Leaders from academia, healthcare systems, venture capital firms and the non-profit community to help provide strategic direction with the goal of advancing biotechnology and the life sciences in Virginia

The Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC/“the catalyst”) today announced that it has appointed five new members to its Board of Directors. The new members include Deborah L. Crawford, Ph.D., Vice President for Research, George Mason University; Michael J. Friedlander, Ph.D., Vice President for Health Sciences, Virginia Tech;

Jeffrey M. Gallagher, CEO, Virginia Bio; Howard P. Kern, President & CEO, Sentara Healthcare; and Tom Roberts, General Partner, Harbert Growth Partners. These new members join an impressive list of individuals from universities, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, health care system providers, private equity firms, the Commonwealth of Virginia and life sciences companies on the Board of Directors, all focused on advancing biotechnology and the life sciences in Virginia.

“VBHRC is proud to announce the addition of these esteemed individuals to our Board of Directors,” said Mike Grisham, CEO, VBHRC/“the catalyst.” “Each of them brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the biosciences, which will help accelerate Virginia as a nationwide leader in this space. We thank Deborah, Michael, Jeff, Howard and Tom, as well as all of our dedicated Board of Directors, for their support in providing governance and leadership to VBHRC/‘the catalyst’.”

Background on each of the new members follows:

• Deborah L. Crawford, Ph.D., Vice President for Research, George Mason University – Dr. Crawford is responsible for coordinating and overseeing the full-range of the university’s research activities. Previously, she worked for the International Computer Science Institute, an independent research institution affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley. She also served as senior vice provost for research at Drexel University for four years and spent 17 years at the National Science Foundation
• Michael J. Friedlander, Ph.D., Vice President for Health Sciences and Technology, Virginia Tech – Dr. Friedlander is founding executive director of the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, where he provides leadership to more than two dozen premier research teams engaged in developing new strategies for preventing, diagnosing and treating major health challenges
• Jeffrey M. Gallagher, CEO, Virginia Bio – Mr. Gallagher is responsible for leading the premier statewide trade association that promotes the considerable scientific and economic impact of the life sciences industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Prior to taking on the leadership of Virginia Bio, Mr. Gallagher was a co-founder and served as VP & General Counsel for Lyotropic Therapeutics
• Howard P. Kern, President & CEO, Sentara Healthcare – Mr. Kern has identified three key areas of focus which will guide his tenure as CEO, including Clinical Performance Improvement, innovation and growth, and customer centricity. Mr. Kern served as a member of former Gov. Bob McDonnell’s Health and Human Resources Transition Team and the Governor’s Task Force on Health Reform
• Tom Roberts, General Partner, Harbert Growth Partners – Mr. Roberts serves on the boards of ControlScan, Iconixx, Invincea, Ledbury and Mobile Posse and manages HGP’s investment in Clarabridge. He led HGP’s investments in and was a board member of Agility Healthcare (sold to GE Healthcare) and JackBe (sold to Software AG). Harbert Growth Partners, based in Richmond, VA, is an emerging growth stage venture fund focused on technology and healthcare innovation and is actively investing out of its fourth fund

“As Board Chairman, I am always impressed by the industry leadership we are able to attract to help guide our association, and these new members are no exception,” said David X. Cifu, M.D. 
Board Chairman and Herman J. Flax, M.D. Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University. “Each of these experts will bring their own unique background to the Board of Directors, ranging from the university research to the healthcare provider to the venture capitalist and overall Virginia biosciences industry perspective. We look forward to their participation.” 

VBHRC/“the catalyst” is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation funded by the Virginia General Assembly’s general fund and six of Virginia’s research universities including Eastern Virginia Medical School, George Mason University, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) and Old Dominion University.

Supporting Quotes

“I'm delighted to join the Board and look forward to working with my ‘catalyst’ colleagues to strengthen the biosciences economy in Virginia. The goals of VBHRC align perfectly with George Mason's new Institute for Biomedical Innovation, a bio and health sciences innovation engine that, powered by multidisciplinary discoveries, promises to improve health and wellness outcomes for the citizens of Virginia."

-          Deborah L. Crawford, Ph.D., Vice President for Research, George Mason University

“I am honored to be a member of the board of VBHRC. The organization is catalyzing tremendous innovative and collaborative initiatives in the biomedical sciences across the Commonwealth. The nascent partnerships between multiple Virginia universities and industry partners provides just the right mix of scientific innovation, entrepreneurism and vision to tackle big problems with great talent. In the areas of brain health and disease, cardiovascular sciences, cancer and infectious disease, the support through VBHRC offers a distinct advantage to our state’s biomedical scientists in academia and industry innovators to partner with business people and make a difference.”

-          Michael J. Friedlander, Ph.D., Vice President for Health Sciences, Virginia Tech

“Virginia Bio is closely aligned with VBHRC/’the catalyst’ in terms of our overall mission – fostering the acceleration of the biosciences in Virginia. With the diversity of healthcare organizations based across the state, as well as our northern proximity to federal health agencies such as NIH and the VA, Virginia is primed to be the next major hub for the bio and life sciences industry in the United States.”

-          Jeffrey M. Gallagher, CEO, Virginia Bio

“Sentara Healthcare has a long-standing commitment to fostering a culture of innovation. We encourage new ideas, embrace an entrepreneurial spirit, and look for inspiration across all our regions, divisions and team members. Partnering with other like-minded organizations to grow and nurture the biosciences is a priority for our organization as we continuously honor our mission of “improving health every day.” We are very impressed with the efforts being made by VBHRC/’the catalyst’ and I look forward to working together to keep this momentum going.”

-          Howard Kern, President & Chief Executive Officer, Sentara Healthcare:

“I’ve been involved with VBHRC since its inception as a participant in the Project Management Oversight Panel, reviewing and recommending grant applications for the VBHRC Board’s approval. Through this involvement I’ve seen firsthand the significant improvement in collaboration among and between the early stage life science industry and research partners within the Commonwealth’s universities. This collaboration is a key goal within VBHRC’s mission statement and I’m pleased to continue to support the mission as a member of the Board.”

-          Tom Roberts, General Partner, Harbert Growth Partners

About the Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation

The Virginia Bioscience Health Research Corporation (VBHRC), also known as “the catalyst,” is a state created non-profit corporation. VBHRC’s mission is to improve human health by accelerating translational research through collaborations between Virginia research universities and industry. The goal of “the catalyst” is to create an environment that builds relationships making Virginia a leader in collaborations, innovation, startups and job creation.

VBHRC evaluates grant applications on a semi-annual basis. Award recipients are those which accelerate translational research and commercialization. Letters of intent, applications and awards are accepted and evaluated on a rolling basis, and awards range from $200,000 to $800,000. For more information on criteria and to download a copy of the LOI template, visit www.vbhrc.com.