As Global Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS, Melinda fosters the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies external R&D engine with more than 750 companies across biopharm, device, consumer and health tech in 13 locations around the world.

Before joining Johnson & Johnson, Melinda was Founder and CEO of Prescience International, an award-winning firm dedicated to accelerating research to the patient. Melinda founded Prescience after she had a medical emergency that left her questioning the efficiency and efficacy of the healthcare system. With the tenacity and resolve of a patient looking for a better solution, she set out to create a better model, which now forms the basis for JLABS. Prior to starting Prescience, Melinda held posts across a variety of functional areas with a global corporation, Nortel Networks in Research Triangle Park, New York, Toronto, London, Hong Kong and Beijing before arriving in San Francisco. She also raised capital and secured large corporate deals for companies in both the life science and technology space. She holds a B.Comm from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada and an MBA from INSEAD in France. Melinda is Board Chair of the California Life Sciences (CLS), a board member of BIO’s Technology Transfer Committee, and a member of the National Cancer Advisory Board Ad Hoc Working Group of the National Cancer Institute Small Business Innovation Research Program.