Tamika C. Auguste, MD

Tamika C. Auguste, MD, is the regional director of Women’s Health Service Line for the Washington Region of MedStar Health, chair of Women’s and Infants’ Services at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, and professor of obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) at Georgetown School of Medicine. She is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist who has multiple publications on patient safety, simulation, and medical education. She is also current chair for the OB/GYN Clinical Practice Council for the MedStar system and past co-chair of the Georgetown University School of Medicine Racial Justice Committee for Change. Dr. Auguste has been in practice for 18 years. She is a recent member of the Board of Directors of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and currently sits on the ACOG Foundation Board. She is actively involved with patient and staff safety issues and uses simulation for team training across all perinatal units in MedStar Health. She has also conducted patient safety and simulation research with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Her passion is in legislation and policy in women’s healthcare both locally and nationally and equity in healthcare delivery.

Alicia M. Fry, MD, MPH

Alicia M. Fry, MD, MPH, is chief of the Epidemiology and Prevention Branch in the Influenza Division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She is also a retired captain in the US Public Health Service. As branch chief, she is responsible for oversight of a large domestic and international program that includes influenza surveillance; studies of the annual effects of influenza vaccines; disease burden; risk factors for severe disease; forecasting and modeling efforts; vaccine and antiviral guidance and policies; outbreak investigations for seasonal influenza viruses and novel influenza A viruses; capacity building, and pandemic preparedness and response.

Dr. Fry joined the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) in 1999, when she began work in the Respiratory Diseases Branch on the prevention and control of bacterial respiratory pathogens. In 2001, she worked in the International Tuberculosis Activities Branch to improve control of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. In 2002, she joined the outbreak team in the Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch, and in 2004, she became lead of the Respiratory and Enterovirus team, where she characterized the epidemiology of respiratory syncytial viruses, parainfluenza viruses, human rhinoviruses, and human coronaviruses. She joined the Influenza Division in 2006 and, in 2012, she became the lead of the Influenza Prevention and Control Team, where she advanced knowledge of vaccine and antiviral drug effects. In 2017, she became chief of the Epidemiology and Prevention Branch.

William Schaffner, MD

William Schaffner, MD, is medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) and serves as NFID liaison to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

He is past president of NFID and is a member of numerous other professional societies. Dr. Schaffner is active in the field of infectious disease research and has authored or co-authored more than 400 published studies, reviews, and book chapters. He currently serves on the editorial boards of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Vaccine, and the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, and is also a featured guest author for Infectious Disease News.

His work has focused on all aspects of infectious diseases including epidemiology, infection control, and immunization. He has received many national awards for his work, including the inaugural 2017 National Vaccine Program Office UpShot Award for excellence in vaccine communication; the 2013 John P. Utz Leadership Award from NFID for his longstanding service to the organization and the field of infectious diseases; and the 2009 James D. Bruce Award from the American College of Physicians for distinguished contributions to preventive medicine. Dr. Schaffner is a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and he has worked extensively on the effective use of vaccines in adult populations.

Patricia A. Stinchfield, RN, MS, CPNP (Moderator)

Patricia (Patsy) A. Stinchfield, RN, MS, CPNP is president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID). Throughout her 45-year nursing career, she has focused on infectious disease prevention and is a frequent national speaker on vaccine hesitancy, vaccinology, and vaccination of healthcare professionals. A pediatric nurse practitioner specializing in vaccine-preventable diseases, she currently has an affiliate faculty position in the School of Nursing at the University of Minnesota. Prior to her retirement in July 2021, she served as senior director of infection prevention and control at Children’s Minnesota, where she remains on professional staff.

She is a widely recognized infectious diseases specialist, having served as the first nurse voting member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) where she continues to serve as a liaison member for the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and serves on the Influenza and Schedule Work Groups. She is also the NFID liaison to the Maternal and Pediatric Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Work Group. She was the hospital incident commander for the COVID-19 response at Children’s Minnesota, and led the responses during the H1N1 influenza and the 2017 measles outbreaks. She was instrumental in increasing the staff voluntary flu vaccination rate at Children’s Minnesota to 94 percent and sustained that over several seasons. She was also lead author of a 2020 NFID report on Vitamin A for the Management of Measles in the US.

Jeb S. Teichman, MD

Jeb S. Teichman, MD, is a retired pediatrician and healthcare executive whose 35-year healthcare career included 26 years running a clinical practice and nine years as a full-time managed care physician. His most recent role was chief medical officer for the United Healthcare Community Plan of Kentucky.

Dr. Teichman lost his 29-year-old son, Brent, to influenza in 2019. He has served as a medical advisor for Families Fighting Flu since January 2021. His work with organizations including NFID and Families Fighting Flu is his son’s legacy.

 

Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH

Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, is the 19th director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the ninth administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. She is an influential scholar whose pioneering research has helped advance the national and global response to HIV/AIDS. Dr. Walensky is also a well-respected expert on the value of testing and treatment of deadly viruses.

Dr. Walensky served as chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital from 2017 to 2020 and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School from 2012 to 2020. She served on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic and conducted research on vaccine delivery and strategies to reach underserved communities. Dr. Walensky is recognized internationally for her work to improve HIV screening and care in South Africa and is nationally recognized for motivating health policy and informing clinical trial design and evaluation in a variety of settings. She is a past chair of the Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council at the National Institutes of Health and previously served as an advisor to both the World Health Organization and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS. Originally from Maryland, Dr. Walensky received her Bachelor of Arts from Washington University in St. Louis, her Doctor of Medicine from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and her Masters in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health