A Tea Chat For Life Sciences + Evan Y. Snyder, Vanguard of Stem Cells & Regeneration
Friday, August 21, 2026, 9:30 AM PDT – 11:00 AM PDT
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (Bldg 12) · 10905 Rd to the Cure, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
Hosted by Premium Discovery Group, S.P.C.
Join us on Friday 8/21/2026 (9:30-11:00 am PDT) for our August “Tea Chat” to meet Dr. Evan Yale Snyder, a renowned physician, pediatric neurologist, and stem cell researcher who serves as a professor and director of the Center for Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. Often regarded as a founding father of the stem cells & regenerative medicine field, Evan was the first in history to demonstrate the existence of isolatable, culturable, and engraftable neural stem cells. His research established principles for the basis of clinical trials in cell-based regenerative therapeutics. Together, let’s learn about his journey and the current endeavors of his team! Evan has earned his MD and PhD (neuroscience) from University of Pennsylvania through the NIH-funded Medical Scientist Training Program. He also studied psychology, philosophy, and linguistics in an MSc program at Oxford University. He completed residencies in pediatrics and neurology and a fellowship in neonatology at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School (HMS), where he served as Chief Resident in Medicine and then Neurology, attaining board certifications in pediatrics, neurology, and neonatal-perinatal medicine – the first to be so triple-boarded. Concurrently, he completed a research post-doctoral fellowship in cellular & molecular developmental biology in HMS’s Department of Genetics. After which, he joined Harvard’s tenure-track faculty as an attending physician and assistant professor in the Departments of Pediatrics & Neurology at Children's. He also established his independent research program there, which helped launch the stem cell & regenerative medicine fields, thus has been broadly regarded as one of their “founding fathers” by demonstrating the existence of neural stem cells (NSCs), including those of human origin, as arguably the first solid organ stem cell discovered, and having introduced the concept that neural plasticity mediated by NSCs may be harnessed therapeutically. These concepts have now become the principals that literally every modern clinical trial in cell-based regenerative medicine is based on. After 23 years at HMS, he was recruited to help build California’s stem cell infrastructure – specifically to Sanford-Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP), as well as in UCSD’s Department of Pediatrics, as Professor, to found and direct Center for Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine and Core Facility. He initiated the Southern California Stem Cell Consortium, helped plan and gain passage of the State legislative proposition that created the California’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), and helped found the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine (SCRM). He directed/co-directed one of NIH’s first 6 Human Stem Cell Centers-of-Excellence and the first 5 Human Stem Cell Training Courses. He is also on the faculty of UCSD’s Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program and on the steering & admissions committees of its MD-PhD Program. He has mentored > 180 students and professionals at various career stages, and has over 300 publications and holds 40 patents to this present day. Evan is a founding fellow of the American Society for Neural Therapy & Repair (ASNTR), served a term as its President, and received The Bernard Sanberg Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2003. He was elected to the competitive Association of American Physicians (AAP) and to the American Institute of Medical & Biological Engineering (AIMBE). He’s also been elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics & a Fellow of the Child Neurology Society. He’s a Diplomate of the Health Leadership Academy. He served 2 terms as Chair of the FDA's Cell, Tissue, and Gene Therapy Advisory Committee (CTGTAC) and has rejoined the committee as Chair. He also chairs the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of NIH’s Human Genetic Cell Repository. Internationally, he chaired the European Union’s panel to create an hiPSC bank (now EBiSC). Among Evan's greatest prides is inclusion of his biography as a chapter in Ashwal’s textbook “Child Neurology: Its Origins, Founders, Growth & Evolution” (Elsevier, 2021). Premium Discovery Group, S.P.C. is a social purpose c-corp of life sciences & health technologies, dedicated to advancing and fostering forward-thinking leaders of their organizations and our ecosystem. We welcome you to join our community and follow us on social media (LinkedIn | Instagram) too! “A Tea Chat For Life Sciences” is a monthly series that honors innovations of life sciences and health technologies, giving participants opportunities to network with some of the best inventors, entrepreneurs, and experts available in Southern California. Please be sure to save the dates for these unique experiences of inspiration and connectivity!