Merrill Birkner, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Gilead Sciences

Merrill Birkner is the Vice President of Portfolio Strategy and Analytics at Gilead Sciences. She is responsible for supporting portfolio productivity and strategy through portfolio-level analyses, insights, tools, and recommendations for the achievement of corporate goals, pipeline planning, and decision‐making. Prior to Gilead, Merrill led the Portfolio Management, Operations, and Alliance Management functions at 23andMe, where she was responsible for portfolio & program management, alliance management, commercial assessments, and the operations of the Therapeutics organization. Prior to 23andMe, Merrill spent over a decade at Genentech where she had roles across the development and commercial organizations. Merrill began her career as a biostatistician in Genentech’s Product Development organization. She expanded her business expertise with leadership roles in the company’s commercial organization, portfolio planning, and business operations.

Merrill received her Ph.D. in Biostatistics and an M.P.H. in Epidemiology & Biostatistics from U.C. Berkeley. Her undergraduate studies were at the University of Maryland, College Park where she received a B.S. in Biology.