George Poste

Career

From 1992 to 1999, Dr. Poste was Chief Science and Technology Officer and President of Research & Development for one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, SmithKline Beecham. In an industry where bringing a single drug to market makes careers, Dr. Poste oversaw the registration of 31 drug, vaccine and diagnostic products. In addition to his academic post, he serves as Chief Executive of Health Technology Networks, a consulting company that specializes in the application of genomic technologies and computing in healthcare.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, and the UK's Academy of Medical Sciences, a Distinguished Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and is a member of the Council for Foreign Relations. In the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attacks, Dr. Poste’s expertise was tapped extensively to aid national security. He served as chairman of the task force on bioterrorism for the U.S. Department of Defense, a role he completed in May 2004, and currently serves as a member of the Threat Reduction Advisory Committee for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

He also serves as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Working Group on Biological Weapons, the Forum on Microbial Threats of the Institute of Medicine Board on Global Health and the Institute of Medicine Committee on Advances in Technology and Next Generation Biowarfare Threats. He is Non-Executive Chairman of Orchid Biosciences in Princeton and has served on numerous boards, with current appointments on the Board of Directors for both Monsanto and Exelixis.

Dr. Poste is also a member of the USA Science and Engineering Festival's Advisory Board.

Dr. Post currently serves as a member of the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense, a group that encourages and advocates changes to government policy to strengthen national biodefense. In order to address biological threats facing the nation, the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense created a 33 step initiative for the U.S. Government to implement. Headed by former Senator Joe Lieberman and former Governor Tom Ridge, the Study Panel assembled in Washington D.C. for four meetings concerning current biodefense programs. The Study Panel concluded that the federal government had little to no defense mechanisms in case of a biological event. The Study Panel's final report, The National Blueprint for Biodefense, proposes a string of solutions and recommendations for the U.S. Government to take, including items such as giving the Vice President authority over biodefense responsibilities and merging the entire biodefense budget. These solutions represent the Panel's call to action in order to increase awareness and activity for pandemic related issues.

He is a Founding Editor of the editorial board of the Cancer and Metastasis Reviews.

History and schooling

The son of an auto mechanic, Dr. Poste was raised in a rural area south of London. Dr. Poste said the setting in which he was raised instilled a respect for science and nature. Encouraged by a high school biology teacher, he became the first member of his family to attend college. His first doctorate was in veterinary medicine from the University of Bristol, England, where he graduated first in his class. He also holds a doctorate in virology and a doctorate of science.

Honours and awards

Dr. Poste has received honorary doctorates in law and science for his contributions to international health policy and is board certified in pathology.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1997.