President and CEO
Christopher D. Hillyer, MD is President and CEO, New York Blood Center Enterprises (NYBCe); General Partner, NYBC Ventures; Distinguished Investigator, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute; and Professor, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell College of Medicine.
An internationally recognized expert in hematology, transfusion and transplantation, and cellular/gene therapies, Dr. Hillyer brings a unique combination of vision, executional experience, and proven success as a seasoned business executive, scientist, board member, and global leader.
During his tenure, Hillyer has transformed NYBCe into a $600M+/yr multi-faceted life sciences organization with global reach and worldwide recognition for its high humanitarian impact, R&D, and commercialization strategies. Today, NYBCe serves 75M+ people and 400+ hospitals, research organizations, academic institutions, and biomedical companies in nearly 45 countries.
In 2021, Hillyer founded NYBC Ventures, a $50M early-stage life sciences investment fund to enable innovation and advances in hematology, cell therapies, regenerative medicine, and related fields. Editor of 13 textbooks and author of over 200 articles, Hillyer has been recognized with numerous awards, and in Crain’s New York annual “Notable Health Care Leaders” editions for consummate leadership, pioneering accomplishments, crisis management and commitment to mentoring, and in City & State New York’s “Health Power 100”.
Prior to joining NYBCe, Dr. Hillyer was the endowed Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, where he was Director of the Emory Center for Transfusion and Cellular Therapies and an attending physician on the Bone Marrow Transplant Service.
Dr. Hillyer has served on numerous for-profit and not-for-profit boards; many NIH study sections; and held national leadership positions including President, Board of Directors of AABB, Trustee, National Blood Foundation; and Associate Editor, TRANSFUSION. Dr. Hillyer has been awarded ~$70M in research funding from the NIH, CDC, and other agencies, including T, U, R01, and P01 grants; received two iterative Tiffany Awards from the American Red Cross for his work in Africa as part of the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). He co-founded Transfusion & Transplantation Technologies, Inc. (3Ti), HemeXcel Purchasing Alliance, and HemeXcel Resources, and holds multiple patents.
Dr. Hillyer is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, medical oncology, and transfusion medicine. He received his BS with honors from Trinity College and his MD from the University of Rochester School of Medicine, with postgraduate training and fellowships in hematology-oncology, transfusion medicine, and bone marrow transplantation at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston.