Precision Health Collaborative Steering Committee

North Carolina Biotechnology Center

NCBiotech has identified precision health as a key strategic sector for North Carolina economic development.

Mary Beth Thomas, Ph.D. - Senior Vice President, Science and Business Development

Sara Imhof, Ph.D. - Senior Director, Precision Health

Atrium Health

Atrium Health (formerly Carolinas HealthCare System) promotes research that positively impacts community health and healthcare disparities. They strive to reduce health disparities, enhance access to primary care, and improve the quality of healthcare services. Research is designed to be translational and rapidly disseminated into practice. 

Jai Patel, Pharm.D., BCOP - Chief, Pharmacology Research

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina

BCBS is committed to precision health as a platform for improving patient care and the effectiveness, including the cost effectiveness, in healthcare delivery and utilization.

Larry Wu, M.D. - Medical Director 

Digital Health Impact + Transformation (DHIT)

DHIT is a social purpose venture dedicated to driving healthcare transformation through their digital health impact platform. They connect people and emerging technologies, matching ecosystem needs with validated solutions through demand-driven collaboration and innovation. 

Michael Levy, MBA - President

Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy 

Marianne Hamilton Lopez, Ph.D., MPA - Research Director

Duke University

Duke has conducted extensive research in precision health and has provided a national leadership role in the implementation and adoption of precision health in patient care.

Donna Crenshaw, Ph.D., MHA - Director, Partnership Development, Center for Applied Genomics & Precision Medicine

Marianne Hamilton Lopez, Ph.D., MPA - Research Director, Value-Based Payment Reform

Lori Orlando, M.D., MHA - Associate Profession, Medicine, Center for Applied Genomics & Precision Medicine 

Deepak Voora, M.D. - Associate Professor of Medicine

East Carolina University, Brody School of Medicine

The Brody School of Medicine has a strong primary care orientation, including a mission increase the supply of primary care physicians to serve the state, improve the health status of citizens in eastern North Carolina, and enhance the access of minority and disadvantaged students to a medical education.

David Collier, MD, PhD, FAAP - Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics and Center for Health Disparities

JMP Life Sciences, SAS Institute

JMP is a division of SAS that produces interactive statistical discovery software. JMP Genomics provides exceptional tools for genetics research, pharmacogenomics, expression analysis, and many other precision health applications. 

Wenjun Bao, Ph.D. - Chief Scientist and R&D Manager

Mission Health Fullerton Genetics Center

Mission Health’s Fullerton Genetics Center has been serving western North Carolina for more than 19 years and is the region’s only comprehensive genetics services program. The center includes international experts on specific genetic conditions who research, diagnose and treat genetic conditions in children and adults. The center also provides counseling and education for patients and their families.

Chad Haldeman-Englert, M.D. - Clinical Geneticist

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

The Department of Health and Human Services manages the delivery of health- and human-related services for all North Carolinians, especially our most vulnerable citizens: children, elderly, disabled and low-income families.

Gail Marcus, M.Ed, CGC - State Public Health Genetic Counselor

North Carolina State University

North Carolina State University has been at the forefront of developing quantitative methods to support the practice of personalized medicine by leveraging and integrating their diverse expertise to pursue new methodological innovation for discovery of precision medicine strategies.

Jonathan Horowitz, Ph.D. - Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research Infrastructure

Fred Wright, Ph.D. - Professor and Director of the Bioinformatics Research Center

Yi-Hui Zhou, Ph.D. - Associate Professor and Associate Director, Bioinformatics Research Center

Pappas Ventures

Pappas Ventures, like NCBiotech, sees significant market and investment potential in precision health research and companies.

Peter Young, MBA - Executive-in-Residence

RTI International

RTI has a number of initiatives in precision health, including studies on the environmental impact on population health, data analytics and the development of mobile health applications to support patient engagement.

Rebecca Boyles, MSPH - Bioinformatics Scientist

Olivia Dong, Ph.D., Senior Research Health Economist

University of North Carolina

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has a rich history of precision health with its clinical and research functions. Also, UNC’s Renaissance Computing Institute has developed expertise in health informatics and data science, which underlie precision health discoveries. The Institute also leads in developing mechanisms for data sharing across institutions.

Jonathan Berg, M.D., Ph.D.- Bryson Distinguished Professor, Genetics and Medicine 

Don Hobart, J.D. - Associate Vice Chancellor for Research

Bradford Powell, M.D., Ph.D. - Clinical Assistant Professor, Genetics

Tim Wiltshire, Ph.D. - Associate Professor and Director, Center for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy

Wake Forest University

The Center for Precision Medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine develops and supports innovative, collaborative, and multidisciplinary research into the causes of common human disorders to improve long-term health outcomes for patients. 

Michael Olivier, Ph.D. - Director, Center for Precision Medicine and Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Molecular Medicine