Desmond-Hellmann to head Gates Foundation

Who: Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann, 56

Promoted to: Incoming CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, effective May 1.

Most recent role: Chancellor of University of California at San Francisco

Previous roles: President of product development at Genentech, during the time

when the company brought oncology drugs Avastin and Herceptin to market.

Key healthcare accomplishments at UCSF: Established a $60 million endowment for the UCSF Discovery Fellows program, which provides funding to basic-science PhD programs; was the first woman to serve as the university's chancellor.

Her background: Desmond-Hellmann is trained as an oncologist. She sits on the boards of Procter & Gamble Co. and Facebook. She spent two years studying HIV/AIDS and cancer as a visiting faculty member at the Uganda Cancer Institute.

Why she picked the Gates Foundation: “The foundation's credo that 'Every person deserves the chance to lead a healthy and productive life' resonates with my own lifelong philosophy, and my hope is that my leadership can contribute to creating a more equitable world,” Desmond-Hellmann said in a statement.

What Bill Gates says about her: “Sue's background in public health policy, research and development, and higher education make her an exceptional fit for this role,” he said in a statement. “She impressed us as an innovator and an outstanding leader and manager.”