Gail K. Naughton, Ph.D., co-founder and former vice chair of Advance Tissue Sciences, has been named to the national board of directors of City of Hope. Naughton currently serves as dean of the College of Business Administration at San Diego State University (SDSU) and holds more than 90 patents in the field of tissue engineering.
“Gail Naughton’s biotech background and entrepreneurial spirit make her an ideal fit for our board,” said Philip L. Engel, chair of City of Hope’s board. “She brings a wealth of knowledge, leadership skills and ingenuity that will play a pivotal role in guiding the organization toward its strategic goals.”
Naughton has served as dean at SDSU since 2002. Prior to that, she spent more than 15 years at Advance Tissue Sciences, which specialized in engineered skin products for the treatment of chronic wounds. Naughton co-founded the company and was co-inventor of its core technology. She held a variety of management positions during her tenure, including president, chief operating officer, chief scientific officer and principal scientist, and she oversaw the design and development of the world’s first upscaled manufacturing facility for tissue-engineered products. In 2000, Naughton received the 27th annual National Inventor of the Year award from the Intellectual Property Owners Association in honor of her pioneering work in tissue engineering.
She began her career in academia, first as an instructor and later as assistant professor at New York University Medical Center, and then as an assistant professor at the City University of New York’s Hunter York College.
Naughton holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in hematology and a Masters of Science degree in histology, both from New York University Medical Center. She also received her executive Master of Business Administration degree from UCLA Anderson School of Management, and earned her bachelor’s degree from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, N.Y.
City of Hope’s board of directors is composed of 29 members, spanning a range of industries that include finance and health care.
