CAMBRIDGE, MA (May 20, 2026)—The Gates Medical Research Institute (MRI) today announced the appointment of Charles Wells, MD, as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Head of Medical Development, effective May 15, 2026. He has been serving as interim CMO and head of development since October 2025.

As an infectious diseases specialist with roles in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, Charles has dedicated his expertise to addressing global health challenges and bringing forward critically needed new products and tools to address tuberculosis (TB), HIV, malaria and other neglected infectious diseases endemic to low- and middle-income countries.

“We are truly fortunate to have Charles lead our medical development,” said Krish Ramanathan, PhD, interim Chief Executive Officer of the Gates MRI. “His dedication to public health and track record of success in developing medical innovations over the past several decades will help us engage our stakeholders in the global health ecosystem and establish a strong partnership with them.”

Charles Wells joined the Gates Medical Research Institute in 2019 as a clinical development leader, then served as Head of Therapeutics Development. He leads Gates MRI’s efforts in the PAN-TB Partnership, a research collaboration of philanthropic, non-profit and private-sector organizations seeking to identify investigational compounds and regimens that would be effective against most strains of tuberculosis.

“We need to turn over every stone to solve some of the most difficult medical diseases in lower-income countries — and it’s equally important to make sure that the people who need these innovations, those suffering from TB, malaria and other diseases, can access and benefit from them,” said Dr. Wells.

What is exciting is the wide range of tools that are currently in development — from vaccines and monoclonal antibodies to long-acting injectables and new treatment regimens that can, if used in combination, sharply curtail the impact of these diseases, as long as we make sure they reach the people who need them.

Charles Wells

Before joining Gates MRI, Dr. Wells served in executive leadership roles at Sanofi and Evotec. In these roles, he oversaw development activities for new therapeutic agents for malaria and bacterial diseases including TB, as well as biologics development for HIV and other viral infections. Prior to joining Sanofi, he served as Senior Medical Director and lead clinician for the development and initial registration of delamanid (Deltyba®) for treatment of multidrug resistant-TB at Otsuka Pharmaceuticals. He also previously served as Chief of the International Research and Programs Branch of the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination at the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2000-2007 and in the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service (1995-1997). Dr. Wells completed his post-graduate medical training in internal medicine and infectious diseases at Emory University.