Jay Backstrom, M.D., MPH

Dr. Jay Backstrom joined Scholar Rock in October 2022 as President & CEO. He is an industry veteran with over 30 years of experience in clinical research and development. Prior to Scholar Rock, he served as Executive Vice President, Research and Development at Acceleron Pharma, from December 2019 through its acquisition by Merck in 2021. Previously, he served as the Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Regulatory Affairs for Celgene Corporation and spent more than a decade at the company during a time of significant pipeline expansion and revenue growth. Prior to Celgene, Jay served as the Vice President, Global Medical Affairs and Safety at Pharmion and held industry roles at Quintiles, Hoechst Marion Roussel and Marion Merrell Dow. Prior to joining industry, he served as staff physician and medical director of the Samuel U. Rodgers Community Health Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Jay holds an M.D. from Temple University School of Medicine, received post-graduate training in Internal Medicine at Temple University Hospital, and holds an MPH from St. Louis University School of Public Health.