Anuradha Gupta is Sabin Vaccine Institute Global Immunization President

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 (Bernama) -- Veteran public health leader Anuradha Gupta, who has spearheaded a host of successful global initiatives to improve the health of women and children and boost vaccine access and uptake, has joined Sabin Vaccine Institute as President of Global Immunization.

Her record of crafting and implementing creative solutions to seemingly intractable health challenges is particularly significant now with life-saving childhood immunisations sustaining their largest backslide in decades, fuelled largely by the pandemic.

Gupta comes to Sabin after eight years with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, where she served as Deputy CEO and led efforts to centre policies, programmes and partnerships around vaccine equity, gender and communities. She also pioneered the concept of zero-dose children – those who have not received a single dose of the most basic vaccines – and drove efforts to create a new model of country-level partnerships.

Anuradha Gupta is a stellar addition to Sabins executive management team at a time when vaccine access and equity, as well as misinformation, remain enormous challenges worldwide,” said Sabin CEO Amy Finan in a statement.

“Anuradha’s visionary approach, expertise, and deep commitment to those we serve will help move the needle for global vaccination rates.”

Gupta said she’s excited for her role and will use her extensive experience to advance innovative approaches to improve vaccine access and uptake. “This is a watershed moment for immunisation, and we must ensure that vaccines remain front and centre on the global public health agenda.”

Gupta’s most recent initiative to focus on children who have not received a single shot is audacious for its ambition and scope. She was the guiding force behind Gavi’s US$500 million Equity Accelerator Fund which includes an innovative programme aimed at reaching zero-dose children in conflict zones and drought-afflicted areas in the Sahel region and the Horn of Africa. (US$1 - RM4.646)

Gupta holds an MBA from the University of Wollongong in Australia and received executive education from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Stanford Graduate School of Business and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a leading advocate for expanding vaccine access and uptake globally, advancing vaccine research and development, and amplifying vaccine knowledge and innovation.

For more information, visit http://www.sabin.org.

-- BERNAMA