Infectious Disease Expert Kelly Warfield Named Sabin’s New R&D President
20 August 2024 - 12:00PM
UK Regulatory
Infectious Disease Expert Kelly Warfield Named Sabin’s New R&D
President
![Kelly Warfield](https://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/440f3fa4-a78f-4d8a-85c4-e84724a6c69b/kelly-warfield-horizontal.jpg)
caption: Sabin Vaccine Institute Research &
Development President Kelly Warfield
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Virologist and
vaccine development leader Kelly Warfield has joined the Sabin
Vaccine Institute as its Research & Development President to
drive Sabin’s current candidate vaccines toward licensure and
expand its pipeline.
A member of Sabin’s executive team, Warfield will manage the
R&D program and team, collaborating with peers,
cross-functional heads, and the Board of Trustees to shape Sabin’s
strategic vision. She will report to CEO Amy Finan, who has led the
R&D team since 2017 and revitalized it by launching new
programs, securing new funding, and enhancing its capabilities.
“With our success comes the need for a new leader with the
scientific, regulatory, and business experience to propel our
R&D work forward and enable me to focus on growing Sabin,” says
Finan. “This is the right time to make that move, and we have the
right person for the role in Kelly Warfield.”
A seasoned executive and scientist, Warfield brings a wealth of
experience in guiding life science teams to build new competencies
and advance vaccine programs across various sectors, including
government, start-ups, and mid-sized biotech/pharma companies. In
her most recent role as senior vice president for science &
development at Emergent BioSolutions, she managed a multinational
team of over 300 scientists with an annual budget exceeding $100
million, and coordinated partnerships with BARDA, NIAID, the U.S.
Department of Defense, and CEPI.
"Kelly brings the strategic and scientific leadership needed to
advance Sabin’s two vaccine candidates to licensure and expand our
vaccine portfolio. Just as importantly, she has the passion and
expertise to tackle the technical and operational challenges of
developing vaccines for diseases that disproportionately impact
people in under-resourced settings," says Finan.
Warfield says she’s honored to be Sabin’s first R&D
president and deeply inspired by the organization’s ethos.
“Throughout my career, I have focused on addressing unmet medical
needs via public-private partnerships,” she says. “My greatest
fulfillment comes from developing vaccines to combat those emerging
disease threats. So, this role at Sabin aligns perfectly with my
long-held interest in using science to help those most in
need.”
A critical priority for Warfield will be to work with partners
to bring Sabin’s candidate vaccines against Marburg and Sudan
ebolavirus diseases to licensure. “These vaccines, if licensed,
could be game-changers, especially for communities in
outbreak-prone regions of Africa,” says Warfield.
Beyond her expertise in vaccine development, Kelly has a deep
understanding of novel regulatory pathways, including the Animal
Rule and Accelerated Approval processes. She has successfully
navigated U.S. FDA and European Medicines Agency regulations for
product approvals.
Prior to joining Emergent in 2014, Warfield co-founded
Integrated Biotherapeutics, Inc. and led its vaccine development,
specializing in the development of antivirals and vaccines for
Ebola and Marburg viruses. She has also led preclinical development
for a wide array of antivirals, including influenza and dengue.
Warfield began her research career as a student intern at the
National Cancer Institute. As a National Research Council
postdoctoral fellow at the United States Army Medical Research
Institute of Infectious Diseases, she developed vaccines and
therapeutics for highly lethal filoviruses and received training to
work in advanced biosafety (BSL-3 and BSL-4) containment
laboratories.
Warfield has authored over 100 publications and book chapters
and holds more than 15 patents.
In addition to her professional achievements, Warfield has
served on the boards of non-profits and start-ups, and currently
advises an organization that provides STEM opportunities to
underserved communities.
About the Sabin Vaccine Institute
The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a leading advocate for expanding
vaccine access and uptake globally, advancing vaccine research and
development, and amplifying vaccine knowledge and innovation.
Unlocking the potential of vaccines through partnership, Sabin has
built a robust ecosystem of funders, innovators, implementers,
practitioners, policy makers and public stakeholders to advance its
vision of a future free from preventable diseases. As a non-profit
with three decades of experience, Sabin is committed to finding
solutions that last and extending the full benefits of vaccines to
all people, regardless of who they are or where they live. At
Sabin, we believe in the power of vaccines to change the world. For
more information, visit www.sabin.org and follow us on X,
@SabinVaccine.
Media Contact:
Monika Guttman
Media Relations Specialist
Sabin Vaccine Institute
+1 (202) 662-1841
press@sabin.org
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
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