TBVI Governance Board Communiqué
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major unsolved global health problem. Novel vaccines against TB will be critical tools to ultimately end this silent pandemic. TBVI and its partners are key actors in the effort to research and develop novel TB vaccines.
The TuBerlculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI) Governance Board would like to announce that after leading TBVI for the past 8 years, Dr Nick Drager, MD PhD, has decided to step down as Executive Director. The TBVI Governance Board would like to thank Dr Drager for his outstanding leadership and remarkable achievements during his tenure. Dr Drager would like to take this opportunity to give his warm thanks to colleagues at TBVI’s Research and Development partners, funders, staff and consultants as well as Governing bodies, for their great support over the past years. Thanks to the efforts of all, TBVI is in a strong position to continue to make substantial contributions to move the TB vaccine field forward.
Prior to joining TBVI, Dr Drager was Director of the Department of Equity, Ethics, Trade and Human Rights at the World Health Organization. He is currently also Honorary Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Adjunct Professor at McGill University and the University of Ottawa.
To ensure a smooth transition while the search process for a new Executive Director is in progress, the Governance Board has appointed Dr Gerald Voss, TBVI’s Scientific Director, as Interim Executive Director.
Prior to joining TBVI, Dr Voss served as the Interim Director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise and led the organization through a merger with the International AIDS Society. In the past, he was with GSK vaccines, overseeing the R&D portfolio for Diseases of the Developing World.
TBVI is a Research and Innovation partnership that facilitates the discovery and development of new, safe and effective TB vaccines that are accessible and affordable for all people. As a non-profit foundation, TBVI creates an enabling environment for TB vaccine research and innovation (R&I) and product development. TBVI supports R&D partners to develop and move the most promising TB vaccine and biomarker candidates through the pipeline. To continue to innovate and diversify the pipeline and TB vaccine platforms, TBVI supports collaborative research and innovation by its R&D partners. TBVI adds value through providing services of technical advice for product and clinical development; project identification, development and management; and resource mobilization. TBVI works through the Global TB Vaccine Partnership (GTBVP) with global stakeholders to strengthen Global and European cooperation and coordination and identifies gaps to move the field forward. TBVI is now entering a phase to become closer to key European institutions as it continues work to strengthen European leadership and scientific excellence in TB vaccine R&D. For this TBVI is seeking to establish a presence in Brussels and forge closer alliances with like-minded PDPs across TB and across vaccines.