Gladstone President Deepak Srivastava Named 2024 Distinguished Citizen by Commonwealth Club World Affairs

Deepak Srivastava, MD, is known for his inspiring leadership of Gladstone Institutes, a preeminent biomedical research organization that brings together over 600 scientists dedicated to overcoming unsolved diseases.

In addition to serving as Gladstone’s president, he oversees the Roddenberry Stem Cell Center at Gladstone and runs his own 20-person research lab focused on finding new ways to treat heart disease and repair heart damage. And, based on discoveries from his lab, he also cofounded two biotechnology companies in the San Francisco Bay Area—including one with multiple clinical-stage programs now underway.

For these accomplishments and so many others, Srivastava is being recognized by the Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California as one of its 2024 Distinguished Citizens.

“Deepak is one of the most dynamic individuals I know—someone who continues to shape San Francisco’s life sciences sector and bring hope for the future of medicine.”

Mary Huss

“Deepak is one of the most dynamic individuals I know—someone who continues to shape San Francisco’s life sciences sector and bring hope for the future of medicine,” says Mary Huss, co-chair of this year’s Commonwealth Club World Affairs Distinguished Citizens Awards Gala and former president and publisher of the San Francisco Business Times. “He’s a rare individual who is not only an effective and empathetic leader, but also successfully navigates the nonprofit research landscape and startup biotech world.”

The Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California, the nation’s oldest and largest public affairs forum, presents the Distinguished Citizens awards every year to visionary leaders who have significantly impacted the Bay Area and the global community. This year’s honorees will be celebrated at the club’s annual gala on November 14.

Since Srivastava took the helm of Gladstone in 2018, he has steered the organization toward a new era of biomedical research that leverages cutting-edge tools and technologies to finally cure diseases. His ability to identify and recruit high-level talent is best exemplified by the labs of Gladstone investigators Jennifer Doudna, PhD, and Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, who each won a Nobel Prize and have placed Gladstone at the forefront of CRISPR-based genome editing and stem cell biology.

As president, Srivastava also created two new institutes within Gladstone: one focused on using data science and AI to propel discovery, and another that leverages genomics to create novel approaches to fight cancer, infectious disease, and autoimmune conditions. These are in addition to Gladstone’s three other institutes, which address cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases, and viral infections. Importantly, Srivastava has emphasized the rise of women in science to leadership positions, with several of the institutes within Gladstone now led by women who serve as outstanding role models for younger scientists.

“We’re at the cusp of revolutionizing science and medicine through lasting cures for some of the world’s most devastating diseases. It’s a privilege to be contributing to this effort.”

Deepak Srivastava, MD

Srivastava, who is also a pediatric cardiologist and professor at UC San Francisco, opened his own lab at Gladstone in 2005. He and his team found a way to directly transform scar-forming cells inside the heart into beating heart cells. That discovery led to the creation of the biopharmaceutical company Tenaya Therapeutics, which is advancing novel therapies that could permanently repair damaged hearts.

His lab also found a drug candidate that could help prevent tens of thousands of heart surgeries every year for aortic valve disease, the third leading cause of heart disease. And recently, his team uncovered why maternal diabetes predisposes babies to heart defects, a breakthrough that could eventually help lower the chance of heart malformations in these babies.

Earlier this year, Srivastava launched a five-year, $350-million campaign at Gladstone to add more than 300 scientists and 15 state-of-the-art laboratories, develop the next generation of biotechnologies, and move discoveries to the clinic as rapidly as possible.

“I’m honored to be recognized by the Commonwealth Club World Affairs and to be in the company of my fellow awardees who are making their mark on our city and our country,” says Srivastava. “We’re at the cusp of revolutionizing science and medicine through lasting cures for some of the world’s most devastating diseases. It’s a privilege to be contributing to this effort, both as a scientist and as the president of Gladstone Institutes. I accept this award on behalf of my leadership team who has partnered with me to make Gladstone one of the world’s gems in science.”

During the awards gala, he will be recognized alongside four other Distinguished Citizens: Thomas E. Horn, president of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center; Tara VanDerveer, former head coach of women’s basketball at Stanford University; Lloyd Dean, former CEO of CommonSpirit Health; and philanthropist Dagmar Dolby and the Dolby family.

In May 2024, Srivastava was honored as Most Admired CEO by the San Francisco Business Times, and, in 2023, he received the American Heart Association’s Distinguished Scientist award. He has also served as president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research and is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Academy of Medicine.