A Leader Who Understands the Journey: Welcoming David Walsey as Bay Area Lyme Foundation’s New Executive Director

By Bay Area Lyme Foundation

Bay Area Lyme Spotlight Series

 

“Science drives our mission, but patient stories remind us why the science matters.”

– David Walsey

As David Walsey steps into his new role as Executive Director of Bay Area Lyme Foundation, he brings more than professional expertise. He brings lived experience of diagnostic uncertainty, immune dysfunction, co-infections, and the long arc many families travel before answers emerge. For patients, caregivers, and supporters of Bay Area Lyme, David’s leadership signals both continuity and momentum: a future rooted in rigorous science, compassionate leadership, and hope grounded in progress. “It’s been a long journey to get here,” David says. “We’ve spent nearly a decade navigating tick-borne disease as a family. That experience changed everything for us.” Dana Parish interviewed David as part of our Ticktective™ video podcast series. Watch or listen to the complete interview.

When Symptoms Don’t Fit the Textbook

Nearly ten years ago, David’s son began experiencing a constellation of symptoms that defied easy explanation. Despite multiple medical evaluations, no unifying diagnosis emerged. When Lyme disease was finally identified, the family initially felt relief. “I thought this was a solvable, short-term problem,” David recalls. “You treat it, and life goes back to normal.”

Bay Area Lyme Foundation Highlights Research Leadership and Momentum in Tick-Borne Disease, Names New Executive Director

By Bay Area Lyme Foundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Bay Area Lyme Foundation Highlights Research Leadership and Momentum in Tick-Borne Disease, Names New Executive Director

Milestones include FDA-cleared diagnostics enabled by Lyme Disease Biobank, the launch of Bay Area Lyme Ventures, and 10 years since Lyme Disease Biobank provided its first samples, advancing the field

PORTOLA VALLEY, Calif., February 11, 2026 –Bay Area Lyme Foundation, a national nonprofit and leading sponsor of tick-borne disease research, today reflected on concrete progress in 2025 that demonstrates the maturation of more than a decade of investment in diagnostics, therapeutics, and research infrastructure for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. As Bay Area Lyme Foundation-supported programs advance towards being available for clinicians and patients, the organization announced David A. Walsey, JD, LLM, as Executive Director. He has extensive experience offering strategic guidance to life sciences companies and a personal connection to Lyme disease that will help guide the foundation’s next phase of scientific translation and organizational growth.

In 2025, Bay Area Lyme Foundation reached an important inflection point as new diagnostic tests enabled by the foundation’s Lyme Disease Biobank secured FDA clearance. These new tests highlight the potential to move from discovery-stage research toward tools that can meaningfully improve patient care. The organization also launched Bay Area Lyme Ventures, an investment arm designed to help promising diagnostics and therapeutics move more efficiently from the laboratory into real-world use, while also creating the opportunity for returns to support future Bay Area Lyme Foundation research. This progress underscores the importance of the more than $30 million in research Bay Area Lyme Foundation has invested at leading academic and medical institutions such as Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Tulane, and Duke. Research supported by the foundation has produced over 70 peer-reviewed scientific publications and sustained collaboration across top research centers nationwide.