Lara Bethke is the chief scientific officer at Health Resources in Action. Drawing on over 25 years of experience in life science research, consulting, and philanthropic advising, she leads initiatives focused on maximizing the impact of investments in biomedical research, including landscape research and strategic planning, research funding program design and management, impact evaluation, and research capacity building. Previously, she developed and oversaw life science funding initiatives as the Director of Medical and Scientific Research at the Klarman Family Foundation, and as a Science Portfolio Advisor at the Wellcome Trust in London, UK. Prior to her work in biomedical research funding, she was a Research Fellow at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, where she led the genetic epidemiology arm of an international consortium of brain cancer epidemiologists. She has worked in international development in Russia, Ukraine, and Ecuador. She received a BA from Duke University, and a PhD in Biological Sciences in Public Health from Harvard University, where she conducted genetic research in infectious diseases.