Written by Holly Alyssa MacCormick

Ask Vito Imbasciani about his career and you will not hear a simple answer—you will hear a story of service to his country and to the people of California.

Imbasciani, PhD, MD, FACS, Colonel (ret.), has chaired the board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) since March 28, 2023. In this role, he oversees the group that sets the agency’s priorities and allocates funding for cell and gene therapy research across the state.

His path to CIRM has been anything but conventional. Over the years, he has worked in music, medicine, the Army, and politics. Across each role, he has focused on serving, connecting with, and caring for others.

“If anyone had asked me where I’d be in five, six, or seven years, I would have been wrong every time,” Imbasciani said. “But looking back, I can connect the dots in a way that makes sense. A life of service opened many doors—I just walked through them without knowing what was on the other side.”

At CIRM, he brings together his experience in music, the military, and medicine while serving others on a broad scale.

“When Governor Newsom asked me to chair the board of CIRM, I realized the impact goes beyond the 40 million people in California,” Imbasciani said. “These genetic and cellular therapies could help people around the world. Who could say no to that?”

From music to medicine

Music set the stage for Imbasciani’s career. He studied piano at Cornell University and earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in musicology. A Fulbright award took him to Rome in 1973, where he completed his PhD dissertation and learned Italian—an experience that underscored the value of speaking the local language to build human connection.

He continued to pursue music and the arts, serving as a professor of humanities at the University of Florida (1975–1976) and as an assistant professor of music and orchestra conductor at Middlebury College (1976–1980). Over time, he grew more interested in medicine. He returned to school, earned his medical degree in urologic surgery from the University of Vermont College of Medicine, and completed six years of urological surgery training at Yale University.

Military Service

Not long after, he accepted a Presidential Commission in the Medical Corps of the United States Army and served four wartime deployments. He worked as a field surgeon in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, in 1991 and served as a battalion surgeon at Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq, during heavy combat. He returned to Iraq in 2004 and provided post-acute care at Landstuhl Regional Army Hospital in Germany in 2007.

During that tour, he treated patients who lost limbs, suffered traumatic brain injuries, PTSD, and spinal cord injuries. His final deployment involved caring for wounded soldiers in a recuperative ward at Camp Williams, Utah. He earned the rank of colonel before retiring after 27 years of service in 2014.

“Studying music at Cornell opened a wonderful world of research and taught me to solve problems at a high level,” said Imbasciani. “Going to medical school at Vermont and completing a six-year surgical residency at Yale allowed me to go straight into combat. It gave me a chance to give back, and I believe I’ve done that.”

Coming to California

In tandem with his career as an Army surgeon, Imbasciani worked as a urologic surgeon at Southern California Kaiser Permanente (1997-present) and became the director of government relations at Kaiser in 2004.

He also served as the 145th president of the Los Angeles County Medical Society. As director and president, he advocated for support of stem cell research during the 2004 ballot initiative that created CIRM. He was involved in legislation on patient rights and Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act regulations. In 2014, Imbasciani ran for the California State Senate to represent the 26th Senate District. Although he didn’t win, his campaign attracted Governor Jerry Brown’s attention. In 2015, Gov. Brown appointed him as secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet). Governor Gavin Newsom reappointed him in 2019, and he served in this role until 2023.

“I had the privilege of serving 1.8 million veterans for eight years,” said Imbasciani. “In medicine, you treat one patient at a time. Serving soldiers in war offered a new perspective. Working in the cabinets of Governor Brown and later Governor Newsom, I could positively impact the well-being of entire populations, not just one person.”

Chair of the ICOC

In 2023, Governor Newsom appointed Imbasciani to chair the ICOC, which consists of up to 35 leaders from California’s research, biotechnology, patient advocacy, nursing, and academic sectors.

As chair, Imbasciani brings insights from his experience as a patient advocate, political figure, and researcher. His background as a combat and civilian surgeon helped him connect with patients who need CIRM’s research, including those with spinal cord injuries, brain trauma, dementia, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s. He understands how even minor health improvements can significantly ease suffering and enhance life quality.

“Little advances, little reversals, or just stopping disease progression helps keep people independent,” Imbasciani stated.

For some patients, a therapy can decide between living at home or moving to assisted living.

“Nowhere else is regenerative medicine as advanced as in California,” Imbasciani noted. “CIRM supports research, trains students, and builds labs. It’s the taxpayers and citizens of California who deserve all the credit; their tax dollars fund this research.”

Formed in 2004, CIRM has supported clinical trials that enrolled over 4,300 patients. This research covers more than 85 diseases and conditions and has trained over 4,600 individuals. A 2019 report estimated that CIRM created more than 56,000 jobs and 50 startup companies linked to its projects. CIRM’s impact on California and its economy is “astounding,” Imbasciani said.

When asked what motivates his work with CIRM, Imbasciani quickly responded.

“It’s the patient stories,” he said. “It’s not about being amazed by the science, although it is impressive… what really touches the heart are the patient stories.”