Our team

David Brunel is a founder of Biodesix. He has served as a Director of the Company since 2006 and as Chairman of the Board since January 2020. Mr. Brunel was Chief Executive Officer of Biodesix from 2006 through 2020. Prior to Biodesix, Mr. Brunel was Co-founder in 1999 and President of SomaLogic, Inc., a company focused on creating protein capture arrays for sensitive, high-throughput, quantitative diagnostics. Mr. Brunel was a founder and CEO of Unidata, Inc. when it merged with Vmark Software to create Ardent Software, Inc., where he was President and Chief Operating Officer. He was also a member of the board of Ardent until it was sold to Informix in 1999. He also served as CEO of both Codestream, Ltd, which he sold to Blue Phoenix Solutions, and eMotion, Inc., which sold to Corbus, now part of Getty Images. Additionally, Mr. Brunel serves on the board of Anark Corporation, Xyleme, Inc. and KromaTiD, Inc. Mr. Brunel has a B.S. in Chemistry from Colorado State University and an M.A from the Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.

Robert Cawthorn is a founder of Biodesix. He has served as a Director of the Company since 2006 and served as Chairman from 2006 to 2019. Mr. Cawthorn served as Chairman of Actelion from 1997 to 2012. Mr. Cawthorn served as a Managing Director of Global Health Care Partners of DLJ Merchant Banking Partners from 1998 to 2001. He served as Chairman and as Chief Executive Officer of Rhone Poulenc Rorer from 1990 to 1996, having previously been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of its predecessor, Rorer Group, from 1985. Mr. Cawthorn was an executive with Pfizer International for 17 years and was the first president of Biogen Inc. before joining Rorer Group in 1982. He has served on the boards of CBS, The Vanguard Group of Mutual Funds, Sunoco, First Pennsylvania Bank (now part of Wells Fargo), Leerink Swann and several technology start-ups. He has been active on not-for-profit boards including The University of Pennsylvania, United Way of South Eastern Pennsylvania, Cambridge in America and the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences. Mr. Cawthorn received a B.A. from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.

Jean M. Franchi has served as a Director of the Company since April 2020. Ms. Franchi is currently Chief Financial Officer at Replimune, a biotechnology company developing oncolytic immuno-gene therapies. Prior to Replimmune, Ms. Franchi was Chief Financial Officer at Merrimack Pharmaceuticals from 2017 to 2019, Dimension Therapeutics from 2015 to 2017, and Good Start Genetics from 2012 to 2015. From 1995 to 2011, Ms. Franchi held various positions at Genzyme Corporation, including Senior Vice President of Corporation Finance, Senior Vice President of Business Unit Finance, and Vice President of Finance and Controller, Product Line and International Group. Ms. Franchi previously served on the board of International Institute of New England, from 2016 to 2019, and currently serves on the boards of directors of Biophytis BSA and Visioneering Technologies, Inc. Ms. Franchi received her B.A. in Accounting from Hofstra University.

Hany Massarany has served as a Director of the Company since July 2020. Mr. Massarany was President and Chief Executive Officer of GenMark Diagnostics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNMK) from April 2011 to March 2020. From February 2009 to April 2011, Mr. Massarany served as President of at Ventana Medical Systems and Head of Roche Tissue Diagnostics, a division of F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd. focused on manufacturing instruments and reagents that automate tissue processing and slide staining diagnostics for cancer. From 1999 to 2009, Mr. Massarany held various global leadership positions with Ventana, including Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Operations, Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Development, and Vice President, North American Commercial Operations. Mr. Massarany also held executive management positions with Bayer Diagnostics and Chiron Diagnostics, working in both the Asia Pacific region and the United States. Mr. Massarany served on the board of directors of GenMark Diagnostics, Inc. from May 2011 to February 2020. Mr. Massarany earned a B.S. in Microbiology and Immunology from Monash University in Australia and an M.B.A. from Melbourne University.

