Pacific Biosciences Nominates Dr. Hannah Valantine to its Board of Directors

MENLO PARK, Calif., April 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (Nasdaq: PACB), a leading provider of high-quality, long-read sequencing platforms, announced today that Dr. Hannah Valantine has been nominated for election to the Company’s Board of Directors as a Class II director at the Company’s 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Dr. Valantine is currently a Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular) at the Stanford University Medical Center and for the past seven years she has served as the Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity overseeing NIH efforts to increase diversity in biomedical research. In 2020, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine for both her pioneering research in organ transplantation and workforce diversity.

Dr. Michael Hunkapiller, currently a Class II director, is not standing for re-election, but will continue to serve as a member of the Board of Directors until the expiration of his current term ending on the date of the 2021 Annual Meeting. Dr. Hunkapiller will remain an advisor to the Board after the expiration of his current term.

“Dr. Valantine is a recognized pioneer in her field, and we are thrilled to have her as a nominee to join our Board,” said Christian Henry, President & Chief Executive Officer. “Her expertise and leadership in critical areas of clinical expansion and workforce diversity will be positive force multipliers in our strategic approach to the clinic and to continuing to build and attract talent as we build a world-class organization. Hannah’s vision, integrity and passion are fully aligned with PacBio’s values.”

“Great minds think differently,” shared Dr. Valantine. “We need diversity of thought and perspectives to solve the major challenges in biomedicine and to achieve health equity for all. I am very excited to be nominated to join the inspiring team on the Board of Directors at PacBio.”

Since 1987, Dr. Valantine has been a Professor of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She was appointed Assistant Professor of Medicine, rising to full Professor of Medicine in 2000, and becoming the inaugural Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Leadership, in 2004. She pursued a data-driven transformative approach to this work, receiving the NIH director’s pathfinder award. Dr. Francis Collins, NIH director, recruited her in 2014 as the inaugural NIH Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce diversity, and as a tenured investigator in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s intramural research program where she established the laboratory of transplantation genomics. Hannah received her M.B.B.S. degree from London University, cardiology fellowship at Stanford, and Doctor of Medicine from London University.