Richard A. Heyman

Richard A. Heyman, PhD, currently serves as Chairman and co-founder of Metacrine Inc., a biotech startup developing therapeutics for liver and gastrointestinal diseases. He also is the co-founder and Chairman of ORIC Pharmaceuticals, which is developing drugs to overcome resistance in cancer and serves as Chairman of Amunix Pharmaceuticals and Vividion Therapeutics. Previously, Rich was the co-founder and CEO of Aragon and Seragon Pharmaceuticals; which focused on therapeutics targeting hormone dependent cancers. J&J purchased Aragon in 2013 and Genentech purchased Seragon in 2014. He has been involved in the discovery and development of multiple therapeutic agents approved by the FDA, including the recently approved prostate cancer drug, Erleada.

Rich also serves on the BOD of Gritstone Oncology and Yumanity Therapeutics. In addition to his corporate experience, Rich is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Salk Institute, on the Board Foundation for the AACR and on the Board of Visitors at the UCSD Moores Cancer Center. He has won numerous awards including Ernst and Young San Diego Regional Entrepreneur of the Year and the Endocrine Society Outstanding Innovation Award. He was an NIH postdoctoral fellow and staff scientist at the Salk Institute. Rich received a PhD in pharmacology and a BS in chemistry and is the author or inventor on more than 125 publications and patents.