Versiti Blood Research Institute (VBRI) is excited to welcome Carlos Villa, MD, PhD, as a clinician investigator in the Translational Hematology program. Dr. Villa joined Versiti in January 2026 and will also serve as a clinical consultant with Versiti Diagnostic Laboratories, bringing deep expertise in translating discoveries from the lab to clinical practice.
Previously, Villa served as Associate Director for Special Programs in the Office of Blood Research and Review at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). In that role, his focus was on regulatory review, research, and policy development within blood transfusion, and he collaborated across various federal government agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
“It was a unique role that let me get a real sense of the whole landscape of blood and blood products,” says Villa. “I’m excited to now be able to run some of the studies that I wish I had seen as a regulator.”
Villa was familiar with Versiti long before he arrived for his first day as clinician investigator. “I used Versiti as a reference lab when I was at the University of Pennsylvania as a resident and fellow, and I knew about Versiti’s national reputation in the field of transfusion medicine,” he says. “Versiti is unique in its specialization in all things blood and also as an internationally recognized organization that really prides itself on its mission, from blood donation drives and donor operations to biomedical research and specialized diagnostic testing.
” Within his role at Versiti, Villa splits his time very intentionally between Versiti Diagnostic Labs and VBRI. He is exploring specialized platelet testing in the Diagnostic Labs and is beginning to write grants and structure projects within VBRI. “One of the things I’m most interested in is collaborative research,” says Villa. “So, taking different parts of the same organization and getting them to work together on studies and clinical trials. I’m already finding some great opportunities to work with different clinical departments at Froedtert, for example. And once I’m credentialed at the respective hospitals within the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center (MRMC) campus, I’ll spend a quarter of my time covering transfusion services as well.”
Villa’s path to transfusion medicine began during his undergraduate studies. Originally pursuing chemical engineering, Villa changed course after attending a conference where they were presenting clinical studies. “Something just clicked about the idea of being the first to address a problem for a patient and to have an idea of what will make a difference for that patient in front of you… It was really exciting,” says Villa. “So, relatively late as an undergraduate student, I decided to go to medical school and pursue translational research instead.” He went on to complete an MD-PhD program in Pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medicine at Cornell University.
“Clinically, blood was always what was most interesting to me,” he says. “Whether that was blood malignancies or bleeding and clotting disorders… Blood touches nearly every aspect of medicine and it’s a field where you can have a direct impact on patients.” As he continues to expand his clinical work, Villa is looking forward to contributing to Versiti’s mission of improving patient care through discovery, innovation, and collaboration.
Versiti Blood Research Institute celebrated the topping-off of its 79,000-square-foot expansion and launched Invest in Hope, inviting the community to support discoveries that move blood health forward.
Explore research at Versiti Blood Research Institute. Learn about our scientific programs, investigators, and shared resources that support discoveries in blood disorders, cancer, immune diseases, and transfusion medicine.