Dr Susan M Pond has a rare and remarkable combination of talents. Her deep understanding of medicine and biotechnology enables development of informed, substantiated and thoughtful scientific evidence. Her ability to work at intersections between fields enables delivery of multidisciplinary studies that achieve real impact. Her business and analytical skills have helps many individual firms survive and deliver innovative products and services. Her ability to facilitate constructive engagement between very different perspectives enables significant contribution to emerging fields and industries, and to new policy frameworks for rapidly changing national and global innovation systems.