Tom O’Toole
Thomas E. O’Toole, M.P.H. is currently directing business development and grant opportunities for Zirus. As part of the senior management team, he is involved with the development of strategy and innovation for the overall direction of the company.
Tom received his Master’s in Public Health from the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill in 1992 and spent nearly 30 years at the world renowned Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) serving in a number of senior level positions. He was named Deputy Director of Technology Transfer Office in June of 1998, twice served as Acting Director, and was the CDC Chief Licensing Officer. During his tenure, the number of fully executed licenses rose over 500% and he successfully negotiated the largest licensing deal in CDC’s history. On March 30, 2009, Tom will be one of the first recipients of The CDC Director’s Award for Strategy and Innovation. Tom is married, the father of two girls and a former hockey player. He left the CDC to apply his extensive infectious disease experience to help create new treatments for viral infections unmet by vaccines and traditional antiviral drugs.