Marla Curran

As the Head of Biostatistics & Data Science at the Gates Medical Research Institute, Marla Curran, DrPH, leads a team responsible for supporting evidence-based decisions across the drug development lifecycle. Marla and her team partner closely with clinical, regulatory, and other R&D groups to design robust studies, generate high-quality insights, and apply cutting-edge statistical and data science methods, including AI, to accelerate development. Marla’s team strives to improve global health outcomes through efficient trial design, data-driven decision-making, and identification of predictive biomarkers.

Marla brings over 20 years of experience and a distinguished track record of building and developing high-performance teams across diverse scientific disciplines, including biostatistics, programming, data management, bioinformatics, medical writing, and clinical technology. Known for her collaborative, scientifically driven leadership style and business acumen, Marla attracts top talent, enhances resource models, and consistently delivers high-quality results that drive organizational success.

Before joining Gates MRI, Marla held leadership roles at Spark Therapeutics, Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Teva, GSK, and Sanofi. In these roles, she led global teams in implementing advanced statistical techniques to formulate and execute strategic initiatives, securing and supporting numerous regulatory approvals, and improving patient outcomes on a global scale. She has extensive experience in all phases of clinical research across multiple therapeutic areas. She is particularly proud of her work in infectious diseases, contributing to the drug approvals for Nuzyra® and supporting early phase work for Krintafel (tafenoquine).

Marla holds a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) and a Master of Science (MS) in Biostatistics with a concentration in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Statistics from North Carolina State University.