Jodie Sherman Gillon – Leading with Purpose in Life Sciences
Jodie Sherman Gillon is President and Chief Executive Officer of BioCT, where she leads the growth and visibility of Connecticut’s life sciences ecosystem. With more than three decades of experience across global biopharma, patient advocacy, and public health, she is known for embedding the patient voice into strategy, advancing innovation, and championing women in STEM leadership.
Leadership, for Jodie Sherman Gillon, has never been about occupying the safest seat at the table. It has been about choosing to stay in the room when the conversation is difficult, when the perspective she brings is not the dominant one, and when progress requires patience, resolve, and conviction. Over a career spanning more than three decades across advocacy, government, hospitals, and global biopharmaceutical organizations, Jodie has learned to lead by becoming what she calls “comfortably uncomfortable.” It is a mindset forged through experience, one that has shaped her into a trusted executive, a patient champion, and today, the President and Chief Executive Officer of BioCT.
A Career Rooted in Purpose
Jodie’s professional foundation was shaped early by a deep interest in public health, global systems, and the intersection between policy and patient outcomes. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, where she studied international health and diplomacy, an academic grounding that would later prove critical in navigating complex stakeholder environments. She went on to earn a Master of Public Health from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with a dual focus on epidemiology and health economics, reinforcing her analytical approach to healthcare decision-making.
Her early career unfolded across advocacy organizations, hospitals, and government institutions, including work as a health economist with Israel’s Ministry of Health and Center for Disease Control. These formative experiences grounded her in population health, data-driven thinking, and the real-world consequences of policy and access. Long before patient centricity became an industry mandate, it was already the lens through which Jodie viewed leadership.
Giving Patients a Voice Inside the Industry
Transitioning into the biopharmaceutical industry more than thirty years ago, Jodie built a career that consistently bridged science, strategy, and patient advocacy. Her ascent was not defined by a single role or company, but by a clear throughline, ensuring that patient voices were embedded into decision-making at the highest levels.
Her tenure at Pfizer marked a pivotal chapter. Over more than a decade, she served in senior leadership roles including Global Medical Lead for Patient Engagement in the Rare Diseases Business Unit and Director of Medical Communications within the Chief Medical Office. In these positions, she was a core member of global and regional leadership teams, influencing medical, commercial, and launch strategies while advocating for authentic collaboration with patient communities.
Those who worked alongside her saw not just competence, but credibility. As one Pfizer leader reflected, “Jodie has a very wide perspective of the pharma environment and great knowledge about patient advocacy at a global level that can bring value to any organization. She is hardworking, deeply committed, and always available to support her team.” The trust she earned allowed her to act as both strategist and steward, aligning corporate objectives with patient needs in ways that created lasting partnerships.
Before and after Pfizer, Jodie continued to expand her leadership scope. At Achillion Pharmaceuticals, she led Patient Advocacy and Professional Affairs, overseeing policy, alliances, compassionate use, medical communications, and external engagement. Her work was recognized beyond the organization itself. A foundation CEO later shared that “Jodie’s support of patients and her willingness to be a true partner was one of the reasons Achillion received the 2017 Leadership in Corporate Partnership award. She understands how to balance the needs of industry and patient advocacy, and does so with integrity.”
She went on to serve as Head of the Chief Medical Office at AstraZeneca, where she managed enterprise wide patient engagement, transparency initiatives, crisis management, and external contributions. Subsequent executive roles at Abeona Therapeutics and Peptilogics further solidified her reputation as a builder, someone trusted to create functions, lead teams, and integrate patient engagement into the core of organizational strategy.
A Leader Who Connects Systems and People
Across roles and organizations, Jodie’s impact has been defined by her ability to connect, people to purpose, strategy to execution, and industry to community. Colleagues and partners consistently describe her as a connector who deepens relationships and elevates outcomes. One patient advocacy executive noted, “Jodie is particularly effective at building partnerships. She helps organizations understand how global objectives and patient priorities intersect, and she brings the right people together to drive meaningful innovation.”
That connective leadership style now finds its fullest expression at BioCT, where Jodie serves as President and CEO. As the leader of Connecticut’s life sciences trade organization, she is responsible for catalyzing growth across the state’s innovation ecosystem, supporting companies, academic institutions, investors, and entrepreneurs while promoting Connecticut as a nationally recognized hub for life sciences advancement.
For Jodie, this role represents both continuity and evolution. While her scope has expanded from individual organizations to an entire ecosystem, her motivation remains unchanged, improving lives through science. Under her leadership, BioCT has secured state funding to develop a new science park and programming designed to foster innovation, collaboration, and long-term economic impact. Seeing this vision through is a personal priority, one tied to stewardship, sustainability, and place-based leadership.
Leadership Through Discomfort and Representation
Throughout her career, Jodie has often been the only woman in the room. Rather than retreat from those moments, she leaned into them. She describes herself as having grown “comfortably uncomfortable,” learning how to lead with confidence while challenging norms that no longer serve progress.
This perspective fuels one of her deepest commitments, advancing women in STEM and executive leadership. In an industry where women still represent a small fraction of CEOs, Jodie believes change requires more than awareness. It requires preparation, sponsorship, and intentional leadership development. She is deeply invested in helping women not only enter STEM fields, but step confidently into managerial and executive roles, equipped to lead.
Vision for the Future: Purpose That Endures
Looking ahead, Jodie intends to continue growing into her role as CEO of BioCT, guiding the organization through its next phase of impact. At the same time, she remains open to board service in the rare disease space, where her experience, insight, and passion converge most powerfully. After spending much of her career focused on patients, and nearly a decade dedicated to rare diseases, she sees this as the arena where she can continue to make groundbreaking contributions.
At its core, Jodie Sherman Gillon’s leadership is defined not by titles, but by trust, earned through consistency, integrity, and a willingness to lead from places that are not always comfortable, but always meaningful.
Editorial Note
Jodie Sherman Gillon’s journey offers a powerful reminder that the most impactful leaders are those who stay anchored to purpose while navigating complexity with courage. Her story challenges today’s executives, especially women in science and healthcare, to step into discomfort, advocate with conviction, and lead in ways that leave systems stronger than they found them.
