Meet the Biodesix Leadership Team
Scott Hutton
Scott Hutton is the President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Biodesix, where his personal leadership philosophy centers on inspiring team members to high performance and outstanding results. In 2020, Scott and his leadership team led the IPO for BDSX on the Nasdaq exchange. Since then, Biodesix has grown into a leading lung diagnostics company with a mission to transform the standard of care and improve outcomes through personalized diagnostics.
Scott is a strategic, transformational leader with 25 years of experience in the biotech, diagnostics, and medical device industries. He has a proven track record of successfully developing and leading high performance, cross-functional teams credited with 50+ product launches that have positively impacted tens of millions of patients globally. Prior to being named Biodesix CEO in 2020, Scott held the role of Biodesix Chief Operating Officer. He joined Biodesix from Spectranetics Corp, now part of Royal Philips, where he served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Vascular Intervention division. Prior to Spectranetics, Scott spent over 16 years at Medtronic in a variety of roles and medical specialties, including Vice President and General Manager of the Neurosurgery Business Unit, where he drove the business to many consecutive years of high double-digit growth and market share leadership.
Scott is a Purdue University alumnus with a 1995 Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Health and Human Sciences, Department of Health and Kinesiology. Scott was recently appointed by the Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council (2025-2028) to offer strategic insight, mentorship, and support to help guide the college’s direction. Scott also currently serves on the Coalition for 21st Century Medicine (C21) Board of Directors and the Eximis Surgical Board of Directors.
Robin Harper Cowie
Robin Harper Cowie has been with Biodesix since March 2011 and has served as Chief Financial Officer since April 2017. She brings deep expertise in finance, government policy, reimbursement, and operations. She has a passionate personal mission to bring access to Biodesix diagnostic testing for every person who needs them.
Prior to joining Biodesix, Robin held a leadership role in payor and government relations at Precision Therapeutics, Inc. Robin’s background includes corporate finance, managed care and payor relations, government reimbursement and regulatory policy, legal affairs, health economics and outcomes research, analytics, customer service and billing operations. She also served as a laboratory researcher for several years at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center researching migraine, epilepsy, and ALS. Robin holds a B.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of Pittsburgh, and an M.B.A. in Finance from the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business from the University of Pittsburgh.
Gary Pestano, Ph.D.
Gary Pestano, Ph.D. is a development leader in assays and products of high complexity molecular diagnostics in oncology and virology, including genomic and proteomic technologies. In addition to serving as the Chief Development Officer and the head of R&D at Biodesix, Gary is the NYS Laboratory Director of the company’s CLEP | CLIA | ISO13485-certified laboratory in Colorado.
Prior to joining Biodesix in 2012, Dr. Pestano led multidisciplinary teams in the development of multiplexed tissue and cell-based diagnostic assays, cancer vaccines and scientific modeling software. He held senior positions in Discovery, Development, Pharma Services, and global Project Leadership at Ventana, a member of the Roche Group.
Dr. Pestano is the co-inventor on multiple national and international patents including for novel devices and detection systems for nucleic acid, cell, and tissue diagnostics. He has also fostered many collaborations at leading academic centers, academic/industry consortia, and in the biotechnology industry as a part of both R&D and new product development.
Dr. Pestano received his Ph.D. training in Cell and Molecular Biology at The Graduate Center, City University of New York and conducted his post-doctoral training in cancer immunology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Pestano holds advanced training certificates from Harvard Business School, MIT, and the University of London.
Kieran O’Kane
Kieran O’Kane serves as the Chief Commercial Officer of Biodesix since March 2020. Kieran is an experienced commercial leader with deep expertise in oncology. With an academic background in Pharmacology, Kieran has over 25 years in the industry including over 10 product launches globally across pharma, medical device, and clinical diagnostics. Kieran has strong personal motivation to positively impact health outcomes which drives the engine of commercial growth at Biodesix.
Prior to joining Biodesix, Kieran led the Global Diagnostics Marketing team at Nanostring Technologies, a biotechnology company focused on developing cancer diagnostic tools. Kieran held various commercial leadership positions in sales and marketing functions, in addition to managing pricing, reimbursement, health technology appraisal and national payor strategy at companies including Biotheranostics, Cell Therapeutics, Eisai, Cephalon, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Roche.
Brianna Phillips
With almost 20 years of global experience in the biotech, diagnostics, and medical device industries, Brianna brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the company’s strategy and execution of its Quality and Regulatory Systems. She is responsible for managing the global regulatory affairs strategies, including the development and submission of product applications for the company’s medical devices, regulatory compliance, and industry advocacy.
Brianna has led multi-disciplinary teams in the implementation and maintenance of multiple divisions of the business, governed by different local, US, and international regulatory agencies such as FDA, EU (IVDR), Canada Health, CAP, CLIA, ISO, and NYS CLEP.
