TUCSON, Ariz., July 14, 2026 — Critical Path Institute® (C-Path) announced that its Board of Directors has elected Karen Bernstein, Ph.D., as chair effective July 1, 2026. Bernstein succeeds M. Wainwright Fishburn, Jr., J.D., who concluded a five-year term guiding the organization through a period of major expansion and international regulatory engagement.
Bernstein is a co-founder and chair of BioCentury Inc., where she has helped shape an industry analytics platform used by executives, researchers, and investors. Since joining the C-Path board in March 2023, she has contributed a detailed perspective on how evidence is generated, evaluated, and translated across therapeutic areas—an expertise that is central to the institute’s precompetitive role.
Her career in biopharma spans decades, beginning in 1987. She helped establish BioCentury in 1992 and has served in leadership capacities across scientific and policy-adjacent organizations, including roles at Ovid Therapeutics and advisory and governance positions tied to research ecosystems. She also serves on the board of Mind What Matters, a nonprofit supporting Alzheimer’s family caregivers.
As board chair, Bernstein will oversee C-Path’s collaborations designed to de-risk drug development by improving the scientific and regulatory pathways that connect early discovery to clinical decision-making. C-Path’s model relies on cross-sector alignment—bringing regulators, academia, patient advocates, and industry representatives into structured, neutral problem-solving environments where shared measurement challenges can be addressed.
Fishburn, reflecting on the board’s achievements, emphasized C-Path’s rare credibility with both regulators and industry. During his tenure, C-Path advanced its European presence, secured regulatory endorsements for multiple innovative development solutions, and broadened its funding and program portfolio to reach additional diseases with unmet need.
C-Path Chief Executive Officer Klaus Romero, M.D., M.S., FCP, noted that Bernstein’s track record includes working with stakeholders who might not otherwise collaborate directly. He described this convening capability as a core strength needed to sustain the institute’s scientific and strategic impact as its portfolio evolves.
Bernstein framed her approach around the institute’s emphasis on rigorous, practical understanding of how treatments move from discovery toward patients. She highlighted the value of C-Path’s work in difficult precompetitive spaces, where standardization, methodological harmonization, and data strategy can materially influence the quality and efficiency of development programs.
C-Path’s board composition reflects its mission as a neutral third party: it includes leaders from biotechnology, former senior U.S. and European regulatory officials, patient advocacy leaders, and specialists in health economics, health policy, data science, venture investment, law, and finance. Bernstein’s appointment takes effect July 1, 2026.
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Article Title:
Critical Path Institute Elects Karen Bernstein, Ph.D., as Board Chair
News Publication Date:
July 14, 2026
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Keywords
Critical Path Institute, C-Path, Karen Bernstein, board chair, drug development, precompetitive collaboration, FDA, evidence generation, regulatory endorsement, biopharmaceuticals
