As part of the Wistar Women & Science program, Wistar hosted an informational panel on HPV vaccination and its effect of preventing cancer. The event featured Dr. Kathrin Jansen, head of Vaccine and Research Development at Pfizer Inc., who led the R&D activities to create the first HPV vaccine, and Dr. Iona Munjal, director of Clinical Research & Development at Pfizer Inc., who directed some of the clinical studies that showed the vaccine’s high effectiveness.
Maiken Scott, host of The Pulse on WHYY public radio, moderated the conversation to discuss HPV vaccine development, its clinical impact and recommended vaccination guidelines to prevent HPV and the health problems it can cause.
Drs. Jansen and Munjal showed how this vaccine, which required much persistence during the lengthy development process, is extraordinarily effective in preventing cervical cancer and other lesions and could potentially eradicate HPV if adopted broadly.
The event was co-hosted by the Rosalind Franklin Society as part of its annual Board meeting held for the second year at Wistar. The Rosalind Franklin Society is an international organization that recognizes, fosters and advances the important contributions of women in the life sciences and works to enable women to achieve more leadership positions in academia, industry and government.
