2009: Deborah Dunsire, MD

The Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) named Deborah Dunsire its 2009 Woman of the Year.

“The Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association is proud to honor Deborah Dunsire as our 20th annual Woman of the Year, and we applaud her commitment to healthcare leadership," said HBA chair emeritus, Ceci Zak. "Leaders like Dr. Dunsire continue to serve as role models for all women entering the healthcare industry and set new standards for accomplishment. The advancements that she has helped pioneer in oncology have truly made an overwhelming impact in the field and are an inspiration to us as healthcare executives."

“I have spent my career focused on combining novel science and medicine to transform cancer from a dreaded killer to a treatable illness, and I am deeply honored to be named Woman of the Year by the HBA,” said Dr. Dunsire. “I have had the privilege of being involved with the HBA for many years, and it continues to serve as the preeminent industry organization that mentors and inspires female executives in healthcare.”

At the time of receiving this award, Dr. Dunsire was president and chief executive officer of Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company. She joined Millennium in July 2005 and has led the company through its growth into a fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative medicines to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases. Its lead product, VELCADE, is a highly successful anti-cancer agent founded on Nobel Prize winning science. It has been prescribed to more than 100,000 people in 87 countries worldwide, treating patients with multiple myeloma and relapsed mantle cell lymphoma, a sub-type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Dr. Dunsire presided over Millennium’s acquisition by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in May 2008 and was instrumental in the successful transition of the company to becoming Takeda’s global center of excellence in oncology.

"Deborah's distinctive leadership has had an incomparable impact on Millennium and all of its employees," said Yasuchika Hasegawa, President, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. "Deborah brings great energy and passion to her role, and her goal to improve the lives of cancer patients is at the forefront of everything she does."

Dr. Dunsire draws on more than 20 years of experience in the scientific, clinical, operational and commercial aspects of the biological/pharmaceutical business. Her illustrious career has focused on advancing the fields of oncology, hematology and inflammatory diseases. Prior to Millennium, Dr. Dunsire spent nearly 10 years at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., where she was most recently senior vice president and head of North American oncology. During her tenure at Novartis, Dr. Dunsire led teams through six new product launches for treatments in breast and bone cancer, leukemia and other diseases. She began her industry career with Sandoz Pharmaceuticals in Johannesburg, South Africa, and held several roles throughout the company in Basel and in the U.S.

A previous HBA “Rising Star” and speaker at HBA’s annual Leadership Conference, Dr. Dunsire has received many accolades and honors for her work in the industry, including an honorary Doctor of Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the American Cancer Society's Excalibur Award, the Creative Spirit Award from the Creative Center for Women with Cancer, the New Jersey Women’s Fund Achievement Award and the Gilda’s Club NYC Corporate Honoree award.

All information in the honoree’s bio is reflective of the time they won the award.