Organisation also names physician Dr MV Pillai as senior advisor
The Global Virus Network (GVN), a coalition of the world’s leading virus researchers announced the election of Indian physician and entrepreneur, Dr Azad Moopen, to its Board of Directors. The announcement was made by N Scott Fine, Chairman of the GVN Board of Directors, joined by Robert C Gallo, MD, GVN Co-Founder and Director of the GVN Center of Excellence at the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine; William Hall, GVN Co-Founder and Director of the GVN Center of Excellence at the University College Dublin; and Sharon Hrynkow, President, GVN.
“Dr Moopen is an innovator in expanding access to healthcare. His insights will help GVN expand its global reach, particularly in India, and help us achieve our goal of establishing a worldwide safety net against viral disease—including those that are known and those that are yet-to-be-discovered,” said Dr Gallo. Fine added, “I am thrilled on behalf of the Board to welcome Dr. Moopen to the Board and to critical work ahead of us for GVN.”
“It is an honour and privilege to join the GVN Board of Directors at this pivotal point in time,” said Dr Moopen. “Collaboration among the public and private sectors is essential as we work as a global community to stem the spread of deadly diseases. I look forward to working with the Board and the GVN Centers of Excellence to stop viral diseases in their tracks,” he added.
Dr Moopen is the Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare, a healthcare conglomerate in the Middle East and India. A physician-turned entrepreneur and philanthropist from the South Indian state of Kerala, he holds an MBBS and a Post Graduate in General Medicine from Calicut Government Medical College in Kerala, and a Diploma in Chest Diseases from Delhi University, India.
Joining GVN as a Senior Advisor is Dr MV Pillai, a Professor of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University and Chairman of Oncology at Aster MedCity, among his other leadership roles. “I look forward to working closely with GVN to strengthen ties in research and training of virologists in Kerala, India and later across the country,” said Dr Pillai. Hrynkow said, “Dr Pillai brings exceptional insights into virology in both the United States and India, and we look forward to working with him as well as Dr Moopen to galvanise collaborations in order to improve virology globally.”
EH News Bureau