Featured Bio: Catharine Grimes

Catharine Grimes

President of the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation

Catharine Grimes is the president of the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation (BMS Foundation), an independent charitable organization committed to their mission to improve global health. Catharine has over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry, beginning her journey at Bristol Myers Squibb. She served BMS’ commercial organization in many roles over the years across multiple therapeutic areas before taking a position at the BMS Foundation as senior director in 2010, and president in 2024.

Throughout her career, Catharine has remained focused on addressing global health challenges, and her leadership has forged partnerships with key stakeholders across the globe to bring innovative solutions to communities in need, driving sustainable change in the healthcare system. 

Catharine launched the BMS Foundation’s work to improve participation in clinical trials through the Robert A. Winn Excellence In Clinical Trials Award Program with an establishing grant of $100 million dollars. Bolstered by additional funding from Amgen and Gilead Sciences and most recently with a commitment from Genentech to increase funding to $1.245 million, the program’s goals are to train more than 300 early-stage investigator physicians as community oriented clinical trialists, and ultimately improve participation in clinical trials to drive better health outcomes in all communities to save more lives.

Catharine also led the Foundation’s global cancer work, which has strengthened cancer care systems that deliver critical services to medically underserved communities.

As president, Catharine oversees all Foundation efforts to improve global health worldwide through key pillars and programs in adult and pediatric cancers, pediatric blood disorders, neuropsychiatry and excellence in clinical trials. With a vision to help create a world where everyone has the opportunity to achieve their optimal health, these signature programs work to improve access to healthcare for medically underserved populations by engaging in initiatives that build capacity and strengthen health systems in India, Brazil, ten countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and across the United States. At the heart of everything Catharine and her team do is a seemingly simple, yet powerful vision: to help create a world where everyone has the opportunity to achieve their optimal health.

Catharine earned an MBA in healthcare administration from the Baruch College / Mt. Sinai School of Medicine Executive MBA program and a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from the University of Mississippi. Recently, Catharine was accepted into fellowship at The New York Academy of Medicine.