Two globally respected executives join Whitehead Institute Board of Directors

The Whitehead Institute Board of Directors has elected two experienced leaders to its ranks: biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry executive Dr. Deborah Dunsire; and Micho Spring, a strategic communications expert who led a major global consulting practice. Both have been elected to six-year terms that began July 1, 2024.

“We are very pleased to have these two accomplished and dynamic individuals join our organization,” says Board chair Sarah Keohane Williamson. “Deborah and Micho each possesses a long, distinguished record of guiding growing organizations; and each brings a depth of knowledge and expertise that will meaningfully enhance Whitehead Institute’s ability to pursue its mission: forging new frontiers in science, uncovering insights today that unlock the potential of tomorrow.”

Deborah Dunsire has, in the four decades since earning a medical degree at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, built a series of highly successful teams in biotech and pharma companies including Novartis, Millennium Pharmaceuticals (now Takeda Oncology), and Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals — the Copenhagen-based company that has developed and commercialized some of the world's most widely prescribed therapies for brain diseases

“My passion has been the discovery and development of medicines that transform outcomes for patients,” Dunsire says. “That is why I am excited by this opportunity to contribute to Whitehead Institute’s continuing success in making discoveries that become catalysts for new treatments and, indeed, for whole new ways of understanding human biology and health.”

In the course of her career, Dunsire has led companies in developing therapeutics used in more than 100 countries, addressing neurological conditions, inflammatory diseases, and cancer. In those roles, she guided the launch of 11 blockbuster medicines, while also directing the turnaround of commercial operations, transforming R&D organizations, and shepherding multiple successful mergers and acquisitions. She currently chairs the Board of Directors of Neurvati Neurosciences, and serves on the boards of McKesson, Ultragenyx, Syros Pharmaceuticals, and Vima Therapeutics. Previously, she was a board member for Takeda Pharmaceuticals in Japan, Allergan, and Alexion.

Outside of her industry work, Dunsire is a longstanding member of the boards of trustees of Northeastern University, the Boston Museum of Science, and the International Institute of New England.

Micho Spring, now a Senior Advisor at Weber Shandwick, formerly led its Global Corporate practice and served as its Chief Reputation Officer. During her 31-year career there, she counseled clients on challenges ranging from CEO succession and cultural transformation to litigation and environmental and social issues.

Before joining Weber, Spring was CEO of Boston Telecommunications Company, Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor under Boston Mayor Kevin H. White, and a member of New York Mayor John Lindsay’s administration. She earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, having previously attended Georgetown and Columbia universities.

Spring’s understanding of the challenges facing complex organizations also draws from her service on the boards of directors of the National Bank Holdings Corp and the National Association of Corporate Directors New England; as Past Chair of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce; and as Treasurer of the Massachusetts Conference for Women, which offers education and networking on topics both career and personal development and advancement.

At the same time, Spring says, “I have a strong commitment to improving healthcare quality and public well-being.” Pursuing that commitment, she serves as a Member of the Corporation of Mass General Brigham, having previously served on the boards of Partners Healthcare and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is also Founding Chair and a Director of Friends of Caritas Cubana, a humanitarian and social services agency serving Cuba’s most vulnerable populations.

“Whitehead Institute has a legacy of tremendous impact, both in creating new knowledge and in training some of the world’s most innovative biomedical leaders,” Spring observes. “To me, joining its board offers a unique opportunity to help extend and expand that legacy — and in that way to enable people across the world to have healthier, more fulfilling lives,” Spring says.