Mark is the Director for the Center for Vaccine Equity (CVE) based at The Task Force for Global Health (TFGH). CVE programs include the Polio Eradication Surge Capacity Support team, Polio Antivirals Initiative, Partnership for Influenza Vaccine Introduction (PIVI), Global Funders Consortium for Universal Influenza Vaccine Development, Ready2Respond, COVID-19 Vaccine Introduction Program (CoVIP), the Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination, the Brighton Collaboration, the Safety Platform for Emergency Vaccines (SPEAC) and Voices for Vaccines. Within PIVI, Mark works with vaccine manufacturers to procure donated or low-cost vaccines. Prior to joining TFGH, Dr. McKinlay was a member of the Poliovirus Antivirals Initiative Steering Team and a co-founder, Chief Scientific Officer, and Senior Vice President for Research and Development of TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals. At TetraLogic, Mark led the team that discovered and developed a novel, best-in-class drug targeting the Inhibitors of Apoptotic Proteins for the treatment of cancer (licensed to Medivir). From 1994-2004, Mark co-founded ViroPharma Incorporated (acquired in 2014 by Shire) and served as Vice President of R&D where he led the development of an anti picornavirus agent, the first to prove an antiviral can affect the duration and severity of the rhinovirus common cold. From 1980-1994 Mark served in varying roles including Senior Director, Virology and Oncopharmacology in the research group at Sterling Drug (acquired by Sanofi) where he discovered a novel class of anti-picornavirus agents and advanced three of these agents into clinical trials. While at Sterling Drug, he demonstrated that oral delivery of an anti-picornavirus agent was effective in treating polio infections in mice.
Mark received his undergraduate degree from Union College in Schenectady, NY, his master’s and doctoral degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in molecular virology in the Division of Biophysics at The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health.
