Michelle McMurry-Heath is an American medical doctor, immunologist, and from June 2020 to October 2022 was chief executive officer for the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO).
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Early life and education
McMurry-Heath was born and raised in Oakland, California. Her mother was a public health nurse, and her father was a psychologist.
After first pursuing a double major in art history and psychology during college, she changed her focus to biochemistry and received an undergraduate degree from Harvard University in biochemistry. She is the first Black graduate of the Duke University combined MD / Ph.D. Medical Scientist Training Program, and completed her Ph.D. in immunology.
Career
After completing her education, McMurry-Heath worked in research for 12 years. After training from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, she shifted to science policy, which included work from 2001 to 2004 as a legislative aide for Senator Joe Lieberman and drafting a bioterrorism preparedness bill in 2002.




