Description:

Join us to learn about Abbott’s long and storied history of research and innovation in response to global pandemic threats such as HIV-1 and viral hepatitis. In 2020, The rapid global spread of SARS-CoV-2 highlighted the critical role of diagnostics early in the pandemic to understanding the epidemiology of the virus. As a first of its kind, industry led, global, multi-sector scientific and public health partnership, the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition (APDC) was launched in early 2021. Its primary objective is the early detection and mitigation of infectious disease threats of pandemic potential.  Currently, the APDC is a network of 22 partners on 5 continents including academic institutions, governmental and non-governmental organizations. 

Learn how the APDC serves as a platform for innovation in fields such as biomarker discovery, translational and public health/implementation research and how it offers a unique capacity for early development and rapid deployment of scalable, quality diagnostics targeting newly identified pathogens of pandemic potential. 

Northwestern Univ can register here:  https://forms.office.com/r/FAd0RSG853

NM/SRAL/Lurie Children's/NU Startups can register here: https://forms.office.com/r/wCajg0BMBk

SPEAKER BIO: 

Gavin A. Cloherty, Ph.D. (Head of Infectious Disease Research and the Pandemic Defense Coalition for Abbott’s diagnostics business) provides scientific leadership in the area of infectious disease diagnostics by conducting groundbreaking clinical studies on SARS-CoV-2, hepatitis and HIV and developing new diagnostic tests. As one of the top experts in the field, his innovative research is changing the way infectious diseases are being diagnosed to help improve patient outcomes.

In 2021, Gavin led efforts to establish the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition, a first-of-its-kind, industry-led initiative that has brought together 20 academic and public health organizations located around the world to support early detection and rapid response to pandemic threats. The Coalition is actively hunting, tracking, analyzing and researching numerous pathogens of public health concern in member countries.

Gavin has more than 24 years of experience with Abbott and leads a team of scientists in the study of the viral diversity of HIV and viral hepatitis. His expertise is sought after globally through his established partnerships with commercial organizations, ministries of health, government agencies and academic institutions, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health’s AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) and Hepatitis B Research Network (HBRN). He has worked with the Republic of Georgia to help eradicate hepatitis C in the country and is looking to expand these efforts to other regions of the world severely impacted by this disease.

Gavin graduated from the National University of Ireland, Galway, where he received his Ph.D. in molecular biology and a Bachelor of Science in microbiology and zoology.