Cheryl is the former Chief Research Programmes Officer for Wellcome, where she led a broad interlinked portfolio that focuses on discovery research and three urgent health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health. She is a strategic leader who is passionate about the role of science in improving human health.

Cheryl brings decades of strategic and operational leadership experience in international health and medical organisations.

Before joining Wellcome, Cheryl was President and Chief Operating Officer of the New York Genome Center where she was responsible for the strategic direction of the Center in advancing genomic research. She previously spent six years as Executive Vice president and Chief Operating Officer of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, one of the largest philanthropic medical research funders in the US. There, she worked with the executive team to deliver the Institute’s strategic objectives and led a team of over 200 people to create an inclusive and collaborative culture.

She has worked with start-ups and large companies across biotechnology and healthcare services on innovative programmes. She began her career advising healthcare businesses on finance and strategy. Between 2004-10, Cheryl was the founding Chief Operating Officer of the Janelia Research Campus at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. In this role, she worked with the scientific leadership to build a cutting-edge research institute for brain and imaging research.

Cheryl has held several advisory roles at international medical institutions, including the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour. She currently sits on the board of Genome Research Ltd, the parent company of the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Wellcome Genome Campus.

Cheryl was named a Notable Woman in Healthcare by Crain’s New York in 2019 for her leadership and work in advancing healthcare and medical services. In 2016, she was appointed Co-Chair of the New York City Regional Economic Development Council to encourage investment and strengthen the regional economy.