Vanessa Elharrar M.D., Mph

Vanessa Elharrar, MD, MPH, currently serves as a Bio Committee Member (Volunteer) at Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI) since November 2024, focusing on connecting and building the Biotech ecosystem in Rockville, MD, and the greater Washington DC area. At PPD, Vanessa holds the positions of Vice President and Vaccines Business Strategy Lead as well as Executive Director and Regional Medical Officer for Europe and Israel, providing therapeutic expertise and strategic guidance with over 13 years of clinical research experience. Prior roles include Director of Therapeutics Research at the NIH Office of the Director, where Vanessa oversaw an $800 million research portfolio on HIV, and Deputy Branch Chief at NIAID/NIH, responsible for advancing innovative prevention measures. Previous experience includes roles as Medical Officer at The Henry M. Jackson Foundation and Short Term Consultant for PAHO/WHO. Vanessa earned an MPH in Preventive Medicine from The Johns Hopkins University, an MD from Indiana University School of Medicine, and a B.S. in Physiology from McGill University.