Birgitte Giersing | Unit Head, Vaccine Research, Development and Policy, Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals
World Health Organisation (WHO)

Dr Birgitte Giersing is the lead of the vaccine Research, Development and Policy (RDP) unit in the Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals (IVB) department at WHO. The remit of the unit is to accelerate innovation, development, and policy formulation for priority vaccines for routine use, by facilitating strategic, evidence-based decision-making at the global, regional and country levels. Birgitte also leads the secretariat for the TB Vaccine Accelerator - a strategic initiative established by the Director General in 2023 to accelerate the development of and access to new TB vaccines. Birgitte has over 25 years of experience in vaccine product development. Trained as a biochemist, she performed her post-doctoral studies at the National Institutes of Health, USA in malaria vaccine development and then moved to the Malaria Vaccine Initiative, a program of the non-profit organization PATH in Washington DC. From PATH, Birgitte moved into vaccine development within the private sector with positions at both Emergent BioSolutions and Takeda Vaccines, working across a number of pathogens areas and vaccine platforms, before moving to WHO in 2015.

Appearances:

Day 1 (20th October) @ 10:15

One Shot, Many Frontiers: Combination Vaccines for a Healthier Lifetime

How can combination vaccines support life-course immunisation strategies and close immunity gaps at every age?
Could combining priority pathogens in a single shot improve vaccine coverage, or will it introduce new barriers for uptake and delivery?
What is the economic value of combination vaccines?
What standards do we need to ensure multi-antigen vaccines perform consistently without compromising safety or effectiveness?
What strategies can we use to ensure broad accessibility of combination vaccines, including considerations around technology, adjuvants, and formulation?
Which pairings have the strongest potential to reduce global disease burden, especially in regions with limited resources?

Melanie Saville, Chief Scientific Officer, PATH

Maria Elena Bottazzi, Co-Director of Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Baylor College of Medicine

Nicola Rose, Executive Director Science and Research (NIBSC), MHRA

Rituparna Das, Therapeutic Area Head, Respiratory Vaccines, Moderna

Mark Jit, Chair and Professor, Department of Global and Environmental Health, new york university

Birgitte Giersing, Unit Head, Vaccine Research, Development and Policy, Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, World Health Organisation (WHO)

Day 1 (20th October) @ 11:30

Working Group: Partnerships for Prevention: Accelerating Vaccines to Curb Antimicrobial Resistance

In 2021, bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was associated with more than 4.7 million deaths globally. Many of these types of deaths could be prevented with vaccines.

For example, a maternal vaccine against Klebsiella pneumoniae that protects newborns from bloodstream infections in their first month could prevent major AMR-related losses, including an estimated 27,000 deaths and US$ 280 million in hospital costs each year.

Hilleman Laboratories will convene a panel discussion, followed by an interactive dialogue with the audience, to lay the groundwork for stronger, broader cross-sectoral partnerships that drive innovation in, and access to, vaccines that address AMR.

Session led by: Hilleman Laboratories

Vega Masignani, Alliance Director, CARB-X

Raman Rao, Chief Executive Officer, Hilleman Laboratories Singapore Pte Ltd