Seema Kumar

Seema Kumar is the Chief Executive Officer of Cure, a healthcare innovation ecosystem dedicated to accelerating cures through the knowledge, infrastructure, and connections needed to advance biomedical innovation. A recognized leader in biomedical innovation, she has built and led initiatives spanning academia, government, industry, and nonprofit organizations. Most recently, she conceived and led the development and launch of the Cure Innovation Index, the first national, evidence-based benchmark of biomedical innovation and translational performance across U.S. research institutions. Prior to joining Cure, Seema spent nearly 20 years at Johnson & Johnson, where she held multiple senior leadership positions, including Global Head of the Office of Innovation, Global Health and Scientific Engagement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she served on the leadership team overseeing external engagement and partnerships supporting the development and launch of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Earlier in her career, she served as Chief of Staff to Dr. Eric Lander at the Whitehead Institute/MIT Center for Genome Research, where she played a leadership role during the Human Genome Project and helped launch what would become the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. She also held leadership positions at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institutes of Health, and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Seema holds a Master of Science degree in Science Journalism and Communications from the University of Maryland.