Stephen J. Russell

Dr. Russell is a world-renowned researcher in the field of gene and virus therapy. He combines more than three decades of leadership as a clinician and researcher with extensive experience in all aspects of drug discovery and development. A board-certified hematologist, Dr. Russell is a co-founder of Vyriad, the Richard O. Jacobson Professor of Molecular Medicine at Mayo Clinic and President of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. Early in his career, Dr. Russell pioneered novel methods for engineering viral cancer immunotherapies. He was a founder of Cambridge Genetics, a biotechnology company, and the European Society of Gene Therapy. At the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Russell founded the Department of Molecular Medicine and built a comprehensive oncolytic virotherapy program. He has authored more than 400 peer-reviewed research papers and is a frequent speaker at scientific and medical conferences. Dr. Russell received his MD from the University of Edinburgh and a PhD from the University of London.