Director, Global Clinical Lead
Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc
North Potomac , MD, United States
Rahsan Erdem earned her medical degree from Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine in Türkiye. She is a trained Ob-Gyn with a unique and diverse background in vaccine clinical research. Before joining Pfizer, she had over 10 years of experience as a Sub-Investigator (Sub-I), Co-Investigator (Co-I), and Principal Investigator (PI) for various currently licensed vaccines while also practicing as a physician in California.
In 2013, Dr. Erdem started working as a Medical Officer at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), specifically within the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). There, she focused on the medical oversight and management of extramural clinical research for vaccines and therapeutics across various branches.
In 2017, she joined PATH as a Senior Medical Officer and Project Lead at the Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access and Drug Development. Her role involved serving as the clinical lead in the development of vaccines against diseases such as Typhoid, Shigella, Group B Streptococcus, HPV, ETEC, Yellow Fever, RSV, and novel oral vaccines against Polioviruses.
Since 2021, Dr. Erdem has been a member and chair designee of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Her expertise includes planning and participating in the implementation of a broad portfolio of clinical research that evaluates a wide range of novel vaccine candidates of importance, development of clinical research plans (from phase 1 through post-marketing), planning and execution of clinical trials, evaluation of vaccine safety, and the implementation of immunization programs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
In February 2023, she joined Pfizer as a Director and currently serves as the Global Clinical Lead for viral combination vaccine programs.
Disclosure(s): Pfizer Inc: Employee, Stocks/Bonds (Private Company)