EFFERVESCENCE 2025

Dr. Kanta Subbarao, Ph.D.

Dr. Kanta Subbarao Kanta Subbarao is a virologist and a pediatric infectious disease physician. She has worked on molecular virology and vaccine development for emerging viruses that pose a potential pandemic threat, including influenza viruses, SARS and MERS, and SARS-CoV-2 coronaviruses.

She recently moved to Canada and holds a Canada Excellence Research Chair position on Biology and Control of Zoonotic and Pandemic Respiratory Viruses at Laval University in Quebec and is a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne.

For 8 years she was the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza in Melbourne, Australia and, before that, she was the Chief of the Emerging Respiratory Viruses Section of the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, NIAID, NIH.

She is an internationally recognized leader in the field of influenza and received the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, the American Academy of Microbiology, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America..

Dr. Duccio Medini, Ph.D.

Dr. Duccio Medini is a scientist and pharmaceutical executive, currently serving as R3 Program Director at Wellcome Leap, a global ARPA for Health, and as Strategic Data Science Director at Toscana Life Sciences Foundation, Siena (Italy).

He leads the $60M “R3: RNA Readiness and Response” program, co-funded by CEPI, to develop standardized, multi-product RNA manufacturing capabilities providing increased access to diverse biologics and sustainable pandemic response.

In executive roles of growing responsibility at Chiron, Novartis, and GSK corporations, he led hundreds of data scientists in Vaccines R&D and AI across Europe, the US, and Asia, holding Research Board, Innovation Board, Clinical Quality Board, and Data Governance Board responsibilities.

Working across biological discovery, clinical development, and public health, he discovered the pangenome concept co-founding the pangenomics discipline, contributed to the successful registration of four novel vaccines, including the first universal vaccine against serogroup B meningitis, led the Meningococcal Antigen Typing System (MATS) platform worldwide, developed transformative corporate data strategies, authored 60+ publications, books and patents in data science for health, population genomics and mathematical vaccinology.

Prof. Medini received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Perugia, Italy, with a residency at the Northeastern University in Boston, MA; is habilitated Full Professor of Molecular Biology; has served in international PhD school committees at the Perugia and Turin Universities in Italy; is honorary member of the Cuban Immunology Society, Fellow of the ISI Foundation, Board member of the WHO mRNA Hub program and CINI’s Italian National Digital Health Lab; an IMD, ADVAC and UC Berkley alumnus.

Dr. David Ferland-McCollough, Ph.D.

Dr. David Ferland-McCollough is a Senior Scientist in RNA-focused pre-clinical programs at RNA Technologies & Therapeutics.

David brings over 15 years of expertise in RNA biology, functional genomics, and pathophysiology which he developed by working in research laboratories in Montréal, New York City, Nantes (France), Nottingham, and Bristol (UK).

David’s career path has always been close to the RNA field; he has studied many forms of RNA (messenger, microRNA, long non-coding). He has worked and published on a variety of illnesses, from pre-natal programming of metabolism to multiple forms of cancers via cardiac regeneration and diabetic bone marrow stem cell function.

David holds a PhD in molecular biology from the Université de Nantes, an MSc from Université de Montréal, and a BSc from McGill University.

Eileen Raymond, B.Sc., M.Sc., ingénierie

Ms Eileen Raymond Ms. Eileen Raymond is a seasoned innovation manager with over 30 years of experience in the life sciences. She has a long track record in business development, interfacing institutional R&D with industry for therapeutics in human health, biomanufacturing, and the environment. She has contributed to the successful signing of numerous complex collaboration agreements and their execution, including technology licensing terms that have led to high-value impacts all the way to the market. She has developed an extensive network in these industry sectors, both locally and internationally, as well as overseeing major events. On the federal scene, she has held senior positions and led teams of professionals in business development, contracts, marketing, communications, and intellectual property. As part of senior management teams, she developed transformative and impactful scientific programs and strategic plans. She has led major internal reorganization initiatives within corporate and research centers. On the provincial scene, Ms. Raymond is a member of the follow-up committee for mobilizing RNA projects supported by the MEIE and coordinated by CQDM. She brings her own opinions and advice to bear on the actions and results expected from these projects, which aim to support the RNA ecosystem and come together under the AReNA Cluster.

Ms. Raymond is currently Director of Special Initiatives Life Sciences at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). Until 2023, she held the position of Director, Business Development at the NRC Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, and prior to 2011, other management positions at the NRC. Prior to her career at NRC, she worked in large corporations as a biochemical engineer and technology management consultant for a Quebec and Boston-based firm.

Germain Morin, MSc

With a Master’s degree in Pharmacology from Université de Sherbrooke, Germain Morin has over 35 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, during which he has held a variety of executive roles in pharmaceutical operations and supply chain management. Germain is recognized as a strategic manager capable of solving the complex challenges of the global pharmaceutical supply chain in dynamic and highly competitive environments.
His international career has included roles as Vice President of Strategy and Supply Chain, Europe, Africa and Middle East for Wyeth’s Healthcare Division; Vice President, Global Supply Chain, Pfizer’s Established Products Division; and finally, at the height of the pandemic, Vice President Global Supply Chain, Vaccines and Rare Diseases Divisions, during which time his team developed and managed the global supply chain for Pfizer’s COVID vaccine.

Now actively retired, Germain supports CQDM via the RNA Project Monitoring Committee and accepts a few coaching mandates.

Dr. James A. Mansi, PhD

Dr. James A. Mansi is Vice President of Medical Affairs for the UK, Australia, and Canada at Moderna. With more than 25 years of experience in Medical Affairs, James has played a pivotal role in the development and introduction of over eight novel vaccines. He is passionate about addressing knowledge and data gaps to support evidence-based clinical and public health decision making. Since joining Moderna in early 2021, James has contributed to the advancement of mRNA science across several geographies.

Prior to this, he served at Seqirus, where he led the development of the company’s real-Outcomes Research and Evaluation. world evidence (RWE) program and founded the Centre for James holds a PhD in physiology and endocrinology from Université Laval in Québec City.