December 18, 2019 – SEOUL, South Korea – The International Vaccine Institute (IVI), a Seoul, Korea-based international organization dedicated to accelerating vaccines for global health, announced today that Professor Gordon Dougan, Dr. Melanie Saville, and Dr. Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele will join its Board of Trustees (BOT) early next year. The three new members were elected at a face-to-face board meeting last month, and their terms will commence at the end of the next BOT meeting, scheduled for February 27, 2020.
“I’m very pleased to announce that three exemplary leaders across vaccinology, vaccine development and Global Health have joined the IVI Board of Trustees,” said Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI. “As we continue to diversify our vaccine portfolio and expand into different research areas, we and our global network of partners will greatly benefit from the expertise and guidance of Professor Dougan, Dr. Saville, and Dr. Okwo-Bele.”
Professor Gordon Dougan, GSK Professor, Department of Medicine at Cambridge University
Professor Dougan is an internationally recognized expert in vaccinology and microbial pathogenesis. He was Head of Pathogens at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (WTSI) for over a decade and worked in industry developing novel vaccines at an internationally renowned multi-national company. He currently sits on the board of Hilleman Laboratories, a joint venture between Wellcome Trust and Merck, and is a founder of VHSquared and Microbiotica, two spin-outs. He is a member of EMBO and a Fellow of the Royal Society, and currently serves as an Expert in Residence at the Wellcome Trust, advising on vaccine strategy and innovation.
Dr. Melanie Saville, Director of Vaccine Development, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)
Dr. Saville is a physician specialized in virology with 20 years of experience in the vaccine industry, holding leadership positions in the development and licensure of first- and best-in-class vaccines. Prior to her role as Director of Vaccine Research and Development at CEPI, Dr. Saville was the Vice President, Late Development, clinical and medical affairs with Janssen Vaccines and prevention, and the Chief Medical and Clinical Officer of the dengue program at Sanofi Pasteur, where she oversaw clinical, regulatory, medical, PV, and epidemiology for the Sanofi Pasteur dengue vaccine in development. She was additionally the Director of Clinical Research at Wyeth Vaccines, leading clinical development for an intranasal influenza vaccine in Phase III.
Dr. Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele, Independent Public Health Consultant
With over 37 years of experience in governance and management of vaccines and immunization programs as well as disease control activities at national, regional (Africa), and global levels, Dr. Okwo-Bele currently provides board advisory and consulting services while contributing to vaccinology courses as a faculty member. He was the Director of the WHO Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals from 2004-2017, directing the formulation of WHO immunization policies, and overseeing vaccine research, safety, and implementation. Previously, he was Chief of the UNICEF global immunization unit in New York, Regional Advisor and Head of the WHO regional vaccine and immunization program in Africa, and National Manager for the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Immunization Program. He has additionally engaged with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance as a Board member or alternate member representing UNICEF or the WHO. He is the author and co-author of over 30 articles and book chapters, and was awarded the Rotary Paul Harris Fellow recognition for advancing polio eradication in Africa.
“IVI remains an important player in advancing global health. I feel privileged to be joining the IVI BOT and look forward to supporting the organization’s exciting and critical work on vaccine discovery, development and delivery,” said Dr. Okwo-Bele.
All of IVI’s board members are listed on the Board of Trustees page of ivi.int.
About the International Vaccine Institute (IVI)
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a nonprofit inter-governmental organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, IVI was the first international organization hosted by Korea. IVI has 35 signatory countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) on its treaty, including Korea, Sweden and India as state funders.
Our mandate is to make vaccines available and accessible for the world’s most vulnerable people. We focus on infectious diseases of global health importance such as cholera, typhoid, shigella, salmonella, schistosomiasis, Group A Strep, Hepatitis A, HPV, TB, HIV, MERS-Corona Virus, as well as antimicrobial resistance. For more information, please visit https://www.ivi.int
CONTACT
Aerie Em, Global Communications & Media Specialist
+82 2 881 1386 | aerie.em@ivi.int