James R. Downing — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital since July 15, 2014
Pioneered genomic profiling for big data in children suffering from blood cancers
Launched the Pediatric Cancer Genome Project in 2010, sequencing genomes of over 700 pediatric cancer patients and 21 cancer types by 2013
Identified genomic differences between childhood and adult cancers, and mutations in cancer-predisposition genes in approximately 10% of pediatric cancer patients
Received a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Michigan in 1981

Biography

James R. Downing serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a position he has held since July 15, 2014.

An American clinical executive, he has dedicated his career to studying the molecular basis underlying pediatric leukemia, making significant discoveries in hematopathology and molecular biology. Downing joined St.