Jessica E. Taaffe, Ph.D.

Silver Spring, MD, 20906

jessica.taaffe@gmail.com
http://globalrenaissanceenterprises.strikingly.com/
Work: (202) 350-1641; Personal: (917) 734-9941

SUMMARY AND OBJECTIVES

I am a biomedical scientist and global health professional with 10+ years of research
experience in the microbiology, immunology, epidemiology, and infectious diseases. I work
for domestic and international multilateral organizations and on projects involving
international development, global health and science policy, advocacy, and communication. I
am an excellent communicator, having extensively published in academic journals and
presented at international scientific meetings. I have also composed technical reports, briefs,
and editorials on leading topics in global HIV epidemiology, financing, and programs, and
domestic emergency preparedness. My views on science and global health advocacy have
been featured by prominent professional societies and organizations, and I regularly discuss
science and global health on popular podcasts and YouTube. I am interested in
opportunities in which I can apply my scientific expertise to global health/international
development projects, serving as a technical advisor or officer in policy/advocacy,
operations, and journalism/communications activities. I am also interested in
opportunities in research capacity building and science diplomacy in developing
countries.

EDUCATION
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Molecular Biology

May 2011

Specialty: Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology

Student in Public Health Certificate Program

Duke University, Durham, NC

Bachelor of Science in Biology

Bachelor of Arts in Medieval and Renaissance Studies

May 2004

HONORS/AWARDS/FELLOWSHIPS

Co-chair of HIV Drivers of Progression and Intrinsic & Adaptive

July 2016

Immunity sessions at XXI International AIDS conference, Durban, South

Africa

100 Women Leaders in Global Health, The Graduate Institute Geneva

Nov 2014

IAS International Scholarship to attend XVIII International AIDS conference,

July 2010

Vienna, Austria

T32 Training Grant, Training in Vaccine & Immune Therapeutics, University

of Pennsylvania

Keynote speaker at Burlington County Secondary Principals and

Sept 20082010
Mar 2005

Supervisors Association Awards Ceremony

Post Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP), Mount Sinai

School of Medicine

Minority International Research Training (MIRT) Program, Michigan State

University

Duke Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP), Duke University

Sept 2004
Jun 2006
Summer
2004
Summer
2002

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE - GENERAL

International AIDS Society (IAS) AIDS 2016 Conference, Durban, South Africa
Scientific Program Committee Member, Basic & Translational Research
Track

Sep 2015
present

Strategic planning of scientific program, including oral presentations and

posters for largest AIDS conference in the world

Metabiota, Silver Spring, MD

Research Analyst

Subject matter expert on infectious diseases and strategic writing on

global biosecurity threats, including on US government contracts

Apr 2015
present

This Week in Global Health, http://www.twigh.org

Senior Panelist and Video Production Team Leader

Develop the format for weekly live on air episodes , video content
planning, lead a small team of panelists in producing episodes

Report global health updates and provide expert comments and discussion
on a live, interactive, YouTube broadcast

Aug 2014

present

World Bank, Global HIV/AIDS Program, Washington, DC

Consultant/Science Writer

Study coordinator on mathematical modeling of HIV incidence and

treatment impact in Africa and Latin America/Caribbean Region countries

May 2013

June
2016

with multilateral development, government and academic partners

Worked directly with Program Director to research and write technical

reports, working papers, presentations, and publications in academic
journals on HIV, global health, and international development topics

Global Renaissance Enterprises , LLC, Washington, DC Metro area

Principal of an LLC providing research, writing, and communication services in
global health and science, working with the following clients and/or projects:

UNAIDS, Science Writer

Research, write, and edit literature reviews, technical reports, speeches,

May 2015

present

editorials, briefs, and advocacy content/messages on a range of topics

related to HIV, including science, policy, epidemiology, and public health

One of two Science Writers on the World AIDS Day Report 2015 and Cities
High Level Meeting Report 2016

Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, Consultant

Drafted example components for HIV vaccine Target Product Profile (TPP)

MESH Coalition, Consultant

Wrote short briefs on public health threats to domestic healthcare

Jul 2015
Aug 2015
Nov 2014
Sept 2015

systems

Strategy consulting on social media, marketing, and communications

I am a Scientist Project, Co-producer

Interviewer and producer of a documentary on multidisciplinary scientists

Jul 2014
present

NIH Global Health Interest Group, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD

