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Laser focus on medical breakthroughs
Dr. Marlene Krauss (MBA 1967, MD 1979) is one of the first female graduates of HBS and the first person to hold both an MD and an MBA degree from Harvard University. She combines business skills and medical knowledge in her work as a leading health care investor in more than 20 companies that have created new treatments for serious illnesses.
In the 1980s Dr. Krauss saw the potential of a new laser eye surgery device. Her investment in Summit Technologies helped it become the first FDA-approved ophthalmic laser for refractive surgery. Known as LASIK, it is a multibillion-dollar industry. "When I discovered the device, it was being developed in a garage," she recalls. "It was my training as an ophthalmologist that allowed me to see the potential."
After working as a practicing eye surgeon, Dr. Krauss became one of the savviest health care investors in the country, founding and financing a number of groundbreaking companies, including Transgenic Sciences, a developer of novel manufacturing processes for new drugs, which was acquired by Genzyme. She also founded Lumenos, a consumer-directed health plan for self-insured employers that was sold to health-benefits giant Wellpoint.
(Published April 2014)
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