It was just over 20 years ago when the first sequence of a whole human genome was nearing completion. Today we are standing at the precipice of a new era of precision medicine being enabled by the integration of routine genomic sequencing into healthcare systems. This remarkable transition has been accelerated by a relentless engineering effort to radically reduce the cost of large scale genetic testing and make it available for clinical diagnostics. Innovative genomics products are saving the lives of sick babies, informing oncologists about targeted cancer therapies, and contributing to the next generation of scientific breakthroughs. The most exciting part about this journey is that this is just the beginning.

As Senior Vice President of Product Development at Illumina, Susan Tousi leverages her passion for medicine and innovation to influence healthcare. She is building technology that will enable researchers and physicians to improve human health and redefine what genomics can accomplish. Tousi played a significant role in the 2017 NovaSeq Series launch, revolutionizing a new genomic sequencing system that is expected to one day enable a $100 genome. Tousi has more than 25-years of R&D and business leadership at Fortune 100 technology companies including Eastman Kodak Consumer Inkjet Systems, Phogenix Imaging and Hewlett-Packard.

Elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 2018, Tousi now serves on the NAE Peer Committee. She holds a Board Advisory role at the Fleet Science Center and has joined the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering Dean’s Council of Advisors. Valedictorian of her Penn State engineering class, she holds a B.S. in Engineering Science and a MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles.