Harvard Business School Names 2026-2027 Blavatnik Fellows, Marking 13th Cohort of Life Science Entrepreneurs
核心洞察
Harvard Business School has announced its 2026-2027 Blavatnik Fellows, the thirteenth cohort since the program launched in 2013 with support from the Blavatnik Family Foundation.
The 12-month fellowship provides HBS alumni and Harvard-affiliated postdocs with mentorship, resources, and community to advance new ventures around promising life science technologies.
To date, Blavatnik Fellows have founded 50 biomedical companies and collectively raised more than $800 million in private and public capital.
Harvard Business School (HBS) has named its 2026-2027 Blavatnik Fellows, welcoming the thirteenth cohort into a program that has become a significant engine for life science entrepreneurship since its inception in 2013. The Blavatnik Fellowship in Life Science Entrepreneurship, funded through a gift to Harvard University from the Blavatnik Family Foundation, offers HBS alumni and Harvard-affiliated postdoctoral researchers a 12-month immersive experience designed to translate promising life science technologies into viable ventures.
"Turning a breakthrough discovery into real-world impact is a demanding journey," said Professor Leemore Dafny, co-chair of the HBS Health Care Initiative. "The Fellowship provides the mentorship, community, and resources to help these Fellows navigate it, and we look forward to supporting them as founders and leaders."
A Track Record of Biomedical Innovation
Since its launch, the Blavatnik Fellowship has cultivated a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem. Fellows have founded 50 biomedical companies to date, developing innovations that span gene writing technologies, engineered cell therapies, oral biologic drug delivery platforms, AI-enabled digital health solutions, and therapeutics targeting cancer, neurological, and metabolic diseases. The program is supported by a council of 15 seasoned biotechnology and business leaders who provide one-on-one mentorship and strategic guidance. Collectively, Fellows have raised more than $800 million in private and public capital to advance their ventures.
"We are delighted to welcome this outstanding new cohort of Blavatnik Fellows," said Professor Robert Huckman, co-chair of the HBS Health Care Initiative. "They bring exceptional scientific, clinical, and entrepreneurial talent, and a genuine commitment to improving patients' lives."
The 2026-2027 Cohort
The four incoming Fellows represent a diverse array of therapeutic areas and technological approaches:
Russell Beckerman (MBA 2026) is co-founder and CEO of Overture Therapeutics (搜索), a preclinical biotech company developing precision antibody medicines for obesity (搜索) and related co-morbidities. The company's lead program is a first-in-class antibody targeting a pathway linked in human genetic studies to profound protection from obesity and broad cardiometabolic disease (搜索). Overture has generated compelling preclinical results and aims to translate this biology into transformative medicines for patients underserved by current therapeutic options. Beckerman previously served as Associate Director of Strategy and Corporate Development at Alloy Therapeutics and held roles at Catalent spanning process development, manufacturing, and innovation strategy.
Parisa Farzam is co-founder and CEO of Oxyverse (搜索), a platform that uses light-based technology to visualize brain activity and enable real-time monitoring of neurocritical patients. Dr. Farzam brings more than a decade of experience at the intersection of medicine, technology, and digital innovation, having led AI and digital health programs at IBM Watson Health and Bayer, where she drove the development and launch of AI products under global regulatory constraints.
Mahmoud Mikdar is a scientist-entrepreneur and co-founder of InfiniBlood (搜索), a biotechnology venture emerging from Manoj Duraisingh's Laboratory at Harvard. InfiniBlood is developing engineered, donor-independent red blood cell platforms for transfusion and therapeutic applications. Mikdar earned his PhD in hematology from Université Paris Cité and now leads the red blood cell research program within the Duraisingh Lab at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His scientific contributions include the identification of novel blood group systems and characterization of red cell factors important in hematologic disease, malaria infection, and transfusion compatibility. As a Blavatnik Fellow, he will advance the platform's manufacturing, regulatory, and commercialization strategy.
Nora Rodden (MS/MBA 2022) is founder and CEO of Nervana (搜索), a digital health startup helping people with chronic symptoms access evidence-based mind-body recovery support through an AI-powered mobile app. Built in collaboration with hundreds of clinicians, Nervana combines short lessons, regulation exercises, symptom tracking, and a voice/chat AI coach. Rodden's work is informed by her personal experience finding relief from chronic pain, insomnia, and GI symptoms after participating in an early clinical trial for neuroplastic recovery for chronic pain.
A Continuing Legacy
The Blavatnik Fellowship continues to serve as a critical bridge between academic discovery and clinical application, equipping a new generation of scientist-entrepreneurs with the mentorship, strategic guidance, and community needed to navigate the complex path from breakthrough science to patient impact.