As COVID-19 vaccines arrive, questions abound about the logistical and ethical aspects of access to immunization. Similarly, as lifesaving treatment breakthroughs emerge, how can we ensure that all vulnerable communities will benefit from them?

Listen to Jeffrey Kahn, PhD, MPH, Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, FACOG, Daniel Polsky, PhD, and Susan L. Solomon, JD explore the ethical considerations around access to vaccines, as well as how we can work together to maximize their benefits. Moderated by Raeka Aiyar, PhD.

BIOS:

Jeffrey Kahn, PhD, MPH
Andreas C. Dracopoulos Director, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics
Johns Hopkins University

Jeffrey Kahn, PhD, MPH, is the Andreas C. Dracopoulos Director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, a position he assumed in July 2016. From 2011, he has been the inaugural Robert Henry Levi and Ryda Hecht Levi Professor of Bioethics and Public Policy. He is also Professor in the Dept. of Health Policy and Management of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He works in a variety of areas of bioethics, exploring the intersection of ethics and health/science policy, including human and animal research ethics, public health, and ethical issues in emerging biomedical technologies.

Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, FACOG
President and Dean
Morehouse School of Medicine

Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, FACOG, provides a valuable combination of experience at the highest levels of patient care and medical research, as well as organizational management and public health policy. Marrying her transformational leadership acumen and strategic thinking to tackle challenging management issues, she has a track record of redesigning complex organizations’ infrastructures to reflect the needs of evolving strategic environments and position the organization for success through sustainability tactics.

Daniel Polsky, PhD
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Health Economics
Johns Hopkins University

Daniel Polsky is the 40th Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Health Economics at Johns Hopkins University. He holds joint appointments in the Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Carey Business School. From 1996-2016 he was on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was the Robert D. Eilers Professor the Wharton School and the Perelman School of Medicine. From 2012-2019 he served as executive director of the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics. Dr. Polsky, a national leader in the field of health policy and economics, has dedicated his career to exploring how health care is organized, managed, financed, and delivered, especially for low-income people. His own research has advanced our understanding of the cost and quality tradeoff of interventions whether they are changes to large federal programs or local programs. His most recent work focuses on how to provide access to quality health care in low-resource settings with a particular interest in narrow provider networks.

Susan L. Solomon, JD
CEO & Founder
The NYSCF Research Institute

Susan L. Solomon is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute. A veteran healthcare advocate, Susan has received numerous awards for her work with NYSCF, including the New York State Women of Excellence Award, the Triumph Award from the Brooke Ellison Foundation, and recognition as a Living Landmark from the New York Landmarks Conservancy. Susan has decades of leadership experience in starting and building effective and focused organizations. She started her career as an attorney at Debevoise & Plimpton, then held executive positions at MacAndrews & Forbes and APAX (formerly MMG Patricof and Co.) She was the founder and President of Sony Worldwide Networks, the Chairman and CEO of Lancit Media Productions, and served as the founding CEO of Sothebys.com, prior to starting her own strategic management consulting firm Solomon Partners LLC in 2000.

Raeka Aiyar, PhD (Moderator)
Associate Vice President, Scientific Outreach
The NYSCF Research Institute

Dr. Aiyar is an experienced geneticist turned science communicator. Trained in biology and bioinformatics at the University of Waterloo, she received her PhD at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Germany, where she used genomics approaches to define new therapeutic intervention points for mitochondrial diseases. Since then, Dr. Aiyar has dedicated her career to science communication, engaging a variety of audiences through writing, training, and outreach. As Director of Communications and Development at the Stanford Genome Technology Center, she led the Center’s scientific communications, including scientific strategy, program management, and collaboration building. In her current role, she oversees NYSCF’s scientific communication initiatives, develops content for diverse audiences, and leads our outreach to the research community.