Prior to joining Biodesix, Brianna worked at Covidien Global Business Unit (now Medtronic), where she held Regulatory and Quality Assurance roles for Class II and III medical devices. She was accountable for regulatory compliance, premarket applications, and international product strategies and registrations. Brianna is highly experienced in medical devices, including in vitro diagnostic (IVDs) and the companion diagnostic regulatory environment. She has authored and led project teams to support multiple FDA submissions and other regulatory agencies worldwide.
Brianna is the Chair Elect for the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS) Colorado chapter. She holds an ASQ CQA, Six Sigma Green Belt, and 13485 Lead Auditor certifications and has a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Indiana Wesleyan University.
Niki Givens
Niki has been leading Biodesix clinical studies since 2016. She is leading the team responsible for conducting comprehensive programs: ALTITUDE Clinical Utility Study (NCT04171492), CLARIFY Clinical Utility Study (NCT06728319), INSIGHT Observational Study (NCT03289780).
Prior to Biodesix, Niki was a Scientist at Mbio Diagnostics as well as a Laboratory Scientist at Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies and Gambro BCT. She started her career as a Professional Research Associate at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
She holds a Bachelor of Science (BS), Cellular and Molecular Biology from University of Colorado Boulder.
Jessica Olbricht
Jessica brings over 25 years of extensive experience in the field. Her expertise encompasses a broad range of HR disciplines, including talent acquisition, performance management, and cultural development, with a particular focus on aligning human resources strategies to business objectives. Jessica’s career has been marked by her ability to drive significant HR initiatives, contributing to organizational success and employee satisfaction.
Prior to joining Biodesix, she held key HR leadership roles at Alacrity Solutions and ICAT, a subsidiary of The Victor Group, a Marsh McLennan Company. At ICAT, she played a pivotal role in achieving Top Workplace recognition for the company for multiple years.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resources from the University of Nebraska. She also holds SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications.
Michael N. Kammer, PhD
Michael N. Kammer, Ph.D., has over a decade of experience in biomarker development and radiomic modeling. Formerly a Faculty Member at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, he most recently served as an esteemed Guest Researcher at the Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Toulouse (CRTC), in France. His work integrates AI, imaging, and translational science to advance early detection and risk stratification in pulmonary oncology. Throughout his biomedical and biostatistician career, Dr. Kammer has published important research – see PubMed for his full body of work. He currently sits on the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Thoracic Oncology Planning Committee and was the inaugural Chair of the Early-Stage Investigator Forum for the Early Detection Research Network (EDRN).
Dr. Kammer holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering and a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. He also completed postdoctoral fellowships in Analytical Chemistry and in Pulmonary Medicine, as well as a Bachelor of Science from Loyola University, New Orleans, LA. His recent honors and awards include: the Thoracic Oncology Assembly Fellow’s Scholarship – American Thoracic Society (ATS), 2021 and 2023, and the Thoracic Oncology Assembly Graduate Student Scholarship – American Thoracic Society (ATS), 2020.
James R. Jett, MD
James Jett, M.D. has served as Co-Chief Medical Officer of Biodesix since October 2019, after the acquisition of Oncimmune LLC, where he served as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Jett is a board-certified physician in pulmonary medicine and served on the consulting staff of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for 28 years.
Dr. Jett was a member of the Denver-based National Jewish Health faculty as a professor of medicine. His research interests have focused on screening, diagnosis, and treatment of lung cancer. Dr. Jett also served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology and as the Co-Editor of the Lung Cancer Section of the premier medical electronic textbook Up-To-Date. Dr. Jett has held professional memberships with numerous organizations such as the American Thoracic Society, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, American Society of Clinical Oncology, North Central Cancer Treatment Group, and the American College of Chest Physicians.
Dr. Jett received his doctorate degree from the University of Missouri and completed his internal medicine and pulmonary medicine training at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Jett’s academic honors include the 2013 IASLC Merit Award, Clinical Educator Award from the ATS Assembly on Clinics Problems, 2014; selection for the 2015 Edition of Who’s Who in America; and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the ATS Assembly on Thoracic Oncology, 2015.
Steve Springmeyer, MD
Steven Springmeyer, M.D. has served as Co-Chief Medical Officer since July 2018. Dr. Springmeyer joined Biodesix after the acquisition of Integrated Diagnostics where he served as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Springmeyer is a board-certified physician in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and spent over 29 years in direct patient care. Dr. Springmeyer founded the University of Washington Pulmonary Section at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and was a Clinical Professor of Medicine until 2019.
Dr. Springmeyer was a key contributor in the clinical research and development for the Spiration Valve System, which improves patients’ breathing and lung health, specifically in end-stage emphysema patients. His research interests have included diagnostic and therapeutic uses of fiberoptic bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage, treatment of severe emphysema, and early diagnosis of pulmonary nodules and lung cancer.
Dr. Springmeyer received his doctorate degree from the University of Utah, and he completed his training at the University of Washington. Dr. Springmeyer joined Virginia Mason Medical Center in 1984, where he served as President and Director of Clinical Research at the Virginia Mason Research Center, and co-developed programs in Lung Volume Reduction Surgery and Thoracic Oncology.
