My role is to set the vision for the Gates MRI and inspire the organization to achieve it. I am responsible for mission clarity, steering our strategy in the right direction, and ensuring there are sufficient resources to reach our goals.

I am at the Institute because I fervervently believe that everyone should have the opportunity to live a productive life. My passion for infectious diseases is life-long, stemming from my father’s near-death from tuberculosis. The results of a surveillance study I conducted in western Kenya further ignited this passion; there I witnessed firsthand the high mortality from diarrheal and respiratory diseases that can occur in a setting with limited healthcare resources. These experiences drove me to a career in the private sector, where I spent nearly fifteen years developing vaccines against diseases such as rotavirus, a diarrheal disease that once claimed the lives of half a million infants and young children annually. The impact of rotavirus vaccines globally has been nothing short of phenomenal, projected to save 1.7 million lives over the next 10 years. I want to see that same extraordinary outcome for other infectious diseases. Although technically more difficult, why can’t we find solutions for tuberculosis, malaria, and other enteric diseases?

Every day I think what an incredible privilege it is to lead an organization whose sole reason for existing is to use cutting-edge technology and science to find solutions for these diseases, and make them accessible to all.

In my role as chief of staff and as the thought partner to the Gates MRI leadership team, I am accountable for the leadership team's collective effectiveness. We have no time to lose in our relentless pursuit of finding solutions for diseases that cause five deaths every minute. We are acting urgently to accelerate the leadership team’s performance in driving innovation, applying rigor, and enabling strong collaborations, both within the Institute and throughout our network of global partners. With the goal of ensuring the institute’s collective effectiveness, I oversee organizational strategy, finance, business development, external affairs and strategic sourcing.

From my diversified executive leadership experience at rapidly growing biotech companies, I bring the resilient and agile mindset that is required for successful, highly complex, and dynamic environments. Negotiating multiple partnerships with a variety of organizations taught me the importance of having strategic clarity, decision-making frameworks, and clear understanding of key stakeholder motivations. I value the opportunity to bring these skills, honed over 25 years, to help the team achieve our vision for global health. Our success will be built on the courage to ignite change and our ability to fully leverage the breadth of diversity and talent in our diverse team. The vulnerable populations around the globe are my North Star.

Two pursuits inspire me: making transformational medicines and vaccines for urgent global health challenges, and harnessing deep knowledge of human biology to drive nimble drug and vaccine development. At the Gates MRI, I am privileged to be able to combine these twin passions. As the tools at scientists' disposal become increasingly powerful, there is an urgent need to apply them with the right technical and analytical rigor to accelerate product development. It takes a closely integrated team with broad clinical, regulatory, quantitative, technical and operational expertise-like the one we’ve assembled at the Gates MRI-to get it right. I am thrilled to be part of this effort!

I come to the Institute with a background that spans academia, industry and the nonprofit sector. Most recently, I led translational research for a major industry immuno-oncology effort—an endeavor that underscored the power of translational science to transform drug discovery and development. Having worked end-to-end from discovery through registrational clinical trials, I am acutely aware of the need for robust partnerships at every stage to successfully bring lifesaving medicines and vaccines to patients. I am eager to collaborate broadly to have impact well beyond the walls of the Gates MRI.

My team's role is pretty straightforward: work closely with our partners around the globe to ensure that a steady stream of exciting assets are ready to move into clinical development to treat the most serious diseases and help the neediest patients.

I accidently ended up in the Chlamydia laboratory at the University of Texas the summer I was 15, and I was immediately hooked on microbiology and research. I'm lucky to have found my passion early and to have been able to pursue it throughout my career. My time at Cubist gave me the opportunity to do everything from target selection to meeting with physicians to talk about our drugs; most importantly, it gave me the chance to meet people whose lives had been saved by our antibiotics. There is no greater reward for a scientist than to know that their work has changed lives, and it is the desire to do this on a global scale that drew me to the Gates MRI, and inspires me every day.

I get up in the morning, and go to bed each night, asking questions.

Pharmaceutical supply chains are unique among industries, because failure to deliver medicines when and where they’re needed means not just disappointment but suffering. At Gates MRI our urgency is especially acute, because we are serving the poorest and most vulnerable.

