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John McKearn, Ph.D.
SENIOR ADVISOR
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI
JOINED IN 2008
John McKearn joined RiverVest in 2008 as a managing director and transitioned to his role as senior advisor in 2026. Throughout his tenure, he has been a central scientific voice in the firm’s biopharmaceutical strategy and continues to contribute his deep expertise in immunology, drug discovery, and clinical development and commercialization. His career spans academic research, large pharmaceutical organizations, venture-backed biotechs, and early-stage company formation.
At RiverVest, John has helped guide the scientific evaluation, rigorous development, and successful exits of numerous portfolio companies. He is known for his ability to assess biological mechanisms, development risk, and clinical feasibility at an early stage, drawing on decades of experience identifying, advancing, and refining drug candidates across multiple therapeutic areas.
John currently serves on the boards of RiverVest portfolio companies Bonum Therapeutics, OncoResponse, Outrigger, and OxaluRx, and is an observer at Codeable Therapeutics and Myonid Therapeutics. Previous board positions have included Allakos (IPO), Good Therapeutics (acquired by Roche), Lumena Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Shire), Wugen, and ZS Pharma (acquired by AstraZeneca) and, prior to RiverVest, IDM Pharma (acquired by Takeda), Epimmune, and Keel Pharmaceuticals.
Before joining RiverVest, John was president and CEO of Kalypsys, Inc., a private biotech company in San Diego. Earlier, he spent 16 years at Searle/Pharmacia (now Pfizer Inc.), where he held increasingly senior leadership roles, including Global Head of Research. During that time, he helped guide the development and launch of more than a dozen major pharmaceuticals.
Early in his career, John was a senior scientist at DuPont, a member of the Basel Institute for Immunology, and a research associate at Washington University.
John holds a Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Chicago and a B.S. in Biology from Northern Illinois University.