EMD Seminar Series: Kristen Feemster, "Pathways in Infectious Diseases: From Agroforestry to Public Health and Beyond"

Kristen A. Feemster, MD MPH MSHP is the Executive Director of Global Medical Affairs for pneumococcal vaccines in the Vaccines / Infectious Diseases Division at Merck Research Laboratories and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Pediatrics- Infectious Diseases at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She completed her residency and fellowship training in ID and health policy research (Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program) at CHOP and Penn in 2010. After several years as an academic physician, she transitioned to a full-time public health role as Medical Director of the Immunization Program and Acute Communicable Diseases at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health until she joined Merck in June 2020. While in academic medicine, Dr. Feemster’s research interests have included vaccine policy, vaccine hesitancy and the epidemiology of vaccine preventable diseases both domestically and internationally- she was active in CHOP’s global health program and Research Director for the Vaccine Education Center. Her position at the health department focused on program implementation, policy, surveillance. Medical affairs has been a synthesis of her prior experience and interests, providing an opportunity to contribute to vaccine development and implementation.

Dr. Feemster feels fortunate to have had a career with a range of experiences that all reflect what she loves the most about ID - ID is fundamentally about the ways in which organisms (and people) interact with each other and their environment- she is fascinated by understanding how these interactions impact health so that we can use that understanding to develop effective prevention strategies for individuals and for a community: ecology, epidemiology, pathophysiology, immunology, human behavior, health policy all intertwined.

Dr. Feemster lives in Philadelphia with her spouse and 2 kids ages 13 and 15 years. Besides keeping up with her kids’ interests and activities, she loves running / outdoor activities, reading, dance of any kind, trying new recipes, NYTimes crossword puzzles and travel (anywhere).

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