Biography

Linda D. Ho is a Presidential Management Fellow and currently serves as a health specialist in NCATS’ Division of Rare Diseases Research Innovation. In this capacity, she helps lead the modernization of the NCATS Toolkit for Patient-Focused Therapy Development, which disseminates best practices for patient-partnered research through collaborations among patients, caregivers, community organizations, researchers, and NIH and U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff. Ho also serves on committees for health disparities, Rare Disease Day at NIH, the NIH Administrative Training Committee Intern/Fellow & Alumni LinkedIn Networking Group, the Deputy Director for Management Seminar Series, the Management Seminar Series, the Inter-Society Coordinating Committee for Practitioner Education in Genomics, and more.

Prior to joining NCATS, Ho was a graduate research assistant at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) Cell Manufacturing Technology Center, where she studied patient fundraising for CAR-T cell cancer therapy and workforce demands for the cell therapy manufacturing industry. She has edited for the Journal of Science Policy & Governance, and she led more than 50 people through the entire scientific publication process as co­editor-in-chief of the UCLA Undergraduate Science Journal. As an undergraduate, Ho received funding to conduct biomedical research through NIH and Howard Hughes Medical Institute research programs that support diversity in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Ho earned a Master of Science in public policy, with a concentration in science and technology policy from the Georgia Tech School of Public Policy. She earned her Bachelor of Science in molecular, cell and developmental biology, with a minor in biomedical research at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Professional Interests

Ho wants to use policy and science communication as tools to help society realize the full benefits of science. Through her committee work, she pursues her passion for health equity, inclusivity in the workforce, patient-centric therapy development and leadership development. She wants to use her interdisciplinary background to bridge science and management at NIH.