While scientific innovation is the basis of our work, in the end we must provide a tangible product in the form of a pill, a vial, a syringe, maybe an autoinjector. The Drug Supply team is focused on effectively translating the science into physical drugs, vaccines, and monoclonal antibodies and finding ways to guarantee affordable access for everyone. Innovation in our manufacturing methods and supply chain is a must, because access and affordability are so critical. I've spent my career in pharmaceutical operations, both in academia and industry, thinking about cost and efficiency of pharmaceutical manufacturing. While pharmaceutical operations has been a major driver of value in our industry over the past decades, I firmly believe that with the patients we seek to serve, efficiency and cost of drug supply has a level of criticality that is very much different from what I’ve seen before.

We cannot pursue innovative medicine that is not accessible to all the people we strive to serve. I can’t tell you how excited I am to meet this challenge head on.

In my role as Quality Leader at the Gates MRI, I am responsible for enabling and sustaining a culture built on quality principles. I am committed to protecting the safety and rights of investigational study participants, quality in investigational product development and manufacturing, and compliance with all applicable laws, regulatory requirements and guidance ensuring data integrity in study conduct. As a registered nurse by training, I believe that everyone has the right to have access to treatments that will either treat their condition or cure them. In our discovery of these treatments we must take caution in continuing to protect the rights of those participating in our clinical trials, especially those in the vulnerable populations.

My diverse background over 25 years ranges from conducting clinical trials in an academic environment to working in large and small pharmaceutical companies, where I travelled worldwide auditing clinical trial activities and leading global QA organizations. I know the importance of partnering with others to ensure a clear understanding of good pharmaceutical practices and how to implement them across regions to ensure success. As a leader, inspiring teams to deliver their best every day is equally critical to success.

I am truly honored to be part of the Institute's commitment to quality in the service of saving lives of the world's poorest and most vulnerable populations.

Without the generosity and foresight of human beings willing to participate in medical research and development, there could be no effective human drug or vaccine development. Protecting the rights and wellbeing of human research participants, particularly vulnerable subject populations, is paramount. This fundamental premise underpins my approach to helping the Gates MRI develop innovations to address the challenges presented by diseases that target the poorest and, ultimately, to save lives.

With over 22 years' experience of working as a lawyer in the global drug research and development field, in my role heading up compliance and legal risk management, I am responsible for assisting the organization to navigate the complex legal and regulatory pathways associated with human subject research; thereby ensuring that our clinical studies are conducted with the utmost integrity and safeguards.

I am energized and honored by this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to play a vital role in the development of potential solutions to overcome some of the most challenging diseases known to man.

My team is the operational engine that will bring life-saving solutions to diseases that impact the most vulnerable. Our goal is to execute studies with rigor, precision, and compassion, honoring the trust each participant has given us with their consent. We plan every program in detail from beginning to end and develop not only a Plan B but also a Plan C and D. Inevitably, things happen and if we are not ready with mitigation strategies it is the patients who are most negatively impacted.

My background spans contract research organizations, major pharmaceutical and small biotechnology companies over 18 years. In my career, I have been fortunate to have held a variety of different roles, all of which culminated into this amazing opportunity with the Gates MRI.

Having grown up in Asia and Africa I developed a keen interest in global public health as a teenager. I feel honored to be part of this dedicated team and have no doubt we will solve these complex problems by collaborating with other equally passionate people and organizations. Together, we will surely achieve our goals.

As Regulatory Affairs Leader, I interpret laws, regulations, policies, and guidance, and then incorporate these tools into an innovative global regulatory strategy that supports accelerated product development. Others may not consider Regulatory Affairs a cutting edge discipline, but I do! This is my life’s work and I am honored to represent the medicinal products we are developing to health authorities worldwide. Working transparently with regulators, understanding their perspectives, and incorporating their guidance advances timely development of medicines and vaccines. The outcome is faster delivery of safe and effective medicines to those who most need them.

I have been directly involved in the global licensure of over 10 new vaccines, which collectively have had a positive effect on a phenomenal number of lives. My 25 year career spans roles in manufacturing, analytical development, global regulatory policy, and regulatory affairs. I’ve learned the importance of working as a team, appreciating others’ perspectives, and also challenging the status quo. I am excited to work with my colleagues at Gates MRI, to build for the future and to improve the lives of those we are here to help.

We know the need is great and that people around the world are waiting. They can count on us!