Dr. Alan Russell (Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry, 1987, Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London) is the Highmark Distinguished Career Professor at Carnegie Mellon University where he directs the Disruptive Health Technology Institute. From 2012-2016 Dr. Russell served as the Executive Vice President and the Chief Innovation Officer of the Allegheny Health Network and Highmark Health.
Dr. Russell has an unusual breadth of experience at the interface of science, healthcare and commercialization. He has been deeply involved in strategic investments in technologies as the innovation lead for a $20 billion integrated health enterprise, as an entrepreneur and as an academic leader advising UPMC on strategic technology investments. He was the Founding Director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, serving in that capacity from 2001-2011. Dr. Russell has founded three biotechnology companies (including one that became a successful public company) and was also the Founding President of the now 4,000+ member Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society. In 2012 Dr. Russell served as Chair of the College of Fellows for the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. In 2008 Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Dr. Russell #32 on the top 100 people who will change America list!
Dr. Russell was the longest serving member of the Science Board to the Food and Drug Administration and Chaired the 10-year scientific review of the Center for Devices and Radiologic Health, publishing the key “Protecting the core of CDRH regulatory science in the face of financial and strategic threats” report. Dr. Russell has served many scientific roles for the Department of Defense, including being a member of the Defense Health Board and the founding Co-Director of the Armed Forces Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
For the last 25 years, the Russell laboratory has been discovering what can be achieved by exploiting the rich interface of chemistry, biology and materials. Dr. Russell’s work has impacted fields as diverse as chemical and polymer synthesis to tissue engineering and homeland defense. The work began with a detailed study of the structure-function-environment relationship of biological molecules in extreme environments. This work led to an exploration of the use of enzymes in supercritical and ionic fluids. Dr. Russell has pioneered how to make polymers from enzymes and how to incorporate enzymes into bulk polymers. In a series of discoveries Dr. Russell’s laboratory has found how to meld the synthetic and biological worlds.
Within the scientific community, Dr. Russell has participated on 24 advisory boards. Since the outset of his career, he has received numerous prestigious awards for his contributions to research, teaching and public service. These awards include R&D 100 Award – (R&D Magazine), three Carnegie Awards for Excellence, the American Chemical Society’s prestigious Pittsburgh Award – 2010, the Ladies Hospital Aid Society Doctor of Distinction Award – 2011, and the TERMIS Lifetime Achievement Award – 2012. Dr. Russell has contributed significantly to the interface between the fields of chemistry, biology, and material science. He has given more than 250 national and international invited lectures. Dr. Russell has published over 150 articles in refereed journals, one book, and 10 book chapters and holds 14 patents, with over 25 additional pending patents. Dr. Russell was the founding Editor-in-Chief of Disruptive Science and Technology. Dr. Russell has published over 175 peer-reviewed articles and holds dozens of US and International patents.