WASHINGTON, July 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Renowned global health expert Rebecca Martin, PhD, recognized internationally for her leadership in developing and implementing immunization programs and strengthening health systems, joins the Sabin Vaccine Institute today as President of Global Immunization, assuming the reins of the nonprofit’s efforts in vaccination innovation and extending vaccine access.

Martin most recently served as Vice President for Global Health at Emory University, and as the Director of the Emory Global Health Institute, following a 24–year career with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Global Health at Emory. She brings decades of successful partnering with global, regional and country–level health leaders in infectious disease prevention, as well as in–country experience leading low– and middle–income country (LMIC) health and immunization initiatives.

Her extensive CDC career includes ten years working in Kenya, Tanzania, and Denmark, seconded to the World Health Organization African and European regions. In her four years in Nairobi, Kenya, she provided technical expertise to eight East African countries focused on vaccine–preventable disease surveillance, prevention and elimination strategies and policies, and new vaccine introductions. For several years in Dar as Salaam, Tanzania, she led surveillance and workforce development for CDC as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and supervised staff in surveillance, health management information systems (HMIS), monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and human capacity development for CDC HIV/AIDS programs.

Currently, she serves as the Vice–Chair for WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) Emergency Preparedness & Response Technical Advisory Group (EPR–TAG), an independent advisory group providing strategic guidance on all matters pertaining to public health emergency preparedness and response in Africa.

“With her global, country and local–level experience, Rebecca has the first–hand expertise needed to address today’s challenging immunization landscape, and more importantly, to co–create new solutions with public and private partners to boost lagging immunization rates and prevent human suffering,” says Sabin CEO Amy Finan. “She is an outstanding addition to Sabin’s executive team and will lead Sabin’s global immunization work as we continue to respond to the needs of individual countries and help shape new global strategies with partners to increase access and uptake of vaccines.”

Martin calls her new role a “full circle” moment.  

“I am honored and excited to join the Sabin Vaccine Institute as President of Global Immunization, bringing my experience, knowledge, and commitment to Sabin's critical mission in making vaccines available to everyone, everywhere,” she says.

“I am thrilled to work with the dedicated colleagues at Sabin who are passionate about tackling vaccine–preventable diseases through collaboration with stakeholders from multiple sectors in addition to health,” she adds. “There is no moment more urgent than now to innovate and double down on our efforts to prevent illness and save lives through immunization.”

Sabin’s Global Immunization team works with local and national governments and academic, global, and philanthropic partners to put communities at the heart of solutions that tackle urgent vaccination challenges, with a renewed focus to bolster the falling coverage in childhood routine immunization and support life–course immunization. In 2023, almost 14.5 million children received no vaccinations, according to WHO, an increase of 2.7 million more children compared to 2019.

The Sabin team brings expertise across the immunization spectrum, including building global communities of practice, identifying barriers and creating solutions to improve vaccine access and delivery of current and new vaccines, and conducting epidemiological research to support immunization. Sabin’s skills are applied to multiple infectious diseases, including HPV, typhoid, cholera, rotavirus, COVID–19 and malaria. Additional work includes efforts to immunize zero–dose children and transition to hexavalent vaccines in national immunization programs.

During her tenure at Emory, Martin built and aligned multidisciplinary global health infrastructure, fostered global collaborations across health organizations, led interdisciplinary global health research and worked to build the next generation of global health leaders. She was also a member of Emory’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center leadership team.

Martin’s most recent role with the CDC was Director of the Center for Global Health, then the largest operating unit at the CDC. Her achievements include leading the CDC's global efforts across disease initiatives and through the start of the global health security agenda, including polio eradication and disease control acceleration and elimination for vaccine–preventable diseases, malaria elimination, ending HV epidemics, and strengthening health systems to detect and respond to disease threats and emergencies.

Martin received her Doctor of Philosophy from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in international health with a focus on infectious disease epidemiology. She has co–authored manuscripts and developed strategic plans, normative guidance and guidelines on immunization strategies, vaccine–preventable diseases and surveillance methods for both immunization and HIV, and for global health security.

About the Sabin Vaccine Institute 
  
The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a leading advocate for expanding vaccine access and uptake globally, advancing vaccine research and development, and amplifying vaccine knowledge and innovation. Unlocking the potential of vaccines through partnership, Sabin has built a robust ecosystem of funders, innovators, implementers, practitioners, policy makers and public stakeholders to advance its vision of a future free from preventable diseases. As a nonprofit with three decades of experience, Sabin is committed to finding solutions that last and extending the full benefits of vaccines to all people, regardless of who they are or where they live. At Sabin, we believe in the power of vaccines to change the world. For more information, visit www.sabin.org and follow us on X @SabinVaccine. 

Media Contact:
Monika Guttman
Senior Media Relations Specialist
Sabin Vaccine Institute
+1 (202) 621–1691
[email protected]

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