With 30 years experience conducting innovative research in the pharmaceutical and energy sectors, Dr. Michael Pavia brings a unique perspective on how technology can improve people’s lives to Segterra’s scientific advisory board. Dr. Pavia’s extensive experience in the biotech field makes him a great asset to the InsideTracker team, where he is helping to apply new technologies to the field of health and nutrition.
While working in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, Pavia concentrated on improving the productivity of drug discovery and development. He was the Entrepreneur-in-Residence with the venture capital firm Oxford Bioscience Partners from 2002-2010. Before joining Oxford, Pavia served as Chief Technology Officer at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, where his major focus was to improve the productivity of the drug discovery and development process through the appropriate use of new technologies. In his current position as Executive Vice President of Glori Energy, Pavia is applying microbiology to increase oil production from existing wells.
In addition to his focus on increasing productivity through technology, Dr. Pavia has shared his expertise in human physiology with the InsideTracker team. He was formerly Vice President-Cambridge Research at Sphinx Pharmaceuticals, a division of Eli Lilly & Co. Prior to Sphinx, Dr. Pavia held senior scientific positions in the Department of Chemistry at the Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research Division of Warner-Lambert with a focus on drugs of the central nervous system. Because human physiology and nutrition are so closely interconnected, the InsideTracker is fortunate to have such an experienced expert serving on the Scientific Advisory Board!
Pavia, who holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Lehigh University and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, states that he is “most excited about applying new novel technologies to unsolved problems—whether in oil, gas, or nutrition.” His interest in technology led to a fortuitous encounter with InsideTracker founder Dr. Gil Blander. Pavia is a member of the board of directors of Selventa, a pharmaceutical company where Blander was working. Blander approached Pavia about the concept behind InsideTracker, and Pavia agreed to join the advisory board.
So, what about InsideTracker interests Pavia the most? With his experience in technology, it is no surprise that he is excited about how InsideTracker uses scientific testing to establish a baseline assessment of a person’a unique biochemistry and to provide customers with recommendations on how to improve.
“If you look at general guidelines for optimal nutrition, you get a very wide range,” he said. “To me, the most exciting thing about Segterra’s technology is that it can tell you, as an individual, your optimal range for performance and help put you in that range.”
While Pavia tries to eat a healthy diet and to stay in shape, his InsideTracker blood analysis led him to discover a few biomarkers that were outside of his personal optimal range. This experience gave him a first-hand look at how InsideTracker technology could help improve fitness and nutrition.
“Sign up for InsideTracker!” he advised. “It’s really hard to optimize your improvement unless you have your measurements. The program can help you get measured, find out where you are, and find out what you need to do.”
