PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, AUGUST 17, 2023 - Dr. Seth Berkley, one of the most influential figures in global health this century, will join the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health as a Senior Advisor, beginning September 1, announced Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, Director of the Pandemic Center. Dr. Berkley will also serve as adjunct faculty in the Department of Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health.
“Dr. Berkley joins our Pandemic Center team at an important moment, bringing his unmatched experience as a global change-maker to our shared work to improve pandemic preparedness and response,” said Dr. Nuzzo. “He has made life-changing and life-saving differences around the globe and we look forward to working with him to continue to improve public health.”
Dr. Berkley served as CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance from 2011 to 2023. There, he led a team to expand access to immunization, supporting countries to vaccinate annually more than half of the world’s children. He also co-founded and led COVAX which provided more than 2 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses to 146 countries. Previously, he founded the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative in 1996 and served as its President until 2011, and has worked with Special Pathogens Branch of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Ministry of Health of Uganda, and the Rockefeller Foundation. He has published 100s of articles, received numerous awards, three honorary doctorates and in 2022 was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. He has also been recognized by several publications for his contributions to global health, including TIME Magazine and Wired. Dr. Berkley received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Brown University and trained in internal medicine at Harvard University. In 2022, he delivered the Baccalaureate address at Brown University’s commencement ceremony, where he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Medical Science for having achieved great distinction as a physician and public health leader.
“The work of my life is to improve public health and to confront the global threat of infectious disease; this aligns well with the work of the Pandemic Center. I am eager to join them to meet the challenges we face as a global commons now and knowing the evolutionary certainty of further outbreaks ahead to advance our shared values,” Dr. Berkley said. “The health and quality of life of people around the globe demands our urgent attention and action.”
As Senior Advisor to the Pandemic Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health, Dr. Berkley will join an interdisciplinary team, led by Dr. Nuzzo, that takes a holistic approach to pandemic preparedness. Dr. Berkley’s global health leadership will bolster the Center’s efforts to build resilience to biological threats around the world and mitigate their impact.