Dr. Vito Imbasciani elected Chair of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).
Voters created CIRM in 2004 and renewed its funding in 2020 to advance stem cell and regenerative medicine research.
Board Support
At January’s meeting, the agency’s 35‑member Governing Board elected Imbasciani to a six‑year term. He succeeds Jonathan Thomas, who has served as Chair since 2011.
“Dr. Imbasciani’s experience across many relevant fronts will help him hit the ground running,” Thomas said. “He will guide the agency as it expands programs that bring treatments to patients with unmet medical needs. California and the world will be well served by his appointment.”
Distinguished Service
Imbasciani said he was excited to take on the role, noting his long career in academia, government, military service, and medicine.
“My experience has prepared me to champion CIRM’s mission and represent it effectively,” he said. “I look forward to advancing the agency’s groundbreaking work and supporting the hopes of Californians seeking medical progress.”
Imbasciani has served as Secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) since 2015. In that role, he built new programs, unified eight state veteran homes, launched initiatives for veterans in state prisons, and supported 58 county veteran service offices.
He has also practiced as a urologic surgeon for 30 years, caring for older patients with congenital and acquired conditions.
Early career
Imbasciani completed medical school at the University of Vermont and his surgical and urologic residencies at Yale‑New Haven Hospital and the West Haven VA. At the University of Vermont, he assisted with research on neurodegenerative diseases.
He earned MA and PhD degrees from Cornell University and was a Fulbright Scholar in Rome in 1973. He later held academic positions at the University of Florida, Cornell University, and Middlebury College.
Imbasciani also served 27 years as a surgeon in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, including four wartime deployments that exposed him to battlefield medicine and post‑acute care.
He has a strong record of supporting stem cell research. As a board member of both the California Medical Association and the Los Angeles County Medical Association, he advocated for investments in stem cell science and supported Proposition 71, which created CIRM.
CIRM President and CEO Dr. Maria T. Millan praised his appointment.
“Dr. Imbasciani’s experience as a state secretary, surgeon, professor, and stem cell advocate makes him exceptionally well‑suited to lead the ICOC,” she said. “He will help accelerate world‑class science and treatments for a diverse California and the world. I look forward to working with him.”
Imbasciani will be sworn in on March 28, 2023..
“Dr. Imbasciani’s experience as a state secretary, surgeon, professor, stem cell research advocate, and board member of various medical agencies and organizations makes him exceptionally well-suited to fill the role of ICOC Chair and to lead CIRM in accelerating world class science and treatments for a diverse California and the world. I look forward to working with him in his new role.”
Imbasciani will be sworn in and start on March 28, 2023.
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