About Dr. Susan Windham Bannister

A nationally and internationally-recognized innovation executive, Dr. Windham Bannister served as founding President and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative, the brainchild of former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. Sue's role was to develop, implement and lead the ground-up strategy for the $1 billion investment. She currently is President and CEO of Biomedical Growth Strategies, a boutique strategy advisory firm serving the life sciences industry. Among other activities, she advises the Bioscience Los Angeles County (BioLA) initiative as its Board Chair.

Sue built her 45-year career on advising major biopharma companies on the tough strategic decisions needed for market access, growth optimization and portfolio management. From 2008-2015 that background aided the launch and growth of the Massachusetts Life Science Initiative, one of the nation’s most recognized ecosystem stories. Sue has been recognized for her achievements by the Boston Globe as one of the "10 Most Influential Women in Biotech" and by Boston Magazine as one of the "50 Most Powerful Women in Boston." She has co-authored two books: Competitive Strategy for Health Care Organizations, and Medicaid and Other Experiments in State Health Policy. She also has written numerous articles on competition in today's health care marketplace and is a frequent speaker at national and international life sciences conferences.

Sue received a B.A. from Wellesley College, a Doctorate in Health Policy and Management from the Florence Heller School at Brandeis University, and a Doctor of Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (honoris causa). She served as a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School and as a Fellow in the Center for Science and Policy (CSAP) at Cambridge University, Cambridge, England.

Raised in St. Louis and a longtime resident of the Boston area, Sue and her husband are in the process of relocating to Southern California.