Healthy Aging, Scientific Discoveries, and Social Enterprise

Dr. Steve Kirnon

Director of GSEP Social Entrepreneurship and Change, Professor, CEO of PharmaPlan LLC

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Dr. Stephen N. Kirnon is cofounder and managing partner of PharmaPlan LLC. Established in 2009, PharmaPlan identifies and licenses early-stage life-science research. Dr. Kirnon also cofounded Vitavis Laboratories, Inc., which develops and commercializes products and programs based on PharmaPlan's technology. Dr. Kirnon has dedicated more than 25 years to the biomedical field. Prior to his current appointments, he served as president and CEO of Pepgen Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company that specialized in autoimmune diseases. Other companies with which he has been associated include Target Protein Technologies, Inc., Yamanouchi Pharma Technologies, Cygnus, BioGenix Laboratories, and GlaxoSmithKline. Dr. Kirnon serves on the corporate boards of Capnia Inc., ToxEM LLC, and Ion Dx, Inc. He is also a head leadership coach for the MBA program at Hult International Business School in San Francisco. He is an industry expert and has been quoted in publications such as San Francisco Business Times and Life Science Executive. Dedicated to advancing educational excellence and opportunities for students, Dr. Kirnon shares his time and expertise as a board member of several educational institutions. He is a member of the Industrial Advisory Board for the pharmaceutical and chemical sciences graduate program at the University of the Pacific; a member of the steering board for Pope John Paul II Catholic High School in Livermore, California; a member of the Harvard Professional Connection and a Harvard College interviewer; and a trustee for the New England College of Optometry. Stephen Kirnon received his bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Harvard University. A dual alumnus of Pepperdine University, he earned his EdD in organization change from the Graduate School of Education and Psychology in 2008 and an MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management in 1989 . Dr. Kirnon served as a member of the Graziadio School's Black Alumni Council. He is currently a visiting professor and program chair of GSEP's master of arts in social entrepreneurship and change program.