Combining my academic training in immunology and public health experience, I am responsible for leading cross-functional global product development teams for vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. This includes, but is not limited to, AZD1222 (ChAdOx1-S vaccine for SARS-CoV-2) and MEDI8897 (nirsevimab for respiratory syncytial virus).

As the Global Franchise Lead for Infectious Diseases and a Global Product Lead, I work within BioPharmaceuticals R&D to explore potential new vaccines and drugs to prevent or to treat infectious diseases in the most vulnerable populations globally. I collaborate closely with a number of important external stakeholders at a global level, including public health organisations, regulatory authorities, and government representatives and healthcare policymakers on key development milestones from early development to launch of product.

During my career, I have served on several scientific committees and advisory boards including the Malaria Clinical Trials Alliance, International Society for Vaccines and the NIH Integrated Preclinical/Clinical AIDS Vaccine Development Program. I have worked closely on global health initiatives with the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, PAHO, WHO, IFPMA, and the UK Development Agency for International Development. I have been fortunate to work in countries around the world, both in high income and low income settings which enables me to have significant perspective on how best to address the needs of different populations.

I received a PhD in immunology from Weill Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences and an MPH from Harvard School of Public Health.

Overcoming the challenges posed by infectious diseases takes advanced science combined with a deeply community centric approach. AstraZeneca’s values are strongly aligned to this and that is how we can make such an incredible impact across the world.

Tonya Villafana Vice President, Global Franchise Head, Infection

Award

Featured Speaker, Women and Science Program, Wistar Institute, 2017

Award

International Award, HVTN Site Director of the Year, HIV Vaccine Trials Network, 2004

Award

Fellowship, Fourth Advanced Vaccinology Course, Fondation Merieux, Veyrier du Lac, France, 2003

Award

Jack and Susan Rudin Scholar, Weill Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York, NY 1992-1998

CURRENT ROLE

Vice President, Global Franchise Head, Infection

IFPMA World Bank Fellow and secondment from AstraZeneca

Seconded to the World Bank to support Pharmaceutical Policy Initiatives and the Global Medicines Regulatory Harmonization Initiative for strengthening regulatory systems in Africa (2011-2013)

Director, Malaria Vaccines Initiative, PATH

Director, Portfolio Management, PATH MVI oversight of MVIs vaccine portfolio and member of the RTS,S Team (2006-2009)

Director, Botswana Harvard Partnership for HIV Research and Education (Harvard School of Public Health)

Established clinical sites in collaboration with the US NIH HIV Vaccine Trials Network to conduct the first HIV vaccine studies in Botswana (2001-2006)

Featured publications

Single-dose administration and the influence of the timing of the booster dose on immunogenicity and efficacy of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine: a pooled analysis of four randomised trials

Voysey M, Costa Clemens SA, Madhi SA et al; Oxford COVID Vaccine Trial Group. Single-dose administration and the influence of the timing of the booster dose on immunogenicity and efficacy of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine: a pooled analysis of four randomised trials. Lancet. 2021 Feb 19:S0140-6736(21)00432-3. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00432-3.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00432-3/fulltext

Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK

Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK. Voysey M, Clemens SAC, Madhi SA et al. Lancet. 2021 Jan 9;397(10269):99-111.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673620326611?via%3Dihub

Safety and immunogenicity of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine administered in a prime-boost regimen in young and old adults (COV002): a single-blind, randomised, controlled, phase 2/3 trial

Ramasamy MN, Minassian AM, Ewer KJ, et al; Oxford COVID Vaccine Trial Group. Safety and immunogenicity of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine administered in a prime-boost regimen in young and old adults (COV002): a single-blind, randomised, controlled, phase 2/3 trial. Lancet. 2021 Dec 19;396(10267):1979-1993. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32466-1.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673620324661?via%3Dihub

Single-Dose Nirsevimab for Prevention of RSV in Preterm Infants

Single-Dose Nirsevimab for Prevention of RSV in Preterm Infants. Griffin MP, Yuan Y, Takas T et al. N Engl J Med. 2020 Jul 30;383(5):415-425. 

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMx200019

 

Generalized ROC methods for immunogenicity data analysis of vaccine phase I studies in a seropositive population

Generalized ROC methods for immunogenicity data analysis of vaccine phase I studies in a seropositive population. Yu L, Esser MT, Falloon J, Villafana T, Yang H. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2018;14(11):2692-2700. 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21645515.2018.1489191

 

 

Safety, Tolerability and Pharmacokinetics of MEDI8897, an Extended Half-life Single-dose Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prefusion F-targeting Monoclonal Antibody Administered as a Single Dose to Healthy Preterm Infants

Domachowske JB, Khan AA, Esser MT, Jensen K, Takas T, Villafana T, Dubovsky F, Griffin MP. Safety, Tolerability and Pharmacokinetics of MEDI8897, an Extended Half-life Single-dose Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prefusion F-targeting Monoclonal Antibody Administered as a Single Dose to Healthy Preterm Infants. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2018 Sep;37(9):886-892. doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000001916.

https://journals.lww.com/pidj/Fulltext/2018/09000/Safety,_Tolerability_and_Pharmacokinetics_of.9.aspx

 

Characterization of circulating RSV strains among subjects in the OUTSMART-RSV surveillance program during the 2016-17 winter viral season in the United States

Characterization of circulating RSV strains among subjects in the OUTSMART-RSV surveillance program during the 2016-17 winter viral season in the United States
Ruzin A, Pastula ST, Levin-Sparenberg E, Jiang X, Fryzek J, Tovchigrechko A, Lu B, Qi Y, Liu H, Jin H, Yu L, Hackett J, Villafana T, Esser MT. PLoS One. 2018 Jul 24;13(7):e0200319. 

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0200319

Vaccine development and trials in low and lower-middle income countries: Key issues, advances and future opportunities

Vaccine development and trials in low and lower-middle income countries: Key issues, advances and future opportunities. Grenham A, Villafana T. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2017 Sep 2;13(9):2192-2199.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21645515.2017.1356495

 

Passive and active immunization against respiratory syncytial virus for the young and old

Villafana T, Falloon J, Griffin MP, Zhu Q, Esser MT. Passive and active immunization against respiratory syncytial virus for the young and old. Expert Rev Vaccines. 2017 Jul;16(7):1-13. doi: 10.1080/14760584.2017.1333425. Epub 2017 Jun 7.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14760584.2017.1333425?journalCode=ierv20

A phase 1a, first-in-human, randomized study of a respiratory syncytial virus F protein vaccine with and without a toll-like receptor-4 agonist and stable emulsion adjuvant

A phase 1a, first-in-human, randomized study of a respiratory syncytial virus F protein vaccine with and without a toll-like receptor-4 agonist and stable emulsion adjuvant
Falloon J, Ji F, Curtis C, Bart S, Sheldon E, Krieger D, Dubovsky F, Lambert S, Takas T, Villafana T, Esser MT. Vaccine. 2016 May 27;34(25):2847-54.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X16301220?via%3Dihub