Dr. Kinnari Patel is President, Head of R&D and Chief Operating Officer for Rocket Pharma, overseeing the global R&D and Technical Operations leadership team with oversight spanning discovery through late-stage development and manufacturing. This includes regulatory, clinical, global program teams, CMC, quality and the development organization. Dr. Patel’s prior responsibilities at Rocket included IR, IT, HR, finance and corporate compliance. Dr. Patel has more than 20 years of R&D experience in rare diseases and across several therapeutic areas including immuno-oncology, oncology, respiratory, virology, transplantation, cardiology and metabolism.

Dr. Patel has played a pivotal role in raising approximately $1 billion in financing, overseeing the transition of Rocket to a publicly traded company and facilitating the acquisition of Renovacor. She has helped grow Rocket from a three to about 300-person company with a diverse and inclusive culture. She maintains a strong focus on nurturing talent, leading the creation of Rocket University and the Gene Therapy Drug Development Certificate Program. Dr. Patel also spearheaded the development of the Rocket manufacturing site headquartered in Cranbury, NJ from its inception to a fully operational facility. In addition to her current role, Dr. Patel serves as the Rocket board observer and member of the Audit & Compensation Committee.

Before joining Rocket, Dr. Patel gained deep industry experience at leading pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis and Hoffmann La-Roche. She has led both small molecule and biologic development programs from Phase I through Phase IV. Most notably, Dr. Patel has worked on eight drugs that have been submitted for review and approvals across the U.S. and EU, including Opdivo® (nivolumab) for metastatic melanoma, RCC and NSCLC and Myalept® (metreleptin) for ultra-rare lipodystrophy disease. 

Dr. Patel received the dual degrees of B.S. in Biology and Doctorate of Pharmacy from the USciences in Philadelphia, PA. She also completed a two-year Post-Doctoral Regulatory Affairs Fellowship through Rutgers University with Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer. Additionally, she received her Executive MBA from NYU Stern School of Business with specialization in Corporate Finance, Leadership and Strategy. Most recently, she graduated from the C-Suite Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.

Beyond her dedication to Rocket, Dr. Patel is a member of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine’s (ARM) Board of Directors and serves on the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) Global Advisory Board. She has devoted her life to helping others through fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture and advocating for female business leaders. In addition, Dr. Patel is deeply committed to making a positive impact in advancing science for rare diseases and has been widely recognized as a fearless advocate for patients and their loved ones impacted by these devastating conditions across the globe.