Executive Director, Head, Patient Advocacy
Jeff Smith is Executive Director, Head, Patient Advocacy at Ionis. As leader of the patient advocacy team, Jeff is responsible for establishing the vision and structure to support the team in identifying and executing impactful collaborations with advocacy organizations to advance shared priorities and improve the lives of people living with serious illnesses. He and his team are passionate about supporting the advancement of science and medicine to help make a positive impact for people in need.
Prior to Ionis, Jeff served as Managing Director, Advocacy Relations at Real Chemistry, where he developed advocacy engagement strategies for biopharmaceutical and non-profit clients. Previously, he served as Head, Patient Advocacy at Wave Life Sciences and spent a decade at Biogen in multiple roles. A native of Rochester, New York, Jeff has more than 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry.
Jeff holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in biochemistry from the University of Rochester and a Master of Business Administration from Boston University. Jeff and wife, Marta, along with their two sons Ty, ten, and Kian, five, now reside in La Jolla.