Debra Hanna PhD

Debra Hanna, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Critical Path to TB Drug Regimens initiative led by the Critical Path Institute and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In her role as Executive Director, Debra coordinates this global, multi-sector partnership that is driven by the contributions of 260+ members and partners. She leads the expanding tuberculosis data collaboration initiative and multiple program teams focused on accelerating the development of novel drug regimens and rapid drug susceptibility tests for TB. This work is accomplished by facilitating the advancement of innovative regulatory science approaches, qualification of novel drug development tools and biomarkers as well as the development of TB clinical trial modeling and simulation tools. 

Prior to joining Critical Path Institute, Dr. Hanna spent 11 years in the Antibacterial Research and Development Unit of Pfizer Global Research and Development. She was the Research Project Leader for multiple Antibacterial Drug Development programs and also led an innovative translational research team focused on understanding pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic relationships for novel antibacterial agents spanning early discovery to Phase 2 development. She has contributed to 40+ peer-reviewed publications in 16 high-impact journals, most notably, three journal supplements focused on TB drug development tools, diagnostics, and regulatory approaches in Clinical Infectious Diseases and Journal of Infectious Diseases.