Seema Kumar

Biography

Seema Kumar is the Vice President of Innovation, Global Health and Policy Communication at Johnson & Johnson (J&J). In this position, Seema is responsible for positioning J&J as an innovative company with a focus on caring for the world. She is a champion of science and innovation, STEM, global health, and mentoring women. Previously as part of the Pharmaceutical R&D management team, Seema led important initiatives to position Janssen, and J&J, as a pharmaceutical R&D leader and oversaw J&J-level R&D communication programs managing the reputation of the J&J pharmaceutical pipeline and products, and the Company's leadership in global health. Prior to joining J&J, Seema was the Chief Communications Officer at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research /Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Center for Genome Research, the flagship center for the Human Genome Project. While there, she played a leadership role in enhancing worldwide public awareness and understanding of the Human Genome Project, the effort to map and sequence the genetic blueprint for a human being. Seema is active in many professional affiliations and serves on several external advisory boards. She is the author of more than 200 news and feature articles on science and medicine, for which she has won several awards, including an Award of Excellence in writing from the American Medical Writers Association and three Gold Medals for Media Relations, Science Education, and Digital Communication. She holds a master of arts degree in science journalism from the University of Maryland. Growing up in India, Seema was taught from an early age by her father, a physicist and an engineer, the importance of a STEM education to advance societal innovation and to her own career development. Today, Seema lives in New Jersey with her husband and teenage son. In her free time she enjoys healthy cooking, reading and spending time with friends and family.

Research Interest

business management