18 March 2020 - - US-based health intelligence company Sema4 has appointed Rachel Sherman, MD, MPH, to its board of directors, the company said.

Dr. Sherman is the former Principal Deputy Commissioner of Food and Drugs at the US Food and Drug Administration.

Dr. Sherman spent nearly 30 years with the FDA, serving most recently as Principal Deputy Commissioner of Food and Drugs, the most senior career position at the Agency.

In this role, she was responsible for cross cutting clinical policy and programs, over-seeing approximately 2,000 employees and a budget of more than USD 500m.

During her distinguished career at the FDA, Dr. Sherman spearheaded HIV drug development during the height of the AIDS crisis, directed the Critical Path Initiative, launched the expedited review, development and breakthrough designation programmes, and guided the establishment of the Oncology Center of Excellence, the Sentinel Initiative and the Evidence Generation programme.

Dr. Sherman is currently the president and Founding Partner of Rachel Sherman Partners, LLC, through which she applies her expertise in regulatory science and medical product evaluation to address client challenges at all stages of product development.

She also serves as a faculty member in the Department of Population Health, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Harvard University. Dr. Sherman earned an AB in mathematics from Washington University in St. Louis, an MD from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and an MPH from Johns Hopkins University.

In addition to Dr. Sherman, Sema4's board of directors includes: Dr. Dennis Charney, Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Dr. Kenneth Davis, president and CEO of the Mount Sinai Health System; Viral Patel, Senior Managing director in the Tactical Opportunities Group at Blackstone; Dr. Michael Pellini, Managing Partner of Section 32; Joshua Ruch, co-founder and chief executive officer of Rho Capital Partners and Trustee of the Mount Sinai Health System; David Windreich, Managing Partner and Founder of Cypress Forest Holdings, LLC and Trustee of the Mount Sinai Health System; and Dr. Schadt.

Sema4 is dedicated to transforming healthcare by building dynamic models of human health and defining optimal, individualized health trajectories, starting in the areas of reproductive health and oncology.

Centrellis, its health intelligence platform, is enabling us to generate a more complete understanding of disease and wellness and to provide science-driven solutions to the most pressing medical needs.