PneumoADIP September 2003

PNEUMOFOCUS

BULLETIN OF GAVI'S PNEUMOADIP AT JOHNS HOPKINS BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
PNEUMO ADIP: PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINES ACCELERATED DEVELOPMENT AND INTRODUCTION PLAN

Volume 1, No. 1 September, 2003

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S NOTE

Dear friends and colleagues,

I’m pleased to announce that, after a competitive application process, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) selected Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to serve as the host institution for its Pneumococcal Vaccines Accelerated Development and Introduction Plan (PneumoADIP) team and awarded the School $30M over 3-5 years to achieve its objectives.

This newsletter is the first in a series. In this edition, I’m introducing you to the PneumoADIP team – a talented, committed group built to help achieve the PneumoADIP’s mission of improving child health by accelerating access to and use of new, life-saving pneumococcal vaccines for the world’s poorest children.

In the future, we’ll use this newsletter to keep you updated on progress with the ADIP project, including details of any funding opportunities, meetings, and ongoing ADIP sponsored activities. By October, we’ll also have a PneumoADIP website to help serve you with more detailed and current information. So stay tuned, there’s a lot more to come.

Orin Levine
Executive Director

WHAT IS THE PNEUMOADIP?

The PneumoADIP is a target-driven approach to accelerating evaluation of and access to new pneumococcal vaccines in developing countries. It aims to shorten the time lag between the use of a new vaccine in rich countries and its use in poor countries by working to achieve a sustainable, affordable supply of quality vaccines by reducing the uncertainty of demand for the vaccine in the world’s poorest countries. The ADIP strategy is organized around 3 main areas of activities:

1. Establishing the value of the vaccine by demonstrating the burden of pneumococcal disease and the potential benefits of preventing it by vaccination;

2. Communicating the value of the vaccine by assuring that the research evidence base is communicated effectively to key decision-makers through appropriate, effective channels;

3. Delivering the value of the vaccine by assuring that there is a predictable supply of appropriately formulated vaccine and an adequate system to deliver it to the children who need it.

THE PNEUMOADIP TEAM

The PneumoADIP team is based in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. Each team member and their responsibilities are described below:

	Orin Levine, PhD. Executive Director. ph. (443) 287-2019 fax. (410) 614-1419 olevine@jhsph.edu Dr. Levine is experienced in establishing the evidence base needed by developing countries to introduce a new vaccine. He has over 10 years experience in research on HiB and pneumococcal disease and their prevention by vaccination, including research experience in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and China. He will be responsible for the overall performance of the PneumoADIP.
	Maria Deloria Knoll, PhD. Director, Vaccine Research. ph. (443) 287-0834 fax. (410) 614-1419 mknoll@jhsph.edu Dr. Knoll has >10 years experience in the design, conduct, and analysis of clinical trials of new vaccines. While working at the US NIH, she was involved in a wide range of studies on acellular pertussis vaccines, including large-scale, randomized trials in Italy and Sweden. She will be responsible for coordinating the ADIP’s strategy for establishing the value of the vaccine in developing countries.
	Kate O’Brien. Assistant Director, Research Strategy. ph. (868) 628-9748 fax. (868) 686-8467 klobrien@jhsph.edu Dr. O’Brien is a recognized leader in pneumococcal vaccine research, particularly in the areas of understanding the effect of the vaccine on reducing transmission. Most recently, she was the co-principal investigator of a large-scale, phase 3 trial of a 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in the American Indian populations of the southwestern United States. This cluster-randomized trial provided unique data on the vaccine’s herd immunity effects. She will assist with the development of the ADIP’s epidemiologic research program.
	Hans Kvist. Director, Communications. ph. (443) 287-8302 fax. (410) 614-1419 hkvist@luvix.com Mr. Kvist comes to the team with more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry where he successfully launched several cardiovascular drugs. His experience in industry also includes working as a clinical research associate on large-scale clinical trials. His approach to communications and shaping powerful messages based on research data will be put to excellent use by the team and its partners. He will be responsible for coordinating the ADIP’s strategy to communicate the value of pneumococcal vaccination to key audiences.
	Angeline Nanni, MBA. Director, Vaccine Supply and Financing. ph. (443) 287-0835 fax. (410) 614-1419 ananni@jhsph.edu Ms Nanni comes to the team from Baxter Biosciences, Vaccine Division. Her experience includes strategic planning, project management, and marketing. Just before joining the team, she coordinated the highly successful launch of Baxter’s meningococcal C conjugate vaccine in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. She will be responsible for developing the ADIP’s strategy to assure a sustainable supply of affordable vaccine and the financing to support its use.
	Farzana Muhib, MPH, MALD. Research Project Coordinator. ph. (443) 287-2365 fax. (410) 614-1419 fmuhib@jhsph.edu Ms Muhib brings a special blend of analytical, organizational, and interpersonal skills. She will be responsible for tracking the progress of ADIP sponsored research projects and providing day-to-day support to the projects.