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Dr. Stelios Papadopoulos, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Exelixis, Inc. to be honored with USAIC’s Distinguished Service Award for his vision and longstanding deep commitment to catalyzing industry-academic partnerships, interdisciplinary translational biomedical research & development, and innovation-based solutions for a healthier world. This is the 5th time in 19 years USAIC is presenting this award.
Dr. Stelios Papadopoulos is a distinguished leader in the BioPharma industry, serving as Co-Founder and Chair of the Board of Exelixis Inc. since 1998. He has been Chair of Regulus Therapeutics since 2013, a board member of Graviton Bioscience since 2023, Ovid since 2025, and Co-Founder and Chairman of Epikast, Inc. since 2023. His extensive leadership experience includes serving as Chair of Biogen (2014–2023), as well as co-founder and chairman of Cellzome (acquired by GSK in 2012) and Anadys Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Roche in 2011).
In addition to his roles as company founder and board member Dr. Papadopoulos has had a successful career in investment banking, specializing in biotech and pharma. He retired after six years as Vice Chairman of Cowen & Co. in 2006, having previously spent 13 years at PaineWebber, where most recently he was Chairman of PaineWebber Development Corp., a subsidiary focused on biotechnology. His career on Wall Street began with his work as a biotech analyst at Drexel Burnham Lambert and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.
In the not-for-profit sector, Dr. Papadopoulos is a Co-Founder and Chairman of Fondation Santé, a foundation focused on providing mentorship and financial support to young scientists engaged in biomedical research in academic institutions in Greece and Cyprus. Until 2023, he served as a member of the board of visitors of Duke Medicine, and a member of the Global Advisory Board of the Duke Institute for Health Innovation. Before moving to Wall Street, Dr. Papadopoulos was a faculty member in the Department of Cell Biology at NYU School of Medicine. He holds an M.S. in Physics, a Ph.D. in Biophysics and an M.B.A. in Finance, all from New York University.
