Michelle Vichnin BS, MD

Michelle Vichnin, MD, is the Executive Director for Scientific, Medical and Patient Perspective for Oncology within the Office of the Chief Patient Officer at Merck. In this role, she supports the needs of the Chief Patient Officer with her medical and scientific expertise. In addition, Dr Vichnin collaborates with stakeholders to incorporate the voice of patients into decision-making throughout the company.
Prior to this role, she was a medical director in Merck Vaccines, Adolescent Vaccines. She was as one of the Medical Affairs Leads for the second generation nonavalent HPV Vaccine (Gardasil 9) and for the quadrivalent HPV Vaccine (Gardasil), and has substantial experience in cervical cancer prevention. She has interacted with top scientific leaders, recommending organizations and government officials to present data and to discuss implementation of HPV vaccination programs.
Dr Vichnin joined Merck as a US Medical Director for adolescent vaccines in 2007, and became a Global Medical Director in 2009. She is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University/Jefferson Medical College accelerated six-year medical program. She performed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, and is board-certified.
Prior to joining Merck, she served as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She practiced at Penn Health for Women, a nationally recognized program for excellence in women’s health. She was the Director of the Colposcopy Clinic at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She has significant clinical expertise in the gynecologic care of cancer patients and cancer survivors.
Dr Vichnin served on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Adolescent Health, and she became Director of the Penn Program for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology in 2006. She has presented at many conferences and universities on a variety of topics, including HPV-related diseases and cancers, cancer prevention, and prevention of violence against women and teens. She is involved with nonprofit organizations, and recently volunteered as an attending physician at the Cervicusco Clinic in Peru.