The PIVI team is comprised of a team of experts based at both The Task Force for Global Health and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), representing various fields including influenza, epidemiology, vaccines, immunization, program management, communications, and fundraising.
Joseph Bresee, MD
Director of Respiratory Virus Prevention Programs at The Task Force for Global Health
Director of Respiratory Virus Prevention Programs at The Task Force for Global Health
Joseph “Joe” Bresee, MD, serves as Director of the Respiratory Virus Prevention Programs at The Task Force for Global Health which include the Partnership for Influenza Vaccine Introduction, CoVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Program, and Global Funders Consortium for Universal Influenza Vaccine Development. He also serves as Senior Advisor to Ready2Respond, the Secretariat of which is hosted at The Task Force for Global Health. He has more than twenty years of experience working in influenza and vaccines, having started his public health career at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer in the Influenza Branch in 1993. From 1995 to 2005, Dr. Bresee worked at CDC on viral diseases, with a focus on research and public health activities related to rotavirus disease and rotavirus vaccines to help ensure that rotavirus vaccines were available for children in both the U.S. as well as those living in developing countries. From 2005 – 2017, Dr. Bresee led the Epidemiology and Prevention Branch of the CDC’s Influenza Division. The branch is responsible for conducting influenza surveillance, working to understand influenza disease burden, helping to derive appropriate vaccine and antiviral use policies to prevent seasonal influenza, detecting and preventing avian influenza and pandemic influenza, and providing technical expertise to global public health partners.
In 2017, Dr. Bresee was named Associate Director for Global Health Affairs in CDC’s Influenza Division. He brings his expertise in influenza and the expertise and resources of his team to PIVI, spearheading the relationships with country partners. He also regularly participates in national and international meetings and technical groups on immunization and influenza. Dr. Bresee has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed papers and textbook chapters.
Mark McKinlay
PhD, Director, Center for Vaccine Equity
PhD, Director, Center for Vaccine Equity
Mark serves as director of the Center for Vaccine Equity, at The Task Force for Global Health, which manages the Partnership for Influenza Vaccine Introduction. Since 2012 Mark has overseen PIVI’s work to increase access to flu vaccines and help countries launch and test pandemic preparedness programs. From 2004-2012, Mark was co-founder, chief scientific officer, and senior vice president for research and development of TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals. Mark led the team that discovered and developed a novel, best-in-class drug for the treatment of cancer.
Mark also co-founded ViroPharma Inc. and served as vice president of research and development. While there, he led the development of an antipicornavirus agent that culminated in the first clinical demonstration that an antiviral can affect the duration and severity of the common cold.
Susan Chu
Senior Epidemiologist – CDC Global Immunization Division
Senior Epidemiologist – CDC Global Immunization Division
Susan (Sue) Chu is a Senior Epidemiologist in the Global Immunization Division (GID) at the CDC. She provides expert input on program aspects of immunization for PIVI. Within the CDC, Sue is involved in new vaccine introduction research and evaluation. Her areas of work have involved HIV and Reproductive Health, and the majority of her public health career has focused on immunizations.
From 1997 to 2005, Sue served as the Associate Director for Science in CDC’s National Immunization Program. In 2010 to 2015, she led the research program for the Vaccine Preventable Disease Eradication and Elimination Branch, GID, which established a $4.5 million global immunization research program in five disease-specific areas: polio, measles, rubella, Hepatitis B, and tetanus.
Sue has over 140 publications in peer-reviewed journals and participates on numerous international scientific and program advisory groups.
Kathryn LaFond
Epidemiologist – CDC Influenza Division, Epidemiology and Prevention Branch
Epidemiologist – CDC Influenza Division, Epidemiology and Prevention Branch
Kathryn (Katie) is Technical Lead for the Partnership for Influenza Vaccine Introduction (PIVI). She is an epidemiologist within the CDC’s Influenza Division, Epidemiology and Prevention Branch. Katie is involved in CDC’s international influenza activities, including influenza disease burden and vaccine effectiveness projects, as well as initiatives to introduce and expand national influenza vaccination programs. She ensures epidemiological support for PIVI activities via CDC’s network of influenza experts in Atlanta and across the globe.
