In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, we’re spotlighting one of our Rollins "power couples" who are not only a #RollinsLove story but also successful public health practitioners working in the business sector. Ami is the Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Inovio Pharmaceuticals, a late-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of DNA medicines to prevent and treat cancers and infectious diseases. Bruce is the President of Natreon, a company focused on bringing scientifically studied and tested Ayurvedic ingredients to the dietary supplement, personal care, food and beverage, and medical food segments worldwide.
Alumni Spotlight: Ami Shah Brown, PhD, MPH and Bruce Brown, MPH, MA
Name: Ami Shah Brown, PhD, MPH
Department & Class Year: 2000 Behavioral Sciences and Health Education
Title: Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs
Employer: Inovio Pharmaceuticals
Hometown: Yardley, Pennsylvania
Current town: New Hope, Pennsylvania
Name: Bruce Brown, MPH, MA
Department & Class Year: 2001 Global Health
Title: President
Employer: Natreon
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Current town: New Hope, Pennsylvania
Can you tell us about the path that brought you to working in your current position?
Ami: The path to my current position includes a broad, varied experience base with several life-defining academic, professional, and personal twists, the common thread being my foundational training in public health. Each and every one of my academic and professional experiences have formed the basis of my current position.
My career in drug development was purely sparked by interest and sustained by serendipity—I was in the right place at the right time with the right group people. At end of my undergraduate years at the University of Pennsylvania, I was fortunate to work on a discovery, development, and clinical evaluation program for an early DNA-based vaccine for HIV. While there, I met many of the people I am currently working with today at Inovio. While in the BSHE program at Rollins, I was able to build on my interest in vaccine development through research and internship opportunities at the Emory Vaccine Center and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Centers for HIV, STD, and TB prevention (NCHSTP).
With the rich academic and practical experience gained at Rollins, I continued my studies in public health at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health where I earned my PhD in 2005. Prior to coming to Inovio, I led regulatory affairs, operations, and quality assurance activities at the Sabin Vaccine Institute in Washington, D.C., where I contributed to the early work of the Sabin Vaccine Institute Product Development Partnership (Sabin PDP), an internationally recognized PDP for the creation of safe, effective, low-cost vaccines for tropical infections in developing countries.
Bruce: My path consisted of numerous twists and turns, but my career journey is grounded in the experiences gained from my public health training at Rollins and applying those in business. My first foundational role upon graduating from Rollins was with Martek Biosciences, where we discovered two important compounds in perinatal nutrition, DHA and ARA. In developing the awareness for these key nutrients, I often recalled the lessons learned from one of specific faculty member, Dr. Godfrey Oakley, who is still known among the halls of Rollins as the “Godfather of Folic Acid”. As the importance of DHA grew, our company was acquired by a leading global nutrition company from the Netherlands called DSM that is focused on expanding access to micronutrients globally. From here I was able to find my way to Natreon, which is focused on using plant-based solutions in the global food and beverage markets.
What is a typical work day like for you?
Ami: In the broadest sense, my typical work day involves exploring opportunities for innovation in the field of DNA Medicines. Every day has a new set of challenges and questions to answer—my every day includes looking at questions or problems in different ways, gathering and synthesizing data, and communicating with various stakeholders.
Bruce: Natreon has customers all over the world, an R&D Center in India, 3 manufacturing sites in South Asia, and university research partners across the U.S., so my day is consistently changing. No day is typical, the only constant reminding myself that a collaborative team is critical to success and that diverse thought processes and backgrounds are critical when evaluating solutions to complex problems.
What types of skills do you think are important to being successful in your career?
Ami: The field of global regulatory affairs requires broad-based scientific and technical expertise, critical and analytical thinking skills, and effective verbal and written communication skills (especially persuasive writing and negotiation). Further, the ability to break down large, complex issues into smaller parts is essential. Every course and experience while I was at Rollins had this very skill at its core so I had a solid head start on this critical skill before I even knew that it was going to be my career!
Bruce: I always tend to picture the desired outcome from a macro perspective and work backwards on how to achieve that target. I recall numerous class interactions with Dr. Foege who always challenged us to be disruptive in how we, as students, evaluated impacting the world. He would encourage us to challenge our own thought processes, develop new ideas, tools and solutions. Similarly, Dr. Foster would challenge us to impact change in a way that empowered local communities and was sustainable. In the business world, many of these themes are just now becoming part of their corporate principles, but these ideas and concepts were introduced to me at Rollins some 20 years ago. Equally as important, I was able to come back to the Rollins community in several collaborations with Dr. Ramakrishnan and Dr. McFarland over the years. In my professional career, I always enjoyed trips back to Atlanta to revisit the ole hallways of the 7th floor – the Hubert Department of Global Health -- and visit with the Rollins team both personally and professionally.
On days you feel the most accomplished at work - what did you do that day?
Ami: I’ve helped a member of my team or organization learn something new or accomplish one of their goals; I figured out a new way to think about something; I crossed paths with someone I have worked with previously (this happens more times than you might think!); or I was able to streamline or facilitate a development program effectively utilizing regulatory strategy.
What advice do you have for those who are interested in working in a similar position/career path as you?
Ami: There are many different pathways leading into a career in Global Regulatory Affairs—even within the field, there are several distinct disciplines that these roles may encompass (i.e. regulatory strategy, regulatory intelligence, document submission and management). If you have an interest, identify and work with potential mentors who can support your growth and build a network of trusted colleagues to help you navigate the field.
Bruce: You never know where your path will take you but embrace every opportunity and continue to focus on what motivates you. Build a cohort of professional and academic colleagues with whom you can continue to grow and always seek out a mentor to support your growth. Also, it is always a good idea to keep the lines of communication open with Emory and Rollins.
More broadly, what advice do you have for current students looking to pursue public health roles?
Ami: Explore any and all of your interests, carve your path and create your own niche. It’s not about the path you take, it’s about your unique story — made up of your lessons learned and how you choose to apply them to each new step. Value your relationships above all else and work to cultivate these relationships—the field of global health is a much smaller world than you may think.
Bruce: My advice is always to think broadly and evaluate all potential opportunities that will come from your public health background. Your skill set is needed. Allow it to take you beyond academia, NGO’s, and government work, which often tend to be the first stop for many public health professionals. Look into the business world and explore opportunities there as well.
How has your work changed your perception of public health work (if at all)?
Ami: I focus my efforts on developing vaccines and immunotherapies for diseases of public health importance—innovation, communication, and collaboration are core public health principles that form the basis of my work.
Bruce: Public health is constantly evolving. I see a real need for continued collaboration between the public and private sectors to spark continued innovation for addressing issues of importance.
Want to connect with Ami and Bruce or more alumni like them? Check out our RSPH Alumni Group on LinkedIn and Emory Connects.