BettaPharma Appoints Dr. Mao Li as New Chief R&D Officer and CMO to Drive Innovation

On February 24, BettaPharma announced the appointment of Dr. Mao Li as the new Chief R&D Officer and Chief Medical Officer. His responsibilities will include overseeing the company's new drug development and clinical research departments. This appointment takes effect immediately following the board's approval.

Dr. Mao Li, born in July 1957, holds American citizenship and boasts an impressive academic background. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is a tenured professor at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and a Yangtze River Scholar at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Previously, he served as the chair of the Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and as the vice president of Johnson & Johnson, leading their lung cancer center.

Dr. Li has made groundbreaking contributions to tumor molecular biology and precision therapy. He has been a pioneer in the molecular pathogenesis, molecular typing, and chemoprevention of lung and head-and-neck cancers, publishing over 200 SCI papers. Additionally, he has served as an editor and editorial board member for various international journals and has been involved in multiple NIH grant review panels, showcasing his exceptional communication, coordination, and management skills.

In the past five years, Dr. Li has held several senior positions: from March 2018 to March 2021, he was the senior vice president and chief medical officer at Beida Pharmaceutical; from May 2021 to June 2022, he served as chief medical officer at China Biopharmaceutical; and from June 2022 to February 2025, he was the vice president and head of R&D at Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group. Since August 2022, he has also been an independent director at Legend Biotech (NASDAQ: LEGN).