Leaders in industry and healthcare join Board at critical time for life sciences ecosystem
Waltham, MA—Today, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced new members of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) Board of Directors. The appointments to the Board, co-chaired by Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao and Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz, come during a critical time for the life sciences ecosystem. New members include: Christopher Coburn, Chief Innovation Officer, Mass General Brigham; Valerie Fleishman, Executive Vice President & Chief Innovation Officer, Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association; Brian Johnson, President, MassMEDIC; and Dana Mendenhall, SVP and Global Head of Commercial and Portfolio Strategy for the Plasma Derived Therapies Business Unit, Takeda.
“These healthcare and life science industry leaders bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise and an unwavering commitment to collaboration to the MLSC board, and we are grateful for their partnership,” said Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao. “The institutions they represent played a critical role in shaping our state’s life sciences leadership, and we’re excited to execute the next chapter of the Life Sciences Initiative together.”
“The life sciences sector plays a critical role for the Massachusetts economy and for scientific breakthroughs on a global scale,” said Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew J. Gorzkowicz. “We are excited to have new voices at the table joining our Board of Directors to help shape the MLSC’s strategy and build upon the nearly two decades of success of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative.”
Last November, Governor Maura Healey signed into law the Mass Leads Act, an economic development bill building on the success of the state’s renowned life sciences sector. Included in the legislation was the addition of new seats to the MLSC’s Board of Directors which includes representation from medtech, healthcare, digital health, and health equity. UMass President Marty Meehan, whose designee is UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen, and Pam Randhawa, CEO and Founder, Empiriko, will continue to serve on the MLSC Board.
“I am more emboldened than ever of what we can accomplish with the new leaders joining the MLSC’s Board of Directors,” said MLSC President and CEO Kirk Taylor, MD. “The MLSC’s mission is more vital than ever and we have the best team in place to lengthen our lead in owning the number one global life sciences position.”
Bios:
Christopher Coburn, Chief Innovation Officer, Mass General Brigham
Chris Coburn is Chief Innovation Officer, Mass General Brigham, an integrated health care system that includes Harvard University affiliates Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, and McLean Hospital. Mass General Brigham is the nation’s largest academic research enterprise with over $20 billion in annual revenue, 1.5 million patient visits and more than $2.9 billion in research expenditures. It also has a managed care organization, out-patient facilities and community hospitals. 7,000 of its faculty are appointed at Harvard Medical School.
A member of the senior leadership team, Coburn is responsible for the commercial application of the unique capabilities of MGB’s 82,000 employees. His 140 person business development group’s activities include strategic industry collaborations, company creation, investing, translational development, commercial strategy setting, licensing, and innovation management. His group also manages a nearly $500 million venture fund.
Prior to joining Mass General Brigham, Mr. Coburn was founding director of Cleveland Clinic Innovations. During his tenure, Cleveland Clinic spun off 57 companies that raised more than $700 million in equity financing. Previously he was Vice President at Battelle and served on the staff of Ohio Governor Richard Celeste.
Mr. Coburn serves on multiple boards. He and his wife Nancy have three grown children.
Valerie Fleishman, Executive Vice President & Chief Innovation Officer, Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association
Valerie Fleishman is Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association (MHA), where she leads strategic initiatives, innovation advancement, and new business development, positioning the organization and its members at the forefront of healthcare transformation. In this role, she spearheads statewide programs to expand and support the healthcare workforce, and promote innovations in digital health, artificial intelligence, health equity, and new models of care.
Valerie is an accomplished healthcare executive with over two decades of leadership experience driving innovation, policy, and transformative change across the healthcare and life sciences ecosystem.
Prior to joining MHA, Valerie served as Executive Director of the Network for Excellence in Health Innovation (NEHI), a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing healthcare innovation and policy. She led the organization’s growth from a regional think tank into a trusted, national voice in health policy. Under her leadership, NEHI became a platform for cross-sector collaboration, convening coalitions of payers, providers, biopharma, medtech, patient groups, policymakers, and other leaders to tackle complex issues of patient safety, public health, healthcare spending, and health IT. Valerie oversaw the publication of more than 75 reports, issue briefs, and white papers, translating research into actionable policies that influenced legislation and industry practices.
Earlier in her career, Valerie held leadership roles in management and strategy consulting. At Scient Corporation, she was a director in the Health and Wellness Practice, driving digital health solutions. Previously, she worked at Arthur D. Little, where she developed business strategies for high-tech ventures and earned the firm’s Presidential Award. Valerie has also been honored with the Boston Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” award. She is deeply committed to community and civic service and serves on multiple boards.
Valerie holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Harvard University. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband and two children.
