Leadership

Scientific and Administrative Leadership

President Jane Buckner, MD, and Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Margaret McCormick, PhD, make up BRI’s core leadership team. Drs. Buckner and McCormick guide and oversee BRI’s work and progress, and are a driving force behind our vision of a healthy immune system for everyone. Dr. Buckner has conducted research at BRI and seen patients at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health for over 20 years. Dr. McCormick has been at the helm of life science and biotech organizations for much of her career. She has been with BRI since 2017 and also serves as the vice president of research at Virginia Mason Medical Center. 

External and Academic Affairs

Much of our work goes beyond BRI. We help build the next generation of immunology leaders by working with interns, graduate students and postdocs across our organization. We also team up with other research institutes and industry partners to tackle new research questions and accelerate discoveries. Our external and academic affairs leadership includes:

Advisory Board

BRI’s advisory board is made up of community leaders including scientists, doctors and people impacted by diseases BRI studies. Together, they provide guidance and support us in achieving our mission and vision. Our board members include:
David Aboulafia

David Aboulafia, MD

Physician, Section Head of Hematology/Oncology, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health
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Bio Jan Beck

Jan Beck, MSc

Partner, EMB Investment Group
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Claire Bonilla

Claire Bonilla

CEO, Sightlife
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Jane Buckner

Jane Buckner, MD

President, BRI; Member; Principal Investigator, Buckner Lab; Center for Translational Immunology
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Uli Chi

Uli Chi, PhD

Chair, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Board of Directors
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Andrew Held

Andrew Held

Executive Director and Banker, J.P. Morgan Private Bank
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Lauren Homme

Lauren Homme

Director, Business Development, Cumming Group
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Paul Hughes

Paul Hughes, MBA

Managing Director, Investment Banking, Blacktorch Capital
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Margaret McCormick

Margaret McCormick, PhD

Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer, Administrative Services
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Kristi Pangrazio

Kristi Pangrazio

Past President, The Rainier Club
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Ketul Patel

Ketul Patel

CEO, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health; Division President, Pacific Northwest (PNW) of CommonSpirit Health
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Ben Reiber

Ben Reiber, MBA, CFA

Vice President, Investment Management Division, Goldman Sachs & Co.
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Bio Gretchen Schoenstein

Gretchen Schoenstein

Founder and CEO, Finish Line Moments Coaching and Consulting
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Diane St. John

Diane St. John, MBA

Owner, Human Resources Pacific Northwest, LLC
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David Williams

David Williams, MBA

Former Executive Manager, Security Pacific Bank
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Robert Williams

Robert Williams, PhD

Former Director, Amazon Appstore
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Steven F Ziegler

Steven Ziegler, PhD

Member; Director of External Collaboration; Principal Investigator, Ziegler Lab; Center for Fundamental Immunology
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Catherine Zimmerman

Catherine Zimmerman

Mediator & Conflict Resolution Coach
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