Chair and Co-founder

Managed a Steering Committee of NIH fellows, staff, and faculty that

Jun 2011
Mar 2014

organized global health seminars, social/networking events

Co-led NIH-wide Global Health Symposium featuring NIH Director Francis

Collins and speakers from government, local and international
universities, with 450+ registered, including internatio nal attendance
through webcast

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE RESEARCH

Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology , supervised by Dr. Patrick Duffy,
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/NIH, Rockville, MD

Postdoctoral Intramural Research Fellow

Investigated the in vivo clinical, immunological and pathological features

and mechanisms associated with and leading to severe malaria anemia in

Mar 2011

Mar
2014

Plasmodium coatneyi -infected rhesus macaques

Silvestri Laboratory , University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Doctoral candidate

Conducted in vivo CCR5 blockade in rhesus macaques to determine its

Jun 2007
Feb 2011

safety and immunological effects, set up and executed pilot immunological

study of rare clinical subset of HIV patients, and analyzed longitudinal
immunological data from a cohort of SIV-infected sooty mangabeys

Garcia-Sastre Laboratory , Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY

Post-baccalaureate research fellow

Tested the efficacy of DNA and cell-culture derived influenza vaccines and

Aug 2004
July 2006

created recombinant viruses with virulence genes from avian influenza

Haertlein Laboratory , Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France

Stagiaire (Through MIRT)

Investigated -lactamase leakiness in bacteria

Summer
2004

Hall Laboratory , Duke University, NC

Research Assistant

Developed and conducted an independent research project investigating

Sept 2002
May 2004

effect of fluctuating sexual motivation during a females menstrual cycle

Wechsler-Reya Laboratory , Duke University, NC

Research Assistant (Through Duke SROP)

Worked on sub-cloning gene associated with neuroblastoma

Summer
2002

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

CD4+ T cell depletion in P. coatneyi infected rhesus macaques does not

Nov 2013

reduce severe malaria anemia. J. Taaffe, Orr-Gonzalez, S., Zeleski, K.,

Hinderer, J., Thomas, M., Lambert, L., Duffy, P. The American Society of
Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 62 nd Annual Meeting.

Low levels of Immune Activation in Viremic Non-Progressors HIV-infected

Individuals. J. Taaffe, B. Julg, B. Rodriguez, S. Gordon, I. Frank, D. Ripamonti,
A. Gori, M. Lederman, B. Walker, C. Torti, G. Silvestri. XVIII International AIDS
Conference.

July 2010

Comparison of immune response in pregnant and non-pregnant women

Apr 2006

following vaccination with 2003/2004 trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine.

J. Taaffe, A. Fernandez-Sesma, R. Sperling, C. Gyamfi, A. Garca-Sastre, T.
Moran. MGE@MSA/WAESO Conference.

Improved Protective Antibody Response Were Induced by Codon Optimized

May 2005

DNA Vaccines Expressing Hemagglutinin Antigens of Influenza H1 and H3

Serotypes. S. Wang, I. Mboujka, J.Haran, H. Cao, X. Huang, J. Taaffe, A.
Solorzano, A. Garcia-Sastre, S. Lu. 8 th Annual Conf. on Vaccine Research.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

P. coatneyi causes severe anemia and inflammation in bone marrow and

Nov 2012

other organs of rhesus macaques. J. Taaffe, L. Lambert, A. Johnson, S. OrrGonzalez, M. Orandle, M. Thomas, M. Fried, P. Duffy. The American Society
of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 61 st Annual Meeting.

CCR5 blockade alters the in vivo trafficking of CCR5+ and CD25+ T cells in

Feb 2010

healthy, SIV-uninfected rhesus macaques. J. Taaffe, S. Bosinger, M.

Paiardini, J. Else, T. Migone, G. Silvestri. Conference on Retroviruses and
Opportunistic Infections.

PUBLICATIONS

Research/Technical Reports/Academic

Bali, S., and Taaffe, J. (under review) Exploring the synergies between the SDGs and
Global Health Security Agenda for a sustainable and resilient world .

Taaffe, J., and Wilson, D. (accepted) Cash transfers for Health, Education, and HIV: What
is the evidence?. Dev Pol Review

Taaffe, J., and Wilson, D. (under review) Mobilizing a Global Movement for Hepatitis:
Lessons Learned from the HIV Response.

Taaffe, J., and Wilson, D. (publication in process) Tailoring the local HIV response to
local HIV epidemics AIDS, STIs, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Disease Control Priorities, 3rd
Ed.

