Craig T. Basson, MD, PhD is Chief Medical Officer of Bitterroot Bio, an innovative biotechnology company devoted to developing novel immunotherapies for cardiovascular disease. Bitterroot’s lead program addresses underlying dysfunctional cellular immunity in atherosclerosis, a disease characterized by buildup of plaque in arteries, leading to heart attack and stroke.

Craig originally studied at Washington University and was awarded a Marshall Scholarship at Oxford. He pursued medical training at Yale (MD/PhD), Johns Hopkins (Internal Medicine), and Brigham &Women’s Hospital (Cardiology) as well as postdoctoral research in genetics at Harvard. Craig directed Cardiovascular Research and the Center for Molecular Cardiology at Cornell Medical College where he was Gladys and Roland Harriman Professor of Medicine.

Craig joined Novartis as Vice President and Global Head of Cardiovascular Translational Medicine and then assumed leadership of the combined Cardiovascular and Metabolism team. Subsequently, at Boston Pharmaceuticals, he led a general medicine and oncology drug development as Chief Medical Officer and as interim co-Chief Executive Officer. He serves on Boards of Directors at Olatec Therapeutics and Berlin Cures and chairs the Marfan Foundation Scientific Advisory Board. Craig also continues as Senior Lecturer at Harvard Medical School and maintains an active clinical practice at Brigham & Women’s Hospital.