Vice President, Research

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Description: Texas Biomed is partnering with Russell Reynolds Associates. Please reach out directly to: Nick Henderson, nick.henderson@russellreynolds.com or Joi Hayes, joi.hayes@russellreynolds.com or Bob Brousseau, bob.brousseau@russellreynolds.comto express your interest in applying for this opportunity.Vice President/Executive Vice President, Research Our Client Texas Biomedical Research Institute is dedicated to protecting the global community from infectious diseases with a focus on the most vulnerable populations. Through basic research, preclinical testing and innovative partnerships, the Institute accelerates diagnostics, therapies and vaccines for the world’s deadliest pathogens, from Anthrax to Zika. It is the nation’s only non-profit, independent research institute with a suite of the highest-level biocontainment laboratories, a national primate research center and over 80 years of experience. At its 200+ acre campus in San Antonio, scientists regularly collaborate with academic institutes, leading pharmaceutical companies, start-ups and the military. They also are training the next generation of bioscience leaders. Texas Biomed’s work helped deliver the first COVID-19 vaccine, the first Ebola treatment and the first Hepatitis C therapy. The Institute is now in an exciting phase of strategic growth, engaging local, regional, national and international partners in academia, the private sector and government. Texas Biomed thrives on learning and innovation, combining discovery-based science and applied research with an entrepreneurial spirit that produces high-quality research applicable to a broad range of stakeholders. Its combined research expertise and range of facilities and resources make it a unique enterprise, found nowhere else in North America. The Institute’s collaborative environment fosters cross-disciplinary interactions, driving innovation and accelerating the pace of discovery. From investigating the molecular mechanisms of disease to developing novel therapeutics and vaccines, the Institute tackles complex health challenges with ingenuity and determination, with an emphasis on populations that are underserved and the most vulnerable. More information is found at Texas Biomed’s full website, with information on faculty and scientists here. Research, Partners, & Ecosystem Texas Biomed is a national leader among non-profit, independent research institutes (within the Association of Independent Research Institutes) working exclusively on infectious diseases threatening our future. Vulnerable populations to infection are also focused on, including those with chronic inflammatory diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and the elderly. Located on a 200-acre campus in San Antonio, TX, Texas Biomed partners with hundreds of researchers and organizations around the world, targeting advances in the fight against infectious diseases, including AIDS, TB, hepatitis, Ebola, Zika, malaria and other parasitic infections, as well as new and emerging threats, including Chikungunya and COVID-19. Founded in 1941, the Institute enjoys tremendous support from city leaders, public and private sector partners and the community. It has also benefitted from a diverse range of revenue sources. Texas Biomed is home to the only privately-owned and operated maximum containment Biosafety Level (BSL)-4 facility paired with six BSL3 facilities including select agent BSL3 facilities. Texas Biomed has a range of technologies including PET-CT imaging (including in BSL3), and one of the seven National Primate Research Centers (NPRCs) in the United States that are funded by the NIH (and the only one on a non-profit campus). The Southwest National Primate Research Center provides specialized facilities and expertise in research with a variety of species of nonhuman primates to investigators from around the United States and other countries. It maintains nearly 3,000 nonhuman primates. Texas Biomed is also the nation’s only independent research institute with a fully integrated primate research center and the highest-level biosafety laboratories on one campus. Texas Biomed has the flexibility to work with partners worldwide – from federal agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense, to independent researchers and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Texas Biomed utilizes a team science approach to provide the right expertise, unique resources and a business model with flexibility, reliability, and speed in mind to generate discoveries that ultimately benefit human health. Current local partnerships bring together experts and resources from Texas Biomed, Southwest Research Institute, the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and UT Health SA to create research opportunities in the areas of precision medicine and vaccine development among others. Texas Biomed also works closely with UT Health’s Barshop Center for Longevity and Aging and maintains strong relationships with biotechnology companies throughout the city and state. Many faculty at Texas Biomed have adjunct appointments at UT Health SA and UTSA and have the opportunity to serve as advisor to their graduate students. Texas Biomed creates an educationally rich learning environment. It hosts the Texas Biomed Association for trainees (TBAT) at all levels and has training programs supported by valued partners such as the American Cancer Society. It is home to an NIH P30 Center entitled “The Interdisciplinary NexGen TB Research Advancement Center (IN-TRAC)” to attract the next generation of diverse researchers to the tuberculosis (TB) research field and develop them into independent researchers with multi-disciplinary skills and real-world experience of clinical TB. Finally, it is home to an NIH SEPA Grant aimed at teaching K-12 teachers to discuss real-world science to encourage STEM participation. The researchers at Texas Biomed do not work in siloed departments, rather, they are working together in three critical programmatic areas of discovery: Host-Pathogen Interactions (HPI) The HPI program concentrates on the basic biology of infection in humans and animals and the development of disease. Scientists focus on how an infectious agent such as a parasite, bacteria, virus or fungus can enter our bodies and/or cells and cause illness. Scientists at Texas Biomed are, for example, determining how Ebola or Mycobacterium tuberculosis can infect cells and cause illness, or how HIV can subvert our immune system to persist in our bodies. Disease Intervention & Prevention (DIP) The DIP program aids in the development of diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines to prevent disease and reduce the severity, if not cure, disease and infection. Scientists at Texas Biomed are, for example, working to develop new vaccines for HIV and Ebola, new drugs for malaria and schistosomiasis, and new diagnostics for tuberculosis. Population Health (PH) The PH program aims to identify correlates of disease susceptibility or resistance to infectious diseases on a population level. Examples at Texas Biomed include studying how genetic variation impacts neurological disorders, heart disease, diabetes and infection. In addition to the SNPRC, the institute recently launched a new Center known as the International Center for the Advancement of Research and Education (I·CARE). Its mission and goal is to establish translational and