Dr. Springmeyer has held many professional membership and leadership positions including the American Thoracic Society; Board Member and Chair of Council of Chapter Representatives, Washington Thoracic Society; President and Board Member, American College of Chest Physician; Fellow, and the American Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology.
Meet the Board of Directors
Scott Hutton
Scott Hutton is the President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Biodesix. In 2020, Scott and his leadership team led the IPO for BDSX on the Nasdaq exchange. Since then, Biodesix has grown into a leading lung diagnostics company with a mission to transform the standard of care and improve outcomes through personalized diagnostics. Scott is a transformational leader with 25 years of experience in the biotech, diagnostics, and medical device industries. He has a proven track record of successfully developing and leading high performance, cross-functional teams credited with 50+ product launches that have positively impacted tens of millions of patients globally. Scott is a Purdue University alumnus with a 1995 Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Health and Human Sciences, Department of Health and Kinesiology. Scott was recently appointed by the Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council (2025-2028) to offer strategic insight, mentorship, and support to help guide the college's direction. Scott also currently serves on the Coalition for 21st Century Medicine (C21) Board of Directors and the Eximis Surgical Board of Directors.
John Patience
John Patience has served as a Director of the Company since June 2008 and Chairman of the Board since September 2020. Mr. Patience served on the boards of Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AXDX) since 2012, and as a director of Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. since 1989 until 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.
Hany Massarany
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, and as both a director (since 2020) and chairman (since February 2023) of Accelerate Diagnostics (NASDAQ:AXDX). Mr. Massarany earned a B.S. in Microbiology and Immunology from Monash University in Australia and an M.B.A. from Melbourne University.
Jean M. Franchi
Jean M. Franchi has served as a Director of the Company since April 2020. Ms. Franchi is currently Chief Financial Officer of Disc Medicine, Inc., a clinical stage company focused on hematologic diseases, prior to which she served as Chief Financial Officer of Replimune Group, Inc. (Replimune) from 2019 to 2023, a biotechnology company developing oncolytic immuno-gene therapies. Prior to Replimune, Ms. Franchi was Chief Financial Officer at Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from 2017 to 2019, Dimension Therapeutics, Inc. from 2015 to 2017, and Good Start Genetics, Inc. from 2012 to 2015. From 1995 to 2011, Ms. Franchi held various positions at Genzyme Corporation, including Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance, Senior Vice President of Business Unit Finance, and Vice President of Finance and Controller, Product Line and International Group. Ms. Franchi currently serves on the board of directors VectorY Therapeutics. Ms. Franchi also served on the board of directors of Biophytis S.A. through July 2021 and Visioneering Technologies, Inc. through December 2022, and Flamingo Therapeutics through March 2024. Ms. Franchi received her B.A. in Accounting from Hofstra University.
Matthew W. Strobeck, Ph.D.
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), and Monteris Medical. Dr. Strobeck was a director of Yield 10 Biosciences, and Accelerate Diagnostics (NASDAQ: AXDX). 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.
Jon Faiz Kayyem, Ph.D.
Jon Faiz Kayyem, Ph.D. has served as a Director of the Company since December 2021. Dr. Kayyem has over 20 years of experience inventing, patenting, licensing, developing, and commercializing novel solutions for molecular diagnostics and DNA detection opportunities. Dr. Kayyem has served in various leadership positions throughout his career. He held numerous roles at GenMark Diagnostics, including Founder, CEO and President, Chief Scientific Officer, Senior Vice President of Research and Development. Prior to his work at GenMark Diagnostics, Dr. Kayyem served as Director and Founder of Calimmune and was Vice President of Life Sciences at Motorola. In October 2004, he co-founded the biotechnology fund management company, Efficacy Capital Limited and served as a managing partner. Additionally, Dr. Kayyem founded Clinical Micro Sensors Inc., the predecessor company of GenMark Diagnostics, to commercialize multiple technical innovations that he developed while serving as a Senior Research Fellow at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Dr. Kayyem holds a B.S. and M.S. in Biochemistry from Yale University and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Caltech. Currently, Dr. Kayyem is on the Board of Directors of Inhibrx Biosciences, Inc.
Lawrence T. Kennedy, Jr.
Lawrence T. Kennedy, Jr. currently serves as the Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Westwood Management, a private investment and wealth management firm directing a diverse investment portfolio across a range of alternative and traditional asset classes. Prior to his role at Westwood Management, Mr. Kennedy was the co-founder of Health Carousel, a talent management company with a leading portfolio of healthcare staffing and workforce solution businesses. Mr. Kennedy currently serves on the boards of directors of Healthcare for Kids, HC Locum, Revolution 4.0, and Health Carousel. Mr. Kennedy has received a Master of Business Administration from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University.
Jack W. Schuler - Board Emeritus as of May 2025
Jack W. Schuler - Board Emeritus as of May 2025 had 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, Quidel Corporation (NASDAQ: QDEL), and 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.