The Regenerative Medicine Engine last week announced that Lester Martinez, M.D., will become Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective Nov. 1, 2026. He succeeds Tim Bertram, who has led the Engine since August 2024.
Most recently, Dr. Martinez served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, providing executive oversight and strategic direction for the Military Health System, which serves approximately 9.5 million beneficiaries.
Previously, as Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Dr. Martinez led thousands of personnel across national laboratories and research centers and oversaw the Army’s global medical research and development portfolio.
Dr. Martinez was also a founding member and leader of the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC), a national public-private partnership that brings together industry, academic institutions, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and government agencies to accelerate technology development and commercialization. That experience drew on many of the capabilities central to the Engine’s mission, including ecosystem development, partnership formation, and technology transition.
“I am excited to join the Engine and do my part to grow regenerative medicine from the leading edge globally,” said Dr. Martinez in a recent press release.
Dr. Bertram joined the Engine in August 2024 as its Chief Executive Officer. A biotech executive and serial entrepreneur, he founded and served as CEO of ProKidney, a North Carolina company developing regenerative therapies for chronic kidney disease.
During his tenure, Dr. Bertram led the Engine’s efforts to build a regional innovation ecosystem designed to accelerate the translation of regenerative medicine research into commercial applications while supporting economic growth, workforce development, and job creation.
According to Dr. Martinez’s Wikipedia page, in 1978, after graduating from medical school, he “joined the U.S. Army and was sent to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where he received his specialty training in family practice and was commissioned as a Captain upon the completion of his training.
“He was part of a multinational force in the Sinai following the 1978 Camp David Accord. In 1983, he completed his Master of Public Health degree at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a focus in environmental health sciences. In 1995, Martínez López served as chief medical officer when U.S. forces were sent to Haiti, and three years later, in 1998, he oversaw military relief operations for 8,500 victims of Hurricane Mitch in Central America.