Speaker Profile
M.D., Distinguished Scientist, Infectious Disease and VP, Illumina
Biography
Robert's work focuses on development and adoption of advanced technologies in microbiology and infectious disease. Currently a VP and Distinguished Scientist at Illumina, his work focuses on advancing infectious disease diagnostics and developing innovative methods for identifying pathogens using state-of-the-art techniques, including next generation sequencing and related data analysis solutions. He co-developed the Explify metagenomics platform at IDbyDNA, where Robert was a founder and the Chief Medical Officer before its merger with Illumina in 2022. Previously, Robert was a Medical Director in Infectious Diseases at ARUP Laboratories, a faculty member in Pathology at the University of Utah School of Medicine, and a postdoc at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health. Robert received medical degrees from the University of Wuerzburg, Germany and a Master of Public Health from Columbia University where he also trained in clinical pathology and served as Chief Clinical Pathology Resident. Robert is a board-certified Clinical Pathologist and Medical Microbiologist.
Session Abstract – PMWC 2025 Silicon Valley
Track Chairs:
Charles Chiu, UCSF
- PMWC 2025 Award Ceremony
Pioneer Honoree: Julie Louise Gerberding, FNIH
Luminary Honoree: Charles Chiu, UCSF
- Keynote: From Crisis to Cure: Navigating Public Health Challenges in the Era of Precision Diagnostics
- Julie Louise Gerberding, FNIH
- Keynote: Clinical Metagenomic Sequencing for Precision Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases
- Charles Chiu, UCSF
- Harnessing Emerging Diagnostic Technologies in Primary and Critical Care (PANEL)
Chair: Mylynda Massart, UPMC
- Christopher Woods, Duke
- Yvonne Maldonado, Stanford
- Chaz Langelier, UCSF - New Viral and Microbiome Associations with Cancer
Chair: Charles Chiu, UCSF
- Nancy Joseph, UCSF
- Melody Smith, Stanford
- Advancements in Clinical Metagenomics
Chair: Sivan Bercovici, Karius
- Charles Chiu, UCSF
- Robert Schlaberg, Illumina
- Catherine Hogan, BCCDC, UBC
- Metagenomics and Partnerships: Monitoring Infectious Disease Threats
Chair: Eric Delwart UCSF
- Mindy Nye, LabCorp
- Ranga Sampath, Siemens Healthineers
- Charles Chiu, UCSF - Innovative Therapeutics and Host-Pathogen Interactions in Infectious Disease Management
- Victor Nizet, UCSD
- Nevan Krogan, UCSF
PMWC Hall of Impact
Previous Speakers Include
Nobel laureates, technology founders, regulators, CEOs and scientific pioneers who have taken the PMWC stage.
