Leadership at the Biodesign Institute
Alan Nelson, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Biodesign Institute. Dr. Nelson is the developer of a number of medical innovations, including a landmark technology that dramatically improved detection of cervical cancer. In addition to leading the Biodesign Institute, he is a professor of bioengineering in the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering.
Dr. Nelson’s career includes both academic and entrepreneurial successes. His company VisionGate has developed proprietary technology providing detailed 3-D images of cell structures, enabling lung cancer to be detected much earlier than current technology. He also founded NeoPath, Inc. (NPTH), which automated cervical cancer screening. He has produced 63 patents for new biomedical innovations and has published more than 100 scientific papers on topics ranging from geophysics to retinal injury and recovery.
Dr. Nelson's past academic roles include professorships at the University of Washington, Harvard and MIT. He serves on advisory panels for the National Cancer Institute, is science advisor to the Swedish Embassy’s Office of Science and Technology, and is editor of the Scanning Electron Microscopy Journal. While serving as an elected Board member of the Technology Alliance of Washington, he headed the state ethics law review and subsequent enactment of a new state ethics law. He is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
Lee Cheatham, PhD, is the Deputy Director of the Biodesign Institute and General Manager of the Biodesign Impact Accelerator, a new initiative focused on dramatically streamlining and improving the commercial translation of scientific innovations and discoveries generated by the institute. In his role as Deputy Director, Cheatham oversees all day-to-day aspects of a number of administrative functions in the institute, including security, facilities, health and environmental safety, communications and information technology. In his role as general manager of the Biodesign Impact Accelerator, he is responsible for program development and oversight of all operations.
His professional career spans more than three decades. Prior to his role at Biodesign, Cheatham served as executive director of the highly successful Washington Technology Center (WTC) from 1998 to 2009, providing strategic, financial and operational leadership to the organization.
