Michael S. Kinch
Dr. Kinch was appointed the inaugural Chief Innovation Officer (CINO) at Stony Brook University in 2024. Over the course of his career, he has founded and led drug discovery enterprises in both industry and academia, including founding oncology at MedImmune, Inc.,the Center for Molecular Discovery at Yale University, and the Center for Research Innovation in Biotechnolgoy and the Center for Drug Discovery at Washington University in St Louis.
In 2010, Dr. Michael S. Kinch began a program to catalog all medicines ever approved or subjected to clinical testing in people. This project began at Yale University, where he was leading drug discovery efforts, and reflects his scientific background, which includes the development of medicines for cancer, immunological and infectious diseases. The project continuously expanded amidst subsequent moves to Washington University in St Louis, Long Island University and Stony Brook University.
Prior to his return to academia, Dr Kinch had served as Vice President of Research & Development and Chief Scientific Officer at Functional Genetics, Inc. in Gaithersburg, MD, where his research included investigation of Ebola, Dengue fever, pandemic influenza and other emerging infectious diseases. Preceding that, Dr. Kinch led the Departments of Cancer Biology and In Vivo Biology at MedImmune, Inc.
He began his career at Purdue University, where he gained tenure as an associate professor of cellular pharmacology at Purdue University. Prior to that, Dr. Kinch was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, obtained a Ph.D. in Immunology from Duke University and a B.S. in Molecular Genetics from The Ohio State University. He has published more than 100 manuscripts, and been granted 15 US patents.
His first book, A Prescription for Change (UNC Press, 2016), outlines a history of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Michael’s second book, Between Hope and Fear (Pegasus Books, 2018) details the history of vaccines and public reaction to these vital tools. The End of the Beginning (Pegasus Books, 2019) provides a history of new cancer therapies with the potential promise to eradicate this disease. The Price of Health (Simon & Schuster, 2021), investigates the rationale contributing to the rise in drug prices and what might be done about this key problem. The Pantheon and the Mortuary is a text intended to instill the fundamentals of biomedical entrepreneurship for young and old alike, using real-world applications.
