People in the global health news - February 2020

NCI names new global health director

Former Fogarty grantee Dr. Satish Gopal has taken up his new role as director of the Center for Global Health at the NIH’s National Cancer Institute (NCI). Gopal spent the last seven years in Malawi, where he was the country’s only certified medical oncologist and oversaw a largely NIH-supported cancer research portfolio.

• Related news: Assuming the role of NCI Center for Global Health Director: Advancing global oncology research
  NCI Center for Global Health Spotlight blog, February 3, 2020

Hib conjugate vaccine developer dies

Dr. John Bennet Robbins, a former lab chief at the NIH, died in November. Robbins co-developed the process to conjugate polysaccharide’s coating of bacteria to render them immunogenic, perhaps one of the most influential discoveries in recent vaccinology, which led to new vaccines for meningitis, typhoid and other diseases.

Hahn appointed as FDA commissioner

Dr. Stephen Hahn has been sworn in as FDA Commissioner. Hahn, a physician-scientist with training in oncology, was previously chief medical executive at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Ned Sharpless, who served as FDA Acting Commissioner, has returned to NIH as NCI Director.

Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases hires CEO

The Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) has selected Dr. Morven Roberts as its new CEO. Roberts previously managed the UK Medical Research Council’s investments in topics including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, clinical trials and global infections. She earned a Ph.D. in parasitology and her early research career included stints in Kenya and India.

Gates Foundation selects new CEO

Dr. Mark Suzman is the new CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Originally from South Africa, Suzman joined the foundation in 2007 and has helped build its global presence in Africa, China, Europe and India. He holds a doctorate in international relations from Oxford University.

AAAS picks new CEO, executive publisher

The American Association for the Advancement of Science recently selected biochemist Dr. Sudip Parikh as its new CEO and executive publisher of the Science family of journals. Previously, Parikh was a senior vice president at the Drug Information Association and served on the staff of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee.

Indian rotavirus vaccine developer dies

Pediatrician and rotavirus vaccine developer Dr. Maharaj (Raj) K. Bhan died in January. Bhan and Fogarty Director Dr. Roger Glass spent 30 years collaborating to develop a rotavirus vaccine for India. Rotavac was licensed in 2014 and is being distributed by the Indian government, UNICEF and GAVI.

• Related news: Building trust in vaccines is essential for global health
  Opinion by Fogarty Director Dr Roger I Glass

NIH dental, craniofacial research director retires

Dr. Martha J. Somerman, former director of NIH’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), retired in December following nine years in the position. She will remain at NIH as chief of the Laboratory of Oral Connective Tissue Biology at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS).

Fogarty MEPI collaborator dies at 77

Dr. Fitzhugh Mullan, who collaborated with Fogarty on the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI), died in November. A professor at George Washington University, he co-founded its Health Workforce Institute, which was renamed in his honor in 2019.