Brian Johnson, President, MassMEDIC
Brian Johnson was named president of the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council (MassMEDIC) in July 2018. An accomplished author, journalist, and media entrepreneur, Brian serves as the association’s second chief executive officer in its history, managing its day-to-day operations. Since its establishment in 1996, MassMEDIC has grown to more than 350 member companies – manufacturers and developers of medical products, suppliers, research institutions and academic health centers – representing nearly 40,000 employees across the Commonwealth. MassMEDIC has advanced public policy interests of the New England medical device sector on Capitol Hill, Beacon Hill, and before various federal agencies, ensuring that patients across the world have access to the most innovative healthcare technology. During his tenure at MassMEDIC, Brian has expanded membership, doubled the organizations budget and successfully worked with state officials to improve the Massachusetts life sciences ecosystem. In 2023, he was a key member of a small group, which won the headquarters of the newly formed federal healthcare agency ARPA-H.
In 2007, Brian conceived and later launched MassDevice.com, where he created and managed the strategic vision of the company, from inception through the summer of 2018, including leading the company through an acquisition in 2015 by WTWH Media.
As publisher, Brian brought MassDevice from 0 to 100,000+ readers each month and led the company to profitability in just 3 years. In 2011, Brian conceived and launched DeviceTalks, a live-interview series featuring leaders in medicine. The event, which is held three times annually in Boston, Minnesota and Orange County, California, has attracted thousands of medical device executives to date and featured leaders from some of the world’s largest medical technology companies. In 2015, Brian also founded and launched two additional magazines, Medical Design & Outsourcing and Drug Delivery Business News, bringing total readership under his supervision to over 1.5 million, before he left the company.
Under Brian’s direction, MassDevice and its associated properties were widely recognized for its commitment to quality journalism. The editorial boards of the New York Times, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post cited MassDevice’s coverage of issues pertaining to the medical device industry. In 2012, MassDevice won a prestigious Communicator award in 2012 for excellence with its live web video series “Disruptors.”
An experienced reporter and author, Brian has worked for The Associated Press, Boston Globe digital and The Eagle-Tribune newspaper, covering business and economics, local government and crime. In 2017, his critically acclaimed first novel “MWD: Hell is Coming Home” was released by Candlewick Press.
Brian resides in Brookline, Massachusetts with his wife and two children.
Dana Mendenhall, SVP and Global Head of Commercial and Portfolio Strategy for the Plasma Derived Therapies Business Unit, Takeda
Dana is a patient-centric, data-driven, results-oriented senior commercial leader with nearly three decades of progressive experience, backed by a proven track record of success in the healthcare industry. Her extensive industry experience is uniquely diverse, with increasing leadership and accountability across marketing, sales, strategic planning, operations, manufacturing, and engineering. Dana’s ability to apply her technical expertise across diverse disciplines underscores her knack for identifying global opportunities, defining strategic visions, executing successful commercial strategies, and driving organizational and market growth. She also excels in developing cross-functional, inclusive initiatives within constantly evolving environments, contributing to significant top- and bottom-line performance.
A self-defined servant leader, Dana’s greatest passion is not only improving standards of care and increasing access to life-sustaining therapies for patients, but also developing, coaching, and inspiring talent to deliver unprecedented results while contributing to a common cause. Currently, Dana is employed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company in Cambridge, MA, where she serves as SVP and Global Head of Commercial and Portfolio Strategy for the Plasma Derived Therapies Business Unit.
Dana earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University in College Station, TX, and her Master of Business Administration Degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. A published author and motivational keynote speaker, Dana delivers high-energy, high-impact presentations that challenge audience members to create the lives they desire to live and redefine the rules along their journey. In the book Break Through Featuring Dana L. Mendenhall, readers gain first-hand accounts of how a “do or die” mindset coupled with the courage to Redefine “NO” transforms failure and rejection into success and opportunity. The self-proclaimed “world’s best auntie”, Dana also describes family and service as cornerstones of her life. Dana is an active member of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA) and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Boards of Directors and maintains active involvement in several community service organizations.
About the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) is an economic development investment agency dedicated to supporting the growth and development of the life sciences in Massachusetts, home to the most verdant and productive life sciences ecosystem in the world. Through public-private funding initiatives, the MLSC supports innovation, research and development, commercialization, and manufacturing activities in the fields of biopharma, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health. Since its creation in 2007, the MLSC has strategically deployed more than $1 billion in Massachusetts, through a combination of grants, loans, capital infrastructure investments, tax incentives and workforce programs. These investments have created thousands of jobs and propelled the development of new therapies, devices and scientific advancements that are improving patient health and well-being in Massachusetts and beyond.
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