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Infectious Disease Preparedness in an Era of Federal Disinvestment

June 22, 2026
31C
Type: Breakout Session
Focus Area: Infectious Disease and Vaccines
In recent years, the US public health apparatus has weathered mounting fiscal stress, shifting political priorities, and deep cuts at the federal level. Proposed reductions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), claw backs of COVID-era funding, and reorganization of health agencies threaten to hollow out core infectious disease surveillance, outbreak response, and health equity infrastructure. Meanwhile, threats from emerging pathogens, antibiotic resistance, and global disease spillover haven’t abated — indeed, many believe risk is rising. This panel will explore how stakeholders across the ecosystem are responding to this tension between rising biological threats and deteriorating public health support. What is being lost, what creative adaptations are underway, and where are the pressure points for emerging biotech innovation, local public health systems, and policy advocacy?

Subtopic

Unique Partnerships for Infectious Diseases
Speakers
Jared Bauer
CEO & Co-Founder
Seek Labs
Rita Isabel Lechuga
Director, Hepatitis
National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors
Peter Marks
Senior Vice President of Molecule Discovery and Head of Infectious Disease
Eli Lilly and Company
Jennifer Towne
Chief Scientific Officer
Vir Biotchnology

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