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Team


Paul Burn, PhD
Broin Chair, The Sanford Project
A native of Switzerland, Dr. Paul Burn serves as the Broin Chair for The Sanford Project. Previously, Dr. Burn was Senior Vice President of Research and Development at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). He has also held positions at various academic institutions and has published more than ninety articles in some of the most prestigious, scientific journals. He also has background in biotech in big pharma with experience leading project teams successfully. This includes moving drug discovery and development projects forward from the gene, through translational research, into the clinics and in introducing products into the market place. Dr. Burn was trained as a biochemist, cell biologist and molecular biologist and holds a PhD from the Biocenter of the University of Basel, Switzerland.

Alexander Rabinovitch, MD
Associate Director, The Sanford Project
Dr. Alex Rabinovitch (räh-BIN’-o-vitch) joins the team from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In years prior, Dr. Rabinovitch completed both his Bachelor’s and Medical Degree at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, with post-graduate studies completed in Canada, Switzerland and the United States. Known for his expertise in beta cell regeneration in diabetic patients, Dr. Rabinovitch was recently honored with the Excellence in Clinical Research Award from JDRF.
 
Alexei Savinov, MD
Associate Scientist, The Sanford Project
Dr. Alexei Savinov (sähv-IN’-ahv) is a highly educated and well-trained immunologist and cellular biologist who comes to Sanford from the Burnham Institute for Medical Research in LaJolla, CA. The Russian native has formal training as a medical doctor with doctorate thesis in biochemistry. His main area expertise is with autoimmune insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes.

Da-Qing Yang, PhD
Scientist, The Sanford Project
Originally from China, Dr. Da-Qing Yang (DÄH’-ching YANG) brings to the team his knowledge of cell reprogramming for treating type 1 diabetes. Before joining Sanford Research/USD, Dr. Yang was an Assistant Professor in the Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences at the University of South Dakota (USD). He is one of the first scientists to study diabetes in South Dakota.