Ms. Dawn O’Connell serves as the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The ASPR is the Secretary’s principal advisor on public health emergencies, and her office leads the nation in preventing, responding to, and recovering from the adverse health effects of man-made and naturally occurring disasters. The office coordinates interagency activities between HHS, other federal agencies, and state and local officials responsible for emergency preparedness and the protection of the civilian population from public health emergencies.

Prior to this role, Ms. O’Connell served as the Senior Counselor to Secretary Becerra for COVID-19. She was also the Director of the US Office for the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovation (CEPI), a global partnership to develop vaccines to stop future epidemics. As director, she was responsible for managing the broad spectrum of CEPI’s US and North American interests including its relationships with US and North American-based stakeholders, government entities, and industry partners.

O’Connell served as a Senior Counselor to Secretary Sylvia Burwell and Deputy Chief of Staff to Secretary Sebelius at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) during the Obama-Biden Administration. In these roles, O’Connell advised the Secretaries on high-priority domestic policy, global health and humanitarian issues, including infectious diseases, public health emergencies, and refugees. She worked with HHS leaders, the White House, and other federal and international partners, to resolve key policy challenges, lead implementation, and drive progress toward Administration goals. O’Connell received a Bachelor of Arts in literature from Vanderbilt University and a Juris Doctor from Tulane University School of Law. She is an avid runner, and lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband Ben and two daughters, Frannie and Maddie.

Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith is Associate Dean for Health Equity Research; C.N.H Long Professor of Medicine, Public Health, and Management; and Founding Director of the Equity Research and Innovation Center (ERIC) in the Office for Health Equity Research at Yale School of Medicine. ERIC’s research focuses on promoting health and healthcare equity for structurally marginalized populations with an emphasis on centering community engagement, supporting healthcare workforce diversity and development, developing patient reported measurements of healthcare quality, and identifying regional strategies to reduce the global burden of non-communicable diseases. Dr. Nunez-Smith currently serves as Senior Advisor to the White House COVID-19 Response Team and Chair of the Presidential COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force at the Department of Health and Human Services. Previously, she served as co-chair of the Biden-Harris Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board and community committee chair for the ReOpen Connecticut Advisory Group on behalf of Connecticut Governor Lamont. She is the principal investigator on several NIH and foundation-funded grants. Dr. Nunez-Smith is also Director of the Center for Research Engagement (CRE); Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement at the Yale Cancer Center; Chief Health Equity Officer at Smilow Cancer Hospital; Deputy Director of the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation; Core Faculty in the National Clinician Scholars Program; Director of the Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Health Equity Leadership; and Co-Director of the Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship. Dr. Nunez-Smith is board certified in internal medicine, having completed residency training at Harvard University’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and fellowship at the Yale Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, where she also received a Masters in Health Sciences. Originally from the US Virgin Islands, she attended Jefferson Medical College, where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society; she earned a BA in Biological Anthropology and Psychology at Swarthmore College.

Matteo Lai is co-founder and CEO of Empatica, a digital biomarker and medical devices company based in Boston, Massachusetts and Milan, Italy. Empatica provides an end-to-end remote health monitoring platform for running decentralized clinical trials, and develops digital biomarkers that can monitor a range of conditions.

As a technology entrepreneur, Mr. Lai contributed to the invention of the solutions being offered by Empatica. The company has developed the award-winning Embrace; the world’s smallest and most accurate wearable sensor suite for research, which also became the world’s first FDA cleared smart watch for use in Neurology.

Matteo studied Engineering, trained as an Architect, and holds a Double MSc degree in Architecture and a Master in Innovation Management. He was recently selected by Sifted as one of the top pioneers of the European start-up world.

Stéphane Bancel has served as Moderna's Chief Executive Officer since October 2011 and as a member of Moderna’s board of directors since March 2011. Before joining the Company, Mr. Bancel served for five years as Chief Executive Officer of the French diagnostics company bioMérieux SA. From July 2000 to March 2006, he served in various roles at Eli Lilly and Company, including as Managing Director, Belgium and as Executive Director, Global Manufacturing Strategy and Supply Chain. Prior to Lilly, Mr. Bancel served as Asia-Pacific Sales and Marketing Director for bioMérieux.

Mr. Bancel currently serves on the board of directors of Indigo. He is currently a Venture Partner at Flagship Pioneering. Mr. Bancel holds a Master of Engineering degree from École Centrale Paris (ECP), a Master of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Kathleen Neuzil is the Myron M. Levine Professor in Vaccinology, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, and the Director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She is an internationally recognized research scientist and advocate in the field of vaccinology. Throughout her career, Dr. Neuzil has conducted clinical and epidemiologic studies on vaccine-preventable diseases, yielding high-profile publications that inform policy decisions and public health actions. Dr. Neuzil’s work has spanned dozens of low-resource countries with multiple vaccines, including influenza, rotavirus, human papillomavirus, Japanese encephalitis, typhoid conjugate vaccines, and most recently, COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Neuzil is central to the domestic and global response to COVID. As a co-PI of the NIH-funded Leadership Group for the Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit network, Dr. Neuzil is part of the strategic team evaluating COVID vaccines and therapeutics in the US and was part of the study team who designed the first COVID-19 clinical vaccine trial in the US. The CVD is likewise participating in COVID treatment and post-exposure prophylaxis trials. Dr. Neuzil also directs TyVAC, the Typhoid Vaccine Acceleration Consortium, with the goal to accelerate the introduction of typhoid conjugate vaccines into low-resource countries. She has more than 230 scientific publications on vaccines and infectious diseases. Dr. Neuzil's research capabilities are complimented by 20 years of involvement in domestic and international policy, including past membership on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. She is a member of the World Health Organization Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization and is a member of the prestigious National Academy of Medicine.

