Industry Explorers Blaze On: Howard Fillit

By Wayne Koberstein, Executive Editor, Life Science Leader
Follow Me On Twitter @WayneKoberstein

The stories of longtime leaders, still active in the industry, sharing their historical perspectives on life sciences industry innovation

For some, the best way to explore is to stay close to home — especially if home is a place like New York City. One example is lifetime New Yorker Howard Fillit, M.D., who has long led the exploration of Alzheimer’s disease outside and inside of the biopharma industry. Fillit’s current activities reflect his entire career. He has traveled a scientific path since high school, but also has embraced opportunities to learn business and philanthropy management. He cofounded and still leads the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), which recently entered into a research-funding partnership with Bill Gates. He is a physician-scientist who still treats patients while driving clinical development through the ADDF and another organization he cofounded, the Institute for the Study of Aging (ISOA), as well as with industry companies. Following previous faculty positions at The Rockefeller University, the SUNYStony Brook School of Medicine, and the Cornell University School of Medicine, he has served as a clinical professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine since 1987.