Kevin R. Haas
Chief Technology Officer
Myriad Genetics, Inc.
Building a Platform for Precision Medicine
When Kevin Haas was recently named Chief Technology Officer of Myriad Genetics, President and CEO Paul Diaz said, “We recognize that a big part of our future is as a technology company that works in the field of genetics and Kevin and his team are leading that transformation to help provide access to testing that will advance health as well as empower every individual to learn about how genetics can help them and their families.”
Already, Kevin’s work in bioinformatics has helped build the foundation for new, emerging algorithmic developments that led to the development of several industry-changing products. For instance, Myriad Genetics’ Prequel test, powered with AMPLIFY technology, is the only noninvasive prenatal screening that virtually eliminates low fetal fraction samples allowing the delivery of equity in care across all patients. Another example is with the Myriad myRisk Hereditary Cancer test, which helps patients learn about their risk of developing certain hereditary cancers before they happen. Also, Kevin has helped develop riskScore, a test that helps determine the five-year and lifetime remaining risk of breast cancer for women, not just those who carry harmful mutations in known cancer-causing genes. During COVID, Kevin quickly help developed the delivery of GeneSight to a patients’ home through online ordering and telehealth visits with their healthcare provider.
In addition, with Kevin’s leadership, Myriad Genetics embarked on an ambitious effort with partners DNAnexus and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to power artificial intelligence advances in genetics and precision medicine. This novel partnership is another step forward with Myriad Genetics leading the way of precision medicine for the benefit of patients and providers.
Kevin is dedicated to making sure his success with algorithms translates to clinical settings. One way he is achieving that is through the Myriad Complete program, which offers a proprietary suite of services to help patients through the genetic testing process, each designed to assist the provider as they determine the best care plan for their patient’s individual needs. The suite provides pre-test education, billing support, clear results reporting, and post-test genetic counseling. Almost a million patients every year use these services as it helps them better understand and benefit from their test results.
