SAN DIEGO — Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) today announced it has appointed Dr. Richard Klausner as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Klausner will report to President and Chief Executive Officer Jay Flatley and will lead Illumina’s strategies for advancing genomics into clinical medicine and public health. He will also become part of Illumina’s executive management team, which is responsible for directing all aspects of company strategy, planning and operations.

“Rick’s expertise in molecular biology, his experience in life sciences, and his roles in global health policy make him uniquely suited to mobilize constituents around the use of genomics within medical practice,” said Jay Flatley. “We are very excited about his vision and passion for ushering in a new era of precision medicine and his ability to work with clinicians, industry, government, and academia to help bring this vision to fruition.”

Prior to joining Illumina, Dr. Klausner was managing partner of the venture capital firm, The Column Group. Previously, he held roles as Executive Director for Global Health at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and as the eleventh director of the National Cancer Institutebetween 1995 and 2001. He has served as chief of the cell biology and metabolism branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, as well as a past president of the American Society of Clinical Investigation. He also has been Chairman of the National Science Education Standards Projects of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Klausner is well known for his work in cell and molecular biology, and is the author of more than 300 scientific articles and several books, in addition to receiving numerous awards and honors. He has served as an Advisor to the Presidents of the Academies for counter-terrorism, as a Liaison to the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy, and as a Chief Strategy Advisor for USAID. He currently chairs theInternational Advisory Board for Samsung, is the Chairman of Audax Health, and previously chaired the Strategic Oversight Council of Sanofi. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Klausner holds an M.D. from Duke Medical School.