From 2011 to 2021, Carol led The Lemelson Foundation’s work to use the power of invention to improve lives. Prior, Carol was founding Director of the Global Health Discovery Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and led development of the Grand Challenges in Global Health and Grand Challenges Explorations programs, innovation programs which have been replicated in countries around the world. Previously, Carol worked at the U.S. National Institutes of Health at the National Cancer Institute and National Center for Human Genome Research, at a start-up diagnostics company, and on the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh.

Carol currently is Chair of the Program Advisory Committee for Grand Challenges Canada, and a Member of the Advisory Board for the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health as well as serves on the Boards of WiSys, VertueLab, and the Washington State Andy Hill CARE Cancer Research Fund.