Steven Altschuler, M.D.

Steven Altschuler brings over 25 years of experience building and leading world-class, integrated, translational, value-based health care systems and transformational biotechnology companies. He currently serves as managing director of Healthcare Ventures at Ziff Capital Partners and as a senior advisor to UPMC ventures. He previously co-founded Spark Therapeutics to develop and commercialize the preclinical and clinical gene therapy programs advanced at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and other institutions. He served as Spark’s board chair from its founding through its acquisition in 2019, which included leading the company through a successful transition to a public company and the launch of an approved commercial product, which was the first gene therapy for an inherited disease approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency. He is also served as board chair of 89Bio from 2019 until its sale to Roche earlier in 2025. Dr. Altschuler currently serves as board chair at Lexeo Tx, Avista Tx, ViaNautis, and CEO of ai3Bio. He formerly held chief executive positions at CHOP and University of Miami Health System, Chair of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Physician-in-Chief and Division Chief of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at CHOP. He is also a trustee of the POLG foundation and board chair of the Institute of Innovative Genomic (founded by Jennifer Duodena-Nobel Prize Winner) at the University of California, Berkley. Dr. Altschuler holds a B.A. in mathematics and an M.D. from Case Western Reserve