Fired QuidelOrtho CEO Lands New Role With Vital Biosciences Board

It didn’t take long for Douglas Bryant to land another position in healthcare. 

Terminated from his position as president/CEO of QuidelOrtho Corporation earlier this year, Bryant has now joined Vital Biosciences’ Board of Directors. Bryant has more than three decades of industry experience, undertaking multiple global leadership roles at companies like Abbott Laboratories Inc., Luminex Corporation, and QuidelOrtho.

Bryant was beginning his 15th year at helm of QuidelOrtho when the company’s Board of Directors Douglas Bryant fired him after conducting a “comprehensive evaluation.” Bryant also resigned from the board. He joined QuidelOrtho as president/CEO in March 2009 and led the company during the acquisition of Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (and subsequent renaming to QuidelOrtho in May 2022). The San Diego Business Journal named Bryant CEO of the Year in 2023.

“Doug grew QuidelOrtho into a global leader in diagnostics, and a category defining company in point-of-care,” Vital Biosciences CEO Vasu Nadella said. “His efforts in building pioneering product lines,  M&A, responding to COVID-19, and leadership during the acquisition of Ortho Clinical to form QuidelOrtho, all represent a master class in speed, scale, and ambition. We are immensely fortunate to have Doug’s expertise on our team.”

Bryant played a key role in the public health response to COVID-19. Under his leadership, QuidelOrtho brought to market the first global rapid antigen test, and rapidly scaled all aspects of research, production, and distribution to get tests in the field by May 8, 2020. In the midst of the pandemic, Bryant also led his team to increase test capacity by tenfold, from approximately 100 million per year to nearly 1 billion tests.
 
Before his QuidelOrtho tenure, Bryant served as executive vice president and COO at Luminex Corporation, managing its Bioscience Group, Luminex Molecular Diagnostics, manufacturing, R&D, technical operations, and commercial operations. From 1983 to 2007, he held various worldwide commercial operations positions with Abbott Laboratories.
 
Bryant joins existing independent Vital Biosciences board members Matt Posard, who held executive title responsibilities with several highly successful growth companies including Illumina, Biosite and Gen-Probe; and Dr. Marcia Eisenberg, chief science officer and a veteran at LabCorp for more than 25 years.

Vital Biosciences’ new product, VitalOne aims to make lab diagnostics ubiquitous by bringing more than 50 routine lab tests to primary care sites in the form of a simple-to-use device the size of a desktop computer, all from a small sample of blood.
 
“Enabling access to testing and care has been one of the guiding tenants in my career. VitalBio’s elegant platform represents an opportunity for me to contribute toward bringing a technological breakthrough in testing closer to patients,” Bryant stated. “VitalBio is building a future where patients and healthcare providers can spot trends sooner, respond quicker, and chart the course ahead with accuracy and confidence. I’m excited to partner with Vasu and the VitalBio team as they bring the VitalOne through FDA studies and to market.”
 
Vital Biosciences is a team of scientists and engineers developing advanced diagnostic technologies. Its ecosystem of devices, software, and services aim to make healthcare radically more personalized, proactive, and accessible.