Dr. Kathleen Rousche serves as the Director of the Innovation and Commercialization Office within the Division of Extramural Research Activities at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. In this role, Dr. Rousche oversees activities designed to help innovators in academia and industry translate new and promising discoveries into biomedical products that prevent, diagnose, and treat heart, lung, blood, and sleep diseases and disorders.

Dr. Rousche’s office coordinates and serves as a central point of contact for the NHLBI Small Business Programs (SBIR/STTR) and supports translational research initiatives directed at advancing promising technologies to the marketplace. Services offered to innovators include pre-application advice, entrepreneurial education, product and business development resources during funding periods, and access to potential federal and private sector partners that may support further technology development, to more efficiently and effectively move discoveries to benefit public health.

Dr. Rousche has a diverse background in translational biomedical research, program administration, teaching, and alliance and project management. She worked in industry, academia, and medical communications prior to joining the NIH.