50 Most Influential Physician Executives – 2015

Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann is CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which works to improve global health, among other efforts. Before joining the Seattle-based foundation in 2014, she was chancellor of the University of California at San Francisco, where she helped researchers connect to big brands like Pfizer and Bayer and led an evaluation of the university's business model. Before that, she was president of product development for biotech firm Genentech, where she managed the company's product portfolio.