Focus Forward Podcast Ep 6: Meeting the Challenge: COVID Testing with Kevin Conroy

Kevin Conroy is the chairman and CEO of Exact Sciences. Over the past decade, he transformed Exact Sciences from a small biotechnology firm into one of the world’s premier cancer diagnostics companies.

Mr. Conroy led Exact Sciences through the development, clinical trial, regulatory approval, and commercialization of its noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test, Cologuard®. This culminated with Cologuard becoming the first medical device to receive FDA approval and national Medicare coverage simultaneously. Since 2014, millions of Americans have used Cologuard to screen for colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

In 2019, Exact Sciences’ led the $2.8 billion acquisition of Genomic Health, Inc., uniting two of the industry’s strongest brands, Cologuard and Oncotype DX®. The global company is working to improve screening, early detection, and treatment guidance throughout the cancer continuum.

A native of Flint, Michigan, Mr. Conroy earned his BS in electrical engineering from Michigan State University and graduated from the University of Michigan Law School. He currently serves on the boards of Epizyme, Inc. (Nasdaq: EPZM) and Adaptive Biotechnology Corporation (Nasdaq: ADPT). Before joining Exact Sciences, Mr. Conroy served as CEO of Third Wave Technologies, a molecular diagnostics company that developed a breakthrough cervical cancer screening test before being acquired by Hologic in 2008. He also held leadership positions as an Intellectual Property lawyer at GE and in private practice previously.