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Public Health · Epidemiology · Vaccine PolicyTamara
Tamara
Pilishvili
PhD · MPH
Public-health leader with over 25 years bridging epidemiology, vaccine policy, and real-world evidence — from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to industry medical affairs at GSK.
25+
Years Experience
50+
Publications
CDC
Public Health Leadership
GSK
US Medical Affairs Lead
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Driving Impact at the Nexus of Science & Policy
Vaccine epidemiologist and medical-affairs leader with deep expertise in pneumococcal and respiratory diseases. Spent more than two decades at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leading pneumococcal disease surveillance, vaccine effectiveness, and national policy work — including ACIP's Pneumococcal Work Group and CDC's COