Ruth McKernan, Ph.D., CBE, FMedSci

Venture Partner, SV Health Investors

Ruth McKernan, Ph.D., CBE, FMedSci, currently serves as a venture partner with SV Health Investors, LLP, a global investment firm focused on the healthcare industry, where she supports companies that create new medicines for treating neurodegenerative disorders. She has over 25 years of research and commercial experience in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently serving in a variety of senior leadership roles at Pfizer, including vice president, chief scientific officer of Regenerative Medicine, and chief scientific officer of Neusentis. Prior to Pfizer, Dr. McKernan served in multiple senior positions at Merck over the course of an 18-year tenure at the company.

Dr. McKernan currently serves as chairperson of AstronauTx, a UK‐based biotechnology company, and of the BioIndustry Association, a trade association for innovative life sciences in the United Kingdom. She also serves as a trustee of Alzheimer’s Research UK, the country’s leading dementia research charity.

As a neuroscientist, Dr. McKernan has over 120 publications and 15 patents in the areas of ion channels and regenerative medicine. She earned her bachelor’s degree in pharmacology with biochemistry from King’s College London and received a Ph.D. in biochemical pharmacology from the University of London.