Renowned vaccine and infectious disease expert to strengthen equity of access in Foundation’s global vaccination and pandemic prevention efforts
NEW YORK | June 1, 2021 – The Rockefeller Foundation announced that Dr. Bruce Gellin, one of the world’s premier vaccine and infectious disease experts, is joining as Chief of Global Public Health Strategy for its pandemic prevention institute. In his new capacity, Dr. Gellin will advance the development and execution of the strategic vision for global public health and pandemic prevention work. He is a key member of the team building a pandemic prevention institute that aims to avert future pandemics by identifying and responding to the earliest alerts of a disease outbreak and stopping it in the first 100 days.
“An inclusive global economic recovery requires the world to double down its efforts to end the current Covid-19 pandemic through a global vaccination program and capacity-building to stop future pandemics,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. “We’re thrilled to have someone with Dr. Gellin’s expertise and experience step into this new role and drive forward this work and the Foundation’s massive investment in creating a pandemic prevention system.”
Dr. Gellin has held numerous positions leading and advising on global immunization, strategic policy development, and pandemic preparedness and response at national, multinational, non-governmental, and institutional organizations and entities including the Sabin Vaccine Institute, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), World Health Organization (WHO), National Network for Immunization Information, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
He has led key federal vaccine initiatives, including developing the National Vaccine Plan at HHS, creating the HHS’s first pandemic influenza preparedness and response plan, and representing the U.S. government on the research and development focus of the Decade of Vaccines Collaboration. He continues to carry this work forward as a member of the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine Consensus Study on Global Influenza Vaccination Coordination.
“I have spent my career working to protect the lives of millions across the country and globe from the threat of infectious diseases through effective, equitable vaccination and immunization strategies,” said Dr. Gellin. “This work is needed now more than ever, and I look forward to leveraging my expertise to build an open and effective pandemic prevention institute at The Rockefeller Foundation.”
Most recently, Dr. Gellin served as the inaugural President of Global Immunization at the Sabin Vaccine Institute. He is also a member of the COVAX Independent Allocation of Vaccines Group (IAVG) and has consulted as a technical expert for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Dr. Gellin serves as an expert advisor to the WHO on global immunization and vaccination. His work with the WHO includes advising on influenza vaccines and vaccine hesitancy issues, chairing the WHO’s Global Action Plan for Influenza Vaccines Advisory Group, and serving as a member of both the WHO Expert Advisory Group on SAGE Evaluation and the WHO Working Group on Influenza Preparedness and Response.
“Dr. Gellin is a proven public health leader who brings decades of experience building successful partnerships and solving pressing challenges to the pandemic prevention institute,” said Dr. Rick Bright, Senior Vice President for Pandemic Prevention and Response at The Rockefeller Foundation. “Dr. Gellin will be an invaluable asset to not only the pandemic prevention institute, but the larger global effort to ensure that we stop pandemics like Covid-19 from happening again.”
Today, the Foundation also released One for All: An Updated Action Plan for Global Covid-19 Vaccination to which Dr. Gellin contributed.
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