meyers is the senior vice president of the North America Commercial Organization at Gilead Sciences, responsible for the commercialization of all Gilead products in the U.S. & Canada, and the functions of Sales & Marketing, Managed Markets/Pricing/Contracting, Commercial Operations and Distribution. He joined Gilead in 1996 as one of the founding members of the commercial organization, and has played a leading role in the growth of the company to its current position as one of the top companies in the biopharmaceutical industry. In addition to his North American responsibilities, Meyers has been responsible for the global governance of the Gilead-BMS Joint Venture that produced ATRIPLA, and the Gilead-J&J partnership that produced Complera, as well as global marketing responsibility during the initial build-out of Gilead operations beyond the U.S. Prior to joining Gilead, Meyers served in positions of increasing responsibility with Astra and Zeneca in New York City and Boston. Meyers received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Boston College, and is a 27-year veteran of the biopharmaceutical industry.
About CHI-California Healthcare Institute
CHI represents more than 275 leading biotechnology, medical device, diagnostics and pharmaceutical companies, and public and private academic biomedical research organizations. CHI’s mission is to advance biomedical research, investment and innovation through effective advocacy of policies to improve public health and ensure continued vitality of the life sciences sector. CHI’s website is http://www.chi.org. Follow us on Twitter @calhealthcare, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Photos available upon request
Will Zasadny, Communications Associate, California Healthcare Institute, http://www.chi.org, +1 619-961-8848, [email protected]
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