GRAIL, Inc., a health care company whose mission is to detect cancer early, when it can be cured, announced that Rodger Currie, JD, has been appointed as Vice President and Head of Government Affairs and Alliance Development. Currie will report to Joshua Ofman, MD, MSHS, who was recently appointed Chief of Corporate Strategy and External Affairs. The two will spearhead GRAIL’s government affairs, policy, and advocacy efforts as the company continues to prepare its multi-cancer early detection test for commercialization.
“Rodger is an experienced and driven health care advocate, and I am very pleased to welcome him to GRAIL at this pivotal moment for our company,” said GRAIL CEO Hans Bishop. “As we continue to advance our early cancer detection blood test toward commercialization, Rodger will work closely with policymakers, regulators, patient groups, and other stakeholders to navigate a dynamic health care, regulatory, and reimbursement environment.”
Currie joins GRAIL from Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), where he most recently served as Executive Vice President for Advocacy. In that role he led federal, state, and international government relations and alliances, and reported to PhRMA President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Ubi.
“I can hardly think of a better way to make a positive impact on the lives of patients than by helping GRAIL tackle cancer, a disease that touches nearly every person and family over the course of a lifetime,” Currie said. “I am looking forward to partnering with GRAIL’s new leadership team, a truly committed and forward-thinking group of individuals, to help our health care system prepare to adopt this breakthrough technology and to work to seriously reduce cancer deaths.”
“Bringing innovative genomic technology to early cancer detection provides an opportunity to make a dramatic impact on cancer survival. As GRAIL advances a novel paradigm for multi-cancer early detection, policymakers, payers, and other stakeholders must ensure that policies are in place to support the adoption of such groundbreaking technology,” said Dr. Ofman. “Rodger understands the challenges this represents, and we believe he is the ideal person to help us push our technology forward.”
Read the original press release here.