Dr. Gary Disbrow is the Director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a component of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. BARDA invests in the innovation, advanced research and development, acquisition, and manufacturing of medical countermeasures – vaccines, drugs, therapeutics, diagnostic tools, and non-pharmaceutical products needed to combat health security threats.

Dr. Disbrow joined BARDA in January of 2007 and has held a variety of positions related to the advanced development and procurement of medical countermeasures against an array of threats to national security and public health.

Prior to becoming the Acting BARDA Director, Dr. Disbrow served as Deputy Assistant Secretary (ASPR) and the Medical Countermeasures Program Director. BARDA’s medical countermeasures portfolio includes 54 products that have achieved regulatory approval, licensure or clearance.

In October 2013, Dr. Disbrow was named Acting Director of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Division and was subsequently named the Director of the Division in December of 2014. During that time, the CBRN Division built a robust pipeline of candidate products under advanced research and development. In 2014 and 2015, Dr. Disbrow was identified as the Ebola Incident Coordinator for BARDA and worked closely with the BARDA Director on funding needs, development of candidate products, and was the primary liaison for BARDA across the Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise (PHEMCE).  These efforts led to the first licensed Ebola vaccine, ERBEVO licensed in December 2019.

October 2008, Dr. Disbrow began serving as the Deputy Director CBRN Division of Countermeasures in and oversaw the budget and programs for both advanced research and development and Project BioShield efforts. BARDA’s these programs have grown significantly since 2007.

Dr. Disbrow joined BARDA in January 2007 and began working on the smallpox vaccine program. Dr. Disbrow played a key role in awarding the first contract under Project BioShield using the authorities for advanced payment and milestone payments provided under the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (2006).  JYNNEOS was licensed in September 2019.  

Prior to joining BARDA, Dr. Disbrow was an Assistant Professor of Oncology and Pathology at Georgetown Medical Center where he worked on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines and therapeutics. Dr. Disbrow has previously worked at W.R. Grace, Kodak, and Genecor.

Dr. Disbrow attended the University of Rochester and Georgetown University for his undergraduate and Ph.D. respectively.

Trevor Mundel leads the foundation’s efforts to develop high-impact interventions against the leading causes of death and disability in developing countries. He manages the foundation’s disease-specific R&D investments in HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, pneumonia, enteric and diarrheal diseases and neglected tropical diseases. He also manages cross-cutting product development programs, including Discovery & Translational Sciences, Innovative Technology Solutions, Integrated Development, and Vaccine Development & Surveillance. This work relies on close collaboration with an international network of grantees and partners.

Trevor spearheaded the creation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute, and leads the foundation’s efforts to support the development of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines for the global response to COVID-19.

Prior to joining the foundation in 2011, Trevor was global head of development with Novartis and previously was involved in clinical research at Pfizer and Parke-Davis.

Born and raised in South Africa, Trevor earned his bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He also studied mathematics, logic, and philosophy as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, and he earned a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Jason Roos serves as the Joint Program Executive Officer for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense. He provides management and technical direction to the entire portfolio, the headquarters functions, and the Chief of Staff. Dr. Roos leads civilian and military multi-disciplinary teams whose mission is to protect the U.S. Joint Forces and nation from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats by generating affordable and state-of-the-art capabilities. As a career Army acquisition professional and Ph.D. scientist, he brings a unique blend of acquisition, technical and business expertise to the CBRN defense portfolio.

Dr. Roos engages with Congressional members and staff, Army and Department of Defense on CBRN defense program management and execution. He also interfaces with the science and technology (S&T) community, and coordinates CBRN defense technology needs with DoD S&T agencies, interagency elements, international partners and commercial industry.

Dr. Roos has held numerous management positions within the JPEO-CBRND, leading innovation and reform in CBRN defense acquisition. He was the Director of the Biosurveillance Management Office (BMO), managing a portfolio of programs to field capabilities to enable early detection and warning of global health threats. Prior to the BMO, Dr. Roos led the Joint Product Management Office for Biosurveillance – Provisional where he conducted total life cycle management of the Joint Biological Agent Identification and Diagnostic System, the Next Generation Diagnostic System and the Critical Reagents Program.

Dr. Roos holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Chemistry from the College of the Holy Cross; a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from The Eisenhower School at National Defense University. He is a Certified Acquisition Professional. Dr. Roos’ awards include the U.S. Army Meritorious Civilian Service Award, U.S. Army Superior Civilian Service Award, U.S. Army Achievement Medal for Civilian Service, U.S. Army Commander’s Award for Civilian Service, and Special Act Awards.

Dr. Roos enjoys spending time with his wife, Brianne, and two daughters, Bridget and Deirdre.