Joann A. Suzich PhD

JoAnn Suzich is a leading scientist and researcher in biochemistry and has, among other achievements, played a critical role in the advancement and treatment of health issues affecting women and children. Suzich is vice president for research and development at MedImmune, where she is responsible for overseeing the company's research in the development of antibodies and antibody-like molecules for the prevention and treatment of infectious disease. In addition, she recently assumed responsibility for MedImmune's research on novel vaccines.

Since joining MedImmune in 1988 as a scientist, she has held several positions of increasing responsibility, most recently as senior director, infectious disease research. She has been involved in many key development programs, including Synagis® (palivizumab) which is the only monoclonal antibody approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help prevent an infectious disease, and the virus-like particle technology that is the basis of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines used to prevent cervical cancer. HPV is thought to be responsible for 70 percent of the instances of cervical cancer.