INDIANAPOLIS (May 8, 2025) – BioCrossroads, the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership initiative established as a catalyst to advance, grow, and invest in Indiana’s life sciences sector, today announced two new appointments to its Board of Directors and recognized the contributions of three long-serving members whose leadership has helped shape the state’s life sciences ecosystem.
Richard Church, Chief Growth & Strategy Officer at Parkview Health, has joined the BioCrossroads Board of Directors. Since arriving at Parkview in 2022, Church has led the organization’s strategic growth initiatives, focusing on long-term innovation and access to care across the region. Prior to his current role, Church served as co-leader of the national healthcare practice group at K&L Gates, where he advised health systems on joint ventures, regulatory compliance, clinical integration, and mergers and acquisitions. His legal and regulatory expertise, paired with his leadership of Parkview Health’s innovation initiatives , will be instrumental as BioCrossroads continues its mission to advance Indiana’s leadership in life sciences.
Also joining the Board is Dr. David Umulis, Senior Vice Provost at Purdue University in Indianapolis. A nationally recognized leader in systems biology and biomedical engineering, Dr. Umulis has led major initiatives in computational modeling, tissue development, and data science. He previously served as head of Purdue’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and helped establish the university’s Integrative Data Science Initiative. His deep scientific expertise and commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration align with BioCrossroads’ focus on translational research and workforce development.
Church succeeds Dr. Michael J. Mirro, who concludes over a decade of service on the Board. A distinguished physician and researcher, Dr. Mirro has served as Chief Academic Research Officer at Parkview Health since 2014 and holds faculty appointments at the Indiana University School of Medicine and IU’s bioinformatics program. He has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and serves on the editorial board of the Cardiovascular Digital Health Journal. The Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation—named in his honor—stands as a testament to his impact on medical research and innovation. Most recently, he helped launch the MedTech Global Gateway, connecting international med-tech companies with Indiana’s clinical and economic development resources. BioCrossroads extends its sincere gratitude for Dr. Mirro’s lasting contributions to the state’s innovation infrastructure.
Dr. Umulis succeeds Dan Hasler, Chief Operating Officer of Purdue University in Indianapolis, who has brought invaluable cross-sector insight to the Board. Hasler previously served as President of the Purdue Research Foundation, guiding commercialization and entrepreneurial strategy for Purdue’s intellectual property portfolio. He also held the role of Indiana’s Secretary of Commerce, where he helped attract a record number of companies to the state, and spent more than 30 years at Eli Lilly and Company. Hasler’s career has spanned business, government, and higher education, making him a key voice in shaping BioCrossroads’ vision for growth. The organization is deeply appreciative of his contributions.
In addition to these changes, BioCrossroads also recognizes the extraordinary service of Dr. Craig Brater, who concludes his tenure on the Board of Directors after two decades of service. As a founding Board member since 2004, Dr. Brater brought a visionary perspective to BioCrossroads’ mission to grow and strengthen Indiana’s life sciences sector. His distinguished career as Dean of the Indiana University School of Medicine and Vice President for Life Sciences at Indiana University positioned him as a driving force behind initiatives that fostered research, collaboration, and innovation across the state. Dr. Brater’s contributions have had a profound and lasting impact on BioCrossroads and the broader life sciences ecosystem, and we are deeply grateful for his steadfast leadership, partnership, and commitment over the years.
“These Board transitions reflect the strength and depth of Indiana’s life sciences leadership,” said Vince Wong, President and CEO of BioCrossroads. “We are proud to welcome Richard and David, whose expertise and perspectives will help guide our strategic direction. At the same time, we are deeply grateful to Michael, Dan, and Craig for their years of service and for the impact they’ve made not only on BioCrossroads, but on the broader innovation ecosystem we all work to grow.”
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About BioCrossroads
Established as a catalyst to advance, grow, and invest in Indiana’s life sciences sector, BioCrossroads is an initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP). It supports the region’s existing enterprises and encourages new business development. The initiative fosters public-private collaboration by uniting a diverse range of academic, industry, and philanthropic stakeholders, all collectively focused on advancing Indiana’s life sciences sector. Committed to supporting the growth of capital investments and talent development, BioCrossroads provides support to both existing and new life sciences enterprises, including the Indiana Health Information Exchange, OrthoWorx, and the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute. BioCrossroads champions the advancement of cutting-edge research and development, plays a crucial role in building and nurturing a robust talent pipeline, and is dedicated to establishing Indiana as a thriving hub for life sciences manufacturing. To learn more about BioCrossroads, visit biocrossroads.com.