Jack Schuler has served as a Director of the Company since June 2008. Mr. Schuler served as a director of Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. from 1991 and as Chairman of the board from 1995 until Ventana’s acquisition by Roche in 2008. Prior to joining Ventana, Mr. Schuler was President and Chief Operating Officer of Abbott Laboratories, a diversified health care company, which he joined in 1972 and where he held a number of management and marketing positions, also serving as a director from April 1985 to August 1989. Additionally, Mr. Schuler has served as a director of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT), Medtronic (Lead Director) (NYSE: MDT), Stericyle (Chairman) (NASDAQ: SRCL), Chiron Corporation, and Quidel Corporation  (NASDAQ: QDEL), and currently serves on the board of directors of Accelerate Diagnostics (NASDAQ: AXDX). Mr. Schuler holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business Administration.

John Patience has served as a Director of the Company since June 2008. Mr. Patience currently serves as both a Director and Chairman of the board of Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AXDX) and has served in that capacity since joining the board in 2012. Mr. Patience served as a director of Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. from 1989 and as Vice Chairman from 1999 until Ventana’s acquisition by Roche in 2008. Mr. Patience also served as a director of Stericycle, Inc. (NASDAQ: SRCL) since its founding in 1989 to June 2018. Mr. Patience is also a founding partner of Crabtree Partners, a private equity investment partnership in Lake Forest, Illinois. Mr. Patience was previously a partner of a venture capital investment firm that provided both Ventana and Stericycle with early stage funding. Mr. Patience was also previously a partner at the consulting firm McKinsey & Co., Inc., specializing in health care. Mr. Patience holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts and an L.L.B. from the University of Sydney, Australia, and an M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

Mark C. Miller has served as a Director of the Company since August 2011. Mr. Miller currently serves as a Director of Accelerate Diagnostics (NASDAQ: AXDX) and served as Chairman of Stericycle until 2018, and serving an additional year as a director until February 2019 (NASDAQ: SRCL). Before retiring, Mr. Miller served as Chief Executive Officer of Stericycle from 1992 to 2012. Prior to joining Stericycle, Mr. Miller served as Vice President for the Pacific, Asia and Africa in the international division of Abbott Laboratories, a diversified health care company, which he joined in 1976 and where he held a number of management and marketing positions. Mr. Miller formerly served as a director of Ventana Medical Systems, Inc., a developer and supplier of automated diagnostic systems. He received a B.S. in Computer Science from Purdue University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Mr. Miller was selected by Morningstar, Inc. as its “2009 CEO of the Year”.

Matthew W. Strobeck, Ph.D. has served as a Director of the Company since January 2012. Dr. Strobeck is currently the Managing Partner of Birchview Capital. In addition, Dr. Strobeck is currently a Director of Quidel Corporation (NASDAQ: QDEL), Accelerate Diagnostics (NASDAQ: AXDX), Tepha Inc., and Monteris Medical. Dr. Strobeck received a B.S. from St. Lawrence University, a Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati, a S.M. from the Harvard University/MIT Health Sciences Technology Program, and a S.M. from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Charles Watts, M.D. has served as a Director of the Company since July 2019. Until his retirement, Dr. Watts served as Chief Medical Officer at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) and Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University from 2001 to 2011. Prior to his tenure at Northwestern, Dr. Watts served as Chief of Clinical Affairs and Associate Dean at the University of Michigan Medical Center. He has also served as Executive in Residence for the Health Management Academy, as an active faculty member of a nationally based Physician Leadership Program. Dr. Watts served as a Director of Providence Health and Services (Seattle, Washington) from 2012 to 2016 where he chaired the Quality and Patient Safety Improvement Committee, and served as a Trustee of Swedish Health Services until May 2017, when he accepted an appointment as interim Chief Medical Officer, serving in that capacity until June 2019. He currently serves as a Trustee on the Institute for Systems Biology Board and as a director of Accelerate Diagnostics. Dr. Watts received his medical degree from the University of Michigan.