In this episode of Harman’s interview series “The Next Wave,” Young Sohn talks with Dr. Regina Dugan on innovation, leadership, and making a lasting impact.
Regina has led diverse efforts that have ranged from key defense and industry projects as the first female director of DARPA, including her early involvement in the technologies behind the present-day mRNA Covid-19 vaccines, and at a very personal level, her battle with childhood cancer that shaped her approach to life and leadership, including her decision to accept the role of CEO of Wellcome Leap, an organization devoted to creating more breakthroughs in human health.
Wellcome Leap is targeting a host of complex human health challenges with the goal of achieving new scientific and technological solutions in the span of a decade. Wellcome Leap is powering innovations for global health by taking on bold, unconventional programs and funding them at scale. One of Leap’s new programs is called the First 1000 Days. Its premise is that we need objective, scalable ways to assess a child’s cognitive health, especially during the first 1000 days of life—just as we routinely measure height and weight to assess a child’s physical health. -