The Wistar Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of Susan B. Dillon, Ph.D., Global Therapeutic Area Head, Immunology, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, to its Board of Trustees. Dr. Dillon leads a global team of scientists in the discovery and development of innovative therapeutics and solutions for the treatment of immune and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis.

An influential leader and trained immunologist, Dr. Dillon has more than 15 years of progressive leadership guiding scientific strategies and developing scientists, while cultivating industry and academic collaborations focused on advancing the next generation of innovative immunological therapies.

“I am proud of the innovative science that we have advanced at Janssen and translated into medicines for patients, and I am optimistic about the future potential of our collaborative efforts, internally and externally, to intercept, prevent and cure complex autoimmune diseases,” said Dr. Dillon. “I look forward to working with the Wistar Institute, a renowned institution focused on scientific excellence, rigor and innovation, and contributing to continued advances to bring forward promising new therapeutics for patients and physicians.”

Since the 1990s, Dr. Dillon has held executive leadership roles in the life sciences industry leading diverse research departments in infectious diseases and immunology. Following the acquisition of Centocor, Inc. by Johnson & Johnson, Dr. Dillon served in senior roles including as Senior Vice President of Discovery Research and Early Development at Centocor from 2001-2009 where she guided biologics drug discovery and built differentiated capabilities in human monoclonal antibody engineering and biologics product development. She assumed her current role as Global Therapeutic Area Head, Immunology within Janssen Research & Development in 2009 and is responsible for end-to-end R&D, including small and large molecule research, drug discovery, biomarkers, translational medicine, clinical development and life cycle management.

Dr. Dillon previously served on the Board of Trustees of the Bryn Mawr Hospital, and currently serves on the President’s Council of Drexel University, and on the Advisory Board of the DMAX Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating mental health stigma. Dr. Dillon has also been recognized by FierceBiotech as one of the “Top Women in Biotech” in 2013.

The Wistar Institute is an international leader in biomedical research with special expertise in cancer research and vaccine development. Founded in 1892 as the first independent nonprofit biomedical research institute in the United States, Wistar has held the prestigious Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute since 1972. The Institute works actively to ensure that research advances move from the laboratory to the clinic as quickly as possible. wistar.org.