As a program officer at the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Rusty Kelley is now finding himself exposed to a broad spectrum of areas in biomedical research and education. His recent move to BWF represents a shift in his career from being focused on clinical product development to becoming engaged in developing under- appreciated areas of science and advancing the careers of a broad range of elite early career scientists.
“The breadth and quality of the scientific exposure at BWF is refreshing,” Kelley said. “The strategic aspect of my position to identify and build programs around undervalued science, particularly in areas that I have expertise in, was attractive.”
As the head of the Interface in Science and Regulatory Science programs, Kelley will oversee and guide the development of the programs.
Prior to joining BWF in April, Kelley was the director of preclinical and translational medicine and head of discovery at Tengion, a tissue engineering regenerative medicine company that spun-out of Boston Children’s Hospital and Wake Forest University. Initially recruited as a senior scientist in discovery at Tengion, Kelley led internal and sponsored research activities, was the steward of an expansive patent portfolio, and was responsible for authoring the pharmacology-toxicology and benefit-risk sections of both U.S. and European regulatory filings for a candidate cell-based therapy to treat chronic kidney disease. Due to the nature of the business, Kelley worked with engineers, biomaterial scientists, statisticians, biologists, clinicians and regulatory scientists. This background made him an ideal candidate for BWF.
Kelley’s decision to join Burroughs Wellcome Fund was the result of considering his personal priorities. He turned down a competitive offer from a Chapel Hill-based cardiovascular pharmaceutical company.
“In addition to seeking a high quality of life, I wanted to be a part of an organization that was bigger than individual careers or even product success,” said Kelley. “Of course, BWF fits the mold perfectly and I felt that with the history and reputation of the Fund, and the resources available, this was an opportunity to impact the greater biomedical community."
A Greenville, NC native, Kelley majored in chemistry at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. His first job was with AAIPharma, a spinoff of Glaxo, which had acquired the Burroughs Wellcome Co. He then worked in clinical development for PPD, another Glaxo spinoff, where he managed several Glaxo-Wellcome clinical trials. Kelley later moved to Louisiana so that his wife could attend law school at her father’s alma mater, LSU; he subsequently earned his Ph.D. from LSU in pharmacology and experimental therapeutics.
In 2004, Kelley became an American Heart Association postdoctoral research fellow with Cam Patterson, in the Department of Medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill. Patterson was a 2003 recipient of the BWF Clinical Scientist Award in Translational Research.
Kelley was also drawn to the fact that the Fund is a North Carolina-based foundation with a commitment to state education in mathematics and sciences. “We have a lot of family who have spent their lives in NC education, including my father, a former high school principal – that the Fund was also grounded in education further attracted me to BWF.”
Kelley is married to Amanda Kelley, an attorney, and has three sons William Sanford (10), Mason Cooper (8), and Henry Russell (1). In addition to spending time with his family, Rusty enjoys spending time on the coast of North Carolina. The Kelleys now reside in Raleigh, N.C.