31 July 2015 - Geneva, Switzerland - The Stop TB Partnership today announced the appointment of Brenda Waning, PhD, MPH, RPh as the new Chief of the Global Drug Facility (GDF).
Dr Waning is an expert in developing, implementing, and analyzing pharmaceutical policies and market approaches to improve access to medicines and diagnostics in resource-limited settings.
Most recently, Dr Waning was the Coordinator of Market Dynamics at UNITAID where she led efforts related to UNITAID’s technical strategy, market assessments, and strategic investments. Prior to joining UNITAID, Brenda served as Director of Pharmaceutical Policy at Boston University School of Medicine where she authored numerous peer-reviewed studies on pharmaceutical policy at global, regional, and national levels.
Dr Waning will be reporting directly to the Stop TB Partnerships’s Executive Director Dr Lucica Ditiu who said "Brenda is an accomplished leader whose experience in developing innovative strategies to address access issues will be an asset to GDF."
Dr Waning noted "The next 10 years will bring numerous long-awaited innovations in TB medicines and diagnostics. I am excited to be to working with the GDF team to identify new strategic mechanisms to ensure these innovations are accessible to the people who need them."
The Stop TB Partnership also announced that Andre Zagorski, MA will assume the position of Manager - Global Drug Facility from 20 August. Mr Zagorski, reporting to Dr Waning, will manage the GDF team, determine priorities and targets for GDF activities and delivery. He will ensure efficient implementation and critical review of GDF’s strategy and provide technical expertise to facilitate and further develop GDF interventions.
Mr Zagorski was formerly the Systems for Improved Assess to Pharmaceuticals and Services Program (SIAPS) Principal Technical Advisor for TB at Management Sciences for Health (MSH). In this role, he lead SIAPS program activities aimed at strengthening pharmaceutical systems, services and supply chains for TB medicines and commodities. He provided technical and thought leadership through his participation in global TB activities, including Stop TB working group and GDF to ensure pharmaceutical management is incorporated in the global TB agenda. Mr Zagorski brings with him more than 20 years of global TB and essential medicines experience.
Stop TB Partnership's Executive Director Dr Lucica Ditiu said, "There are exciting times ahead of us with many opportunities and challenges -- especially on drugs, diagnostics and commodities and innovations on service delivery. So we need to have a strong army in our Stop TB Partnership Secretariat to strategically address these. I am therefore thrilled to have Brenda and Andre joining us at the Stop TB Partnership to lead GDF in the years to come."