Biography
Katherine A. High is a distinguished physician-scientist and currently a Visiting Professor at Rockefeller University. She is also Professor Emerita at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and previously served as President of Therapeutics at AskBio. Dr. High is renowned for her contributions to the field of gene therapy, particularly in the development of therapies for rare diseases. She was the co-founder, president, and chief scientific officer of Spark Therapeutics, where she led the development of the first FDA-approved gene therapy for genetic disease, a rare form of inherited blindness, and played a pivotal role in the development of gene therapies for hemophilia B and hemophilia A. Dr. High's groundbreaking research has earned her numerous awards and honors, including the E.Donnall Thomas Prize from the American Society of Hematology, the Karl Landsteiner Award from the American Association of Blood Banks, the Outstanding Achievement Award from the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, and the Sanford Lorraine Cross $1 Million Medical Innovation Award, shared with Dr. Jean Bennett. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal College of Physicians, and the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. High's ongoing commitment to advancing precision medicine and improving patient outcomes has had a transformative impact on the field of gene therapy and rare disease research. Her work has led to the development of innovative therapies that have the potential to cure or significantly improve the lives of patients with rare diseases.