James Kovach, MD, JD
President, Chief Operating Officer
James Kovach, MD, JD was appointed to his current position at the Buck Institute for Age Research in July 2005. Prior to his appointment, Kovach was Executive Vice President and COO of Athersys, Inc., a Cleveland, Ohio biotechnology company utilizing proprietary stem cell, gene therapy and chemistry technologies to develop pharmaceuticals. He has also directed the Office of Technology Management at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland. Prior to establishing a career which spans academic medicine and the biotechnology industry, Kovach spent seven years as a middle linebacker in the National Football League, attending medical school in consecutive off seasons while he earned his degree, which was granted in 1984, with distinction. He played with the New Orleans Saints (1979-85) and the San Francisco Forty-Niners (1985). In New Orleans Kovach was the defensive signal caller. In 1983, he was named 1st team All-National Football Conference (UPI) and was voted by his teammates as Most Valuable Player in 1983. After completing medical school at the University of Kentucky, Kovach obtained his law degree from Stanford University.
