Robert (Bob) H. Hopkins, Jr., MD (Moderator)
Medical Director, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID)
In addition to serving as NFID chief medical spokesperson, Robert (Bob) H. Hopkins, Jr., MD, represents NFID as liaison to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As medical director, Hopkins helps to advance the NFID mission through efforts to grow NFID programs, build vaccine confidence, address health equity issues, increase awareness of disease prevention and treatment, and strengthen NFID partner collaborations. He has held many national and local leadership positions including serving as chair of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee to the US Department of Health and Human Services (2019-2024) and chair of the American College of Physicians Immunization Committee. Hopkins also serves as professor of internal medicine and pediatrics and is immediate past chief of the division of general internal medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). He maintains an active teaching and clinical practice providing primary and consultative care to adults and children.
Tom Frieden, MD, MPH
Former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2009-2017; Founder and CEO, Resolve to Save Lives
Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, is the founder and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, a global health organization that accelerates action against deadly health threats, working with governments and other partners in more than 60 countries to save millions of lives. Frieden previously served as director of the CDC and New York City Health Commissioner. In these roles, he led efforts that increased life expectancy by 3 years and helped end major health crises, including the largest US outbreak of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic, and responses to H1N1, Zika, and other threats. He also helped start Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s global health philanthropy, particularly the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use. A member of the National Academy of Medicine, his work has appeared in leading medical journals and media outlets.
Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD
Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine; Co-Director, Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development; Dean, National School of Tropical Medicine
Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD, is Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, where he is also Co-Director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, and Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine. He is also Professor of Biology at Baylor University, and Senior Fellow in Disease and Humanity at the James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy. Hotez is a vaccine scientist, biochemist, and pediatrician who has led or co-led the development of vaccines for parasitic infections, including hookworm, schistosomiasis, and Chagas disease, currently in clinical trials, and several coronavirus vaccines, including 2 low-cost COVID vaccines for global health that have been administered to 100 million children and adults in India and Indonesia.
Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH
Former Director of the CDC, 2021-2023; Professor, Harvard Medical School, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Advisor, Vaccine Integrity Project
Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, served as the 19th Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital. While at CDC, Dr. Walensky led the nation through unprecedented times, navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple other infectious and non-infectious threats. Walensky is an infectious disease clinician whose research and more than 350 publications are focused on infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS policy, including cost-effective strategies for HIV screening, treatment, and prevention, in the US and around the globe.
Nandini Selvam, PhD, MPH
Vice President and General Manager, IQVIA
Nandini Selvam, PhD, MPH, leads IQVIA Government Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of IQVIA, overseeing business and scientific strategy. With nearly 25 years of experience across healthcare sectors, she brings deep expertise in epidemiology, research, business development, portfolio management, and public health. A trained epidemiologist, Nandini has worked extensively across disease areas including vaccines, infectious diseases, chronic conditions, and global and domestic health policy. Her career spans academic research, the US federal government (CDC), pharmaceutical industry, health insurance, and health services. She served as a Commissioned Corps Officer in the US Public Health Service as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer.