Marion Gruber: Preparing for infectious disease threats across the globe
“If we face an immediate threat and we are challenged and perhaps our life is in danger, we react. We try to protect not only ourselves but our families, our children, but if that threat passes, then I think we tend to forget. If you are a public health official, you have to think a little bit differently. You have to make sure that you are prepared in terms of looking at the next outbreak.” — Marion Gruber, PhD
Dr. Marion Gruber is a world-renowned expert in vaccine development, regulation, and licensure with over 30 years of experience in the field. She worked at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for many years, serving as the director of the Office of Vaccines Research & Review (OVRR) from 2012-2021. During her tenure, Dr. Gruber oversaw the review and approval of numerous vaccines, including the first U.S.-licensed Ebola vaccine and the first vaccines against COVID-19. Dr. Gruber now serves as Vice President of Public Health and Regulatory Science at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI). IAVI is a nonprofit scientific research organization focused on developing vaccines and therapies for HIV and other infectious diseases and making those tools available to global populations through accessible and affordable programs and solutions.
Medical History Pictures recently released the short documentary film titled Marion Gruber: Preparedness Is Prevention, which chronicles Dr. Gruber’s leadership in meeting the challenges of emerging infectious diseases. Watch the film:
Dr. Willam H. Foege: Discovering the secret to smallpox eradication
In 1967, while working as a missionary doctor in Eastern Nigeria and assisting the World Health Organization’s Smallpox Eradication Program, Dr. Bill Foege discovered a secret that would ultimately lead to the successful eradication of smallpox around the globe. Because they had a limited supply of smallpox vaccine, Dr. Foege and his team were forced to improvise while responding to an outbreak of the disease in Ogoja Province. The usual protocol would have been to vaccinate the entire population (which realistically might include only 80% of the residents) but with nowhere near enough vaccine to accomplish that goal, Dr. Foege reasoned another strategy might be able to halt the spread of the disease. If they identified all the active cases of smallpox in the area, they could begin vaccinating anyone who had come in contact with the patients, then in turn vaccinate anyone who had come in contact with those contacts. The idea was to encircle the smallpox with layers of immune people, effectively cutting of its ability to spread beyond the current cases. The strategy worked and was later employed around world.
Medical History Pictures is currently developing a short documentary film about Dr. Foege’s enduring work.