implementation science programs in infectious diseases, and to accelerate research and education excellence by building capacity and bringing training to under-resourced settings. Vision for Change - 10-year Strategic Plan In December 2019, Texas Biomed launched a 10-year strategic plan, the Vision for Change. This bold initiative arose from the realization that by 2050 infectious diseases are projected to be the number-one killer globally – and that Texas Biomed is well-placed to respond. The Vision for Change is rapidly increasing recognition of the need for the Institution’s unparalleled research, new funding, and technological innovations that will help advance the groundbreaking science for which Texas Biomed has become known. As a world leader in infectious disease research and building on the Institution’s reputation as a “best place to work,” the plan is catapulting the Institution ahead on six trajectories: science and technology, organizational structure, training and career development, facilities and infrastructure, culture, and business development. Texas Biomed’s Campaign – A Scientific Revolution Texas Biomed is in the process of doubling its scientists and resources through an ambitious $350 million comprehensive campaign to save lives as a world leader in infectious disease research. The Campaign is funding three initiatives: · People – recruitment of teams of top scientists with specific expertise in the institute’s thematic areas and dedicated to collaborative scientific approaches to the challenges of infectious diseases, inflammation, immunity and vulnerable populations. · Programs – designing and funding the support systems needed to ensure a best practices organization, training of the next generation of biomedical researchers and a creative science and related business environment. · Places – redeveloping the Texas Biomed campus to increase the effectiveness of our research and the collaboration of our scientists. Significant progress on the campaign has been made over the past five years, including about $100 million invested in enhancements to the Institute’s campus. These include a combination of new facilities (such as the two new recently completed additions to our Animal Care Complex) and significant renovations to existing campus spaces leading to increased capabilities, added capacity and efficiencies. One of the noteworthy investments included the addition of a new 7,500 square feet ABSL3 laboratory with imaging capabilities, which was critical in the Institute’s work accelerating FDA approval of COVID-19 vaccines and therapies. The Institute has made progress in other elements of its strategic plan, including: hiring talented faculty (currently 32: 22 research faculty and 10 veterinary faculty) and staff (currently over 100 professional staff and total employee count has grown from around 360 to about 450); adding programmatic enhancements (including talent management systems, inclusivity and leadership excellence programs and educational programming ranging from K-12 to post-doc programs); adding capabilities (new state-of-the-art scientific equipment and information technology resources); offering enhancements for our employees (new wellness center, on-site medical clinic, campus cafe, etc.); and yielding first-quartile employee engagement survey scores. Also, during this period, the Institute’s annual grant and contract revenues have grown from around $35 million annually to $80 million, driven by our highly productive faculty and increased business relationships with the addition of a dedicated business development team (Applied Science and Innovation unit) in 2020. Funding for these enhancements has come from a variety of sources, including issuing public debt, selling underutilized real estate assets, federal grant support, local government assistance, and – of course – philanthropy. The next phase of the campaign will focus on securing the necessary resources to provide funding for bringing new critical facilities online and further building out the campus to facilitate the growth envisioned in the strategic plan. Leadership Dr. Larry Schlesinger President/CEO Larry S. Schlesinger, M.D., is an internationally recognized authority on infectious diseases with a particular interest in tuberculosis and lung biology. He took the reins of leadership as President/CEO of Texas Biomed in 2017 and has led a transformational strategic planning process that is currently being implemented. Since coming to San Antonio, Dr. Schlesinger has made a huge impact on the San Antonio biomedical research community, particularly building stronger relationships and innovative partnerships with UT Health San Antonio, Southwest Research Institute, the University of Texas at San Antonio, other colleges and universities in the region, and the private sector biomedical landscape. He serves on the boards of Biomed SA and the SA Medical Foundation and has spoken in several citywide venues discussing the virtues of working together to achieve great things. Dr. Schlesinger also serves as a Professor at Texas Biomed and is Principal Investigator (PI) of several ongoing research grants. He serves as PI for the Southwest National Primate Research Center Base Grant. In 2018, Dr. Schlesinger was named a Healthcare Hero by the San Antonio Business Journal in the area of Outstanding Medical Researcher. In 2021, he was awarded Word Affairs Council of San Antonio International Citizen of the Year. Dr. Schlesinger earned a B.A. in Biology from Cornell University and M.D. from Rutgers Medical School. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Michigan and clinical and research fellowships in infectious diseases at UCLA. In 1991, he joined the faculty at the University of Iowa, where he served as Fellowship Director for the Division of Infectious Diseases and Associate Chair of the Department of Medicine. In 2002, he moved to the Ohio State University, where he served as Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, until 2011, when he became first chair of Microbial Infection and Immunity. He also founded the university-wide Center for Microbial Interface Biology (now the Infectious Diseases Research Institute). Dr. Schlesinger is a leading physician scientist whose studies focus on the pathogenesis of tuberculosis and other airborne infectious agents that subvert lung immune mechanisms. His discoveries have led to greater insight into the unique attributes that soluble and cellular components of the innate immune system of humans bring to the microbe-host interface, translating them into drug discovery platforms. He is a prolific scholar, having authored more than 230 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, and chapters in leading textbooks on tuberculosis and lung biology. He is also editor of two books. He has been continuously funded by the NIH and a number of other agencies for 30 years, a member or chair of several NIH study sections (and NIAID council member) and other private and federal agencies, and a Fellow of the AAAS, American Academy of Microbiology, AAP, and IDSA. He has served on many advisory boards for universities, NIH, and FDA among others. Dr. Schlesinger has placed great emphasis on education and mentoring throughout his career, particularly in clinical and translational research, and has been committed to building strong interdisciplinary academic programs through his leadership on training gra

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