Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, hosts Marla Dalton, PE, CAE, and William Schaffner, MD, talk with Peter Marks, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) at the US Food and Drug Administration. He shares his insights on the origin of Operation Warp Speed during the COVID-19 pandemic, his efforts to transform the way that FDA approaches approval and licensure of new vaccines and other prevention tools, and his thoughts on how artificial intelligence may improve future work.

Show notes

Before joining FDA, Dr. Marks was clinical director of hematology at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA. He worked in industry for several years on hematology and oncology drug development and then returned to academic medicine at Yale University where he led the Adult Leukemia Service and served as chief clinical officer of Smilow Cancer Hospital. He joined FDA in 2012 as CBER deputy director and became director in2016. In 2022, he became a member of the National Academy of Medicine. Born in Brooklyn, NY, the father of 2 grown children now lives with his wife in Washington, DC.

Follow NFID on social media

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, hosts Marla Dalton, PE, CAE, and William Schaffner, MD, talk with Carol J. Baker, MD, a leader in group B Streptococcus prevention and a passionate advocate for maternal immunization to help protect mothers and infants. She shares her perspectives on the most significant changes throughout her career, including the development of vaccines and antivirals as well as the inclusion of pregnant women in clinical trials for vaccines and drugs. 

As a former competitive swimmer and now a daily walker, she has brought her energy and drive to national leadership positions, including as past president of NFID, as well as former chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. NFID presented her with the John P. Utz Leadership Award in 2009 in recognition of her leadership and service to NFID and the field of infectious diseases. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2019.  

Follow NFID on social media

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, hosts Marla Dalton, PE, CAE, and William Schaffner, MD, talk with Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who was deeply involved in the responses to some of the biggest public health threats of the past 5 decades including HIV/AIDS and COVID-19. She shares her perspectives on the most significant changes she has seen throughout her career, how the HIV/AIDS epidemic helped shaped her work, the importance of rebuilding trust in CDC and other government agencies, and predictions for the upcoming respiratory season.

Follow NFID on social media

Send us Fan Mail

In the season 2 premier episode, hosts Marla Dalton, PE, CAE, and William Schaffner, MD, talk with Barney S. Graham, MD, PhD, professor and senior advisor for global health equity at Morehouse School of Medicine, and one of the true heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion ranges from his early experiences farming to industry challenges, big scientific changes in recent years, exciting new developments in preventing future pandemics, and his work to improve health equity.

Follow NFID on social media

Send us Fan Mail

Bruce G. Gellin, MD, MPH, senior vice president and chief of global public health strategy at The Rockefeller Foundation, was a source of science-based information about vaccines long before misinformation and disinformation became buzzwords. From developing the first pandemic influenza preparedness and response plan for the US in 2005, to decades spent working to promote public health, he has been a pivotal voice in shaping public health policy in the US and globally.

Follow NFID on social media

Send us Fan Mail

As President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Richard E. Besser, MD, former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and former ABC News chief health and medical editor, is now a leading champion for health equity urging the US to embrace its potential and provide opportunities for all to thrive … 

Follow NFID on social media

Send us Fan Mail

An international leader who played a key role in shaping the global COVID-19 vaccine strategy, Katherine L. O’Brien, MD, MPH, is now focused on bringing communities around the world up to date on immunizations and creating an accord to improve the global response to the next pandemic … 

Follow NFID on social media

Send us Fan Mail

As the first female director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Julie L. Gerberding, MD, MPH, led the agency through 40 public health crises, including SARS-CoV-1. As  CEO of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, she now advocates for change to strengthen US health security and break the cycle of crisis to complacency …

Follow NFID on social media

Send us Fan Mail

An avid baseball fan who has played a pivotal role in shaping vaccine policy in the US and globally, Walter A. Orenstein, MD, reflects on lessons learned from smallpox, measles, polio, and how his love of baseball influenced a remarkable career in epidemiology and public health …

Follow NFID on social media

Send us Fan Mail

Scientist, philosopher, and public health hero, William H. Foege, MD, MPH, tells the remarkable story of the eradication of smallpox, a disease that killed more than 300 million people in the 20th century, and reflects on the lessons learned that are still relevant today …

Follow NFID on social media