Gavi, the vaccine alliance, UNICEF, USAID, Open Society Foundations
Main interests
Global vaccine development, Delivery and deployment, Gender and public health, Access to medicine
Nina Schwalbe (born 18 April 1966) is an American public health researcher who is the founder of Spark Street Advisors, a public health think tank based in
New York City. Schwalbe specializes in vaccines. She has previously worked at
Gavi,
UNICEF and
USAID.
Schwalbe started her career in Thailand and Russia, working for the
Soros Foundation and establishing the public health program in
Moscow. On returning to the
United States she was made Director of Public Health Programs at the
Open Society Institute/Soros Foundation.[8] Amongst other global initiatives, Schwalbe worked with Paul Farmer and Partners in Health to treat drug resistant tuberculosis in Russian prisons.[9][10] She was on the founding board of the
Stop TB Partnership and spearheaded the development of first Global Plan to Stop TB.[11]
In 2005, Schwalbe was made Director of Policy at the
Global Alliance for TB Drug Development.[12] In this capacity, she developed collaborations and coalitions between governments of low and lower-middle income and
OECD countries, UN bodies and members of the G8 to accelerate the regulatory approval and procurement and distribution of new therapeutics for tuberculosis.[12]
Schwalbe joined
GAVI, the vaccine alliance, in 2007, serving as Deputy Executive Secretary and Managing Director for Policy and Performance.[13] In her seven years at Gavi, Schwalbe developed policies and strategy on vaccine investment, market shaping, monitoring and evaluation, and performance management. She worked on the
Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine and GAVI's first gender policy.[14][15] In 2011, Schwalbe successfully negotiated with pharmaceutical companies and other stakeholders to expand the Gavi portfolio to include affordable
Human papillomavirus vaccines.[16][17][18] Schwalbe was Chair of the GAVI Evaluation Advisory Committee from 2019 to 2021.[19]
Schwalbe worked as
UNICEF's principal advisor and acting chief of health, where she oversaw health programs in over 150 countries. She was responsible for delivering over 1 billion vaccines annually to children around the world.[20] Working with experts, frontline providers, and communities worldwide, Schwalbe developed the UNICEF Strategy for Health 2016-2030, which lays out a detailed vision for ending preventable maternal, newborn and child death and promoting the health of all children and adolescents.[21] Schwalbe was member of the interagency design team for the Global Financing Facility for Maternal, Child, Newborn and Adolescent Health (GFF) a partnership housed at the World Bank.[22]
COVID-19 response
In 2021, Schwalbe established and served as the first director of COVID-19 Vaccine Access and Delivery Initiative at
USAID,[23] where she coordinated distribution of 1 billion vaccine doses to low- and lower-middle income countries and the development of the GlobVax, an all of government effort to accelerate US vaccine delivery assistance around the world. Schwalbe also co-chaired WHO-UNESCO Research Network Working Group on Educational Institutions and COVID-19.[24]
Viner R, Russell S, Saulle R, Stansfield C, Croker H, Packer J, Nicholls D, Goddings AL, Bonell C, Hudson L, Hope S, Ward J, Schwalbe N, Morgan A, Minozzi S. School Closures During Social Lockdown and Mental Health, Health Behaviors, and Well-being Among Children and Adolescents During the First COVID-19 Wave: A Systematic Review. JAMA Pediatrics. Published online January 18, 2022.
doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.5840
Oliver K, Raut A, Pierre S, Silvera L, Boulos A, Gale A, Baum A, Chory A, David NJ, D'Souza D, Freeman A, Goytia C, Hamilton A, Horowitz C, Islam N, Jeavons J, Knudson J, Li S, Lupi J, Martin R, Maru S, Nabeel I, Pimenova D, Romanoff A, Rusanov S, Swalbe N, Vangeepuram N, Vreeman R, Masci J, Maru D. Factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine receipt at two integrated healthcare systems in New York City: a cross-sectional study of healthcare workers. BMJ Open. 2022;12:e05341.
doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053641
Aars OK, Clark M, Schwalbe N. Increasing efficiency in vaccine production: A primer for change. Vaccine: X. 2021;8(100104). doi:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvacx.2021.100104
Schwalbe N, Wahl B. Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Global Health. Lancet. 2020;395(10236):1579-1586.
doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30226-9
Kettler H, Lehtimaki S, Schwalbe N. Accelerating Access to Medicines in a Changing World. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2020;98:641-643.
doi:10.2471/BLT.19.249664