From ‘Flyover State’ to Innovation Hub: Steve VanNurden’s Legacy at CU Anschutz

When Steve VanNurden left the Mayo Clinic to join the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus 12 years ago, Colorado was regarded as a “flyover state” in healthcare innovation. Today, it’s on the map as a recognized bioscience leader. As associate vice chancellor of biotechnology at CU Anschutz and president and CEO of the Fitzsimons Innovation Community, VanNurden helped transform the campus through CU Innovations, a program he founded to strengthen the link between groundbreaking research and commercialization to revolutionize technology transfer.