Taaffe, J., Cheikh, N., Wilson, D. (2016) The use of cash transfers for HIV prevention
are we there yet?, Afr J AIDS Res , 15:1, 17-25,

Bassett, I.V., Wilson, D., Taaffe, J., Freedberg, KA. (2015) Financial incentives to improve
progression through the HIV treatment cascade. Curr Opin HIV AIDS . 10(6):451-63.

Taaffe, J., et al (2014) A comprehensive review of empirical and modelled HIV incidence
trends (1990-2012) in Sub-Saharan Africa. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper

Klatt, N., Bosinger, S., Specht, A., Taaffe, J, et al (2014) Limited HIV infection of central

memory CD4+ T cells is associated with lack of progression in viremic individuals. PLoS

Pathog ;10(8):e1004345
McGary, C. S., Cervasi, B., Chahroudi, A., Micci, L., Taaffe, J., et al. Increased Stability and Limited

Proliferation of CD4 + Central Memory T Cells Differentiate Nonprogressive Simian

Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) Infection of Sooty Mangabeys from Progressive SIV Infection
of Rhesus Macaques. (2014). J. Virol . 2014;88(8):4533-4542.
Wilson, D, Taaffe, J, et al (2014) The economics, financing and implementation of HIV

treatment as prevention: What will it take to get there? Afr J AIDS Res 13:2, 109-119
Taaffe, J., et a l. (2011) CCR5 blockade is well tolerated and induces changes in the tissue

distribution of CCR5+ and CD25+ T cells in healthy, SIV -uninfected rhesus macaques.

Journal of Med Primatology .

Riddick, N. E., Hermann, E. A., Loftin, L. M., Elliott, S. T., Wey, W. C., Ce rvasi, B., Taaffe, J,

et al . (2010). A Novel CCR5 Mutation Common in Sooty Mangabeys Reveals SIVsmm

Infection of CCR5-Null Natural Hosts and Efficient Alternative Coreceptor Use In Vivo .

PLoS Pathog , 6 (8), e1001064.

Taaffe, J., et a l (2010). CD4+ T cell counts decrease over time in naturally SIV-infected

sooty mangabeys despite declining viremia and persistently low immune activation. J.

Virol. 84 (11): 5476-84

Wang, S., Parker C., Taaffe, J., et al . (2008). Heterologous HA DNA vaccine prime--

inactivated influenza vaccine boost is more effective than using DNA or inactivated
vaccine alone in eliciting antibody responses against H1 or H3 serotype influenza viruses.

Vaccine . 26 (29-30): 3626-33

Wang, S., Taaffe, J., et a l (2006). Hemagglutinin (HA) Proteins from H1 and H3 Serotypes

of Influenza A Viruses Require Different Antigen Designs for the Induction of Optimal
Protective Antibody Responses as Studied by Codon-Optimized HA DNA Vaccines. J. Virol.
80 (23): 11628-11637

PUBLICATIONS CONTINUED

Advocacy/Editorial

Dengue: Why You Need To Know About It, Guest Post for PLoS Blogs (2014)

Worm tales: One scientists inspiration to turn tropical diseases into stories told by a
past generation, Guest Post for Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, (2012)
World Malaria Day Perspectives: Jessica Taaffe, Global Health and Science Consultant ,
Featured Malaria Expert for American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (2014)
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Member Spotlight , Featured
Member, ASTMH (2012)

TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Teaching Assistant, BIOL275-Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania
Held weekly review sessions for students, helped prepare and proctor
exams, graded exams

Fall 2009

LANGUAGES

English native language

Spanish speak with high proficiency; read and write with proficiency

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND ACTIVITIES

AFFILIATIONS:

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH)

American Society of Microbiology (ASM)

Global Health Council (GHC)

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

ACTIVITIES :

Consultant with Science Entertainment Exchange

Review Editor for Frontiers in Public Health

ASTMH Hill Day 2013

Global Health Ambassador for GHC The Future of Global Health 2014 event

HOBBIES AND PERSONAL INTERESTS

Medieval and Renaissance studies, Latin and ballroom dance, choral and classical solo
singing, guitar playing, travel, languages, infectious disease history and archeology

PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES
Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D. President, Sabin Vaccine Institute
hotez@bcm.edu
David Wilson, Ph.D, Director of Global HIV/AIDS Team, World Bank
dwilson@worldbank.org
Patrick Duffy, M.D., Chief of Lab. of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, NIAID/NIH
duffype@niaid.nih.gov, (301) 443-4605
Gyan Prakash, Ph.D., M.B.A, Associate Director for International Programs, NEI/NIH
gyan.prakash@nih.gov, (301) 496-2234