Leslie Michelson

Leslie Michelson has more than 20 years of experience as a founder, CEO, investor, advisor and/or director for a portfolio of entrepreneurial health care, technology and real estate companies.His best-selling book, The Patient’s Playbook: How to Save Your Life and the Lives of Those You Love, empowers readers to achieve the best possible health outcomes. Mr. Michelson is also the CEO of The Patient’s Playbook, which delivers multimedia content to help people become more effective health care consumers. Mr. Michelson was the Chief Executive Officer of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the world’s largest source of philanthropic support for prostate cancer research. Under his leadership, the Foundation’s revenue nearly doubled.Prior to joining the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Mr. Michelson co-founded and served as CEO of Acurian, which recruits patients and physicians for clinical trials. He also co-founded and became Chairman and CEO of Value Health Sciences, one of the first disease management companies. He then co-founded and was Chairman and co-CEO of Protocare, a provider of clinical trials site and disease management services to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.Earlier in his career, after practicing law in Washington, D.C., Mr. Michelson served as Special Assistant to the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the Carter Administration. He then joined a private equity firm focused on healthcare and real estate investments.Mr. Michelson serves as a director of American Realty Capital Trust, a retail REIT (NASDAQ: ARCT); American Realty Health Care REIT, a public non-traded health care REIT; American Realty Business Development Corporation of America, a public, non-traded business development company; and American Realty Retail Centers of America, a public, non-traded REIT that invests in retail malls; and, Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biotechnology company that focuses on prostate cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. Mr. Michelson is also a director of the ALS Therapy Development Institute, a non-profit research and development institute focused on ALS. Mr. Michelson has previously served on the boards of Catellus, a NYSE-traded REIT focused on industrial properties; Nastech, a NASDAQ traded biotechnology company; Highlands Acquisition Corporation, an AMEX traded special purpose acquisition company; Landmark Imaging, a medical diagnostic and treatment company; the Prostate Cancer Foundation; G&L Realty, a NYSE-traded medical office REIT; and, American Realty New York Recovery REIT, which invests in real estate in New York city. Mr. Michelson also serves on the Los Angeles Mayor’s Council on Innovation and Industry, a council assembled to help the city support emerging growth companies.Mr. Michelson received his BA from The Johns Hopkins University and a JD from Yale Law School. Mr. Michelson and his wife live in Los Angeles and have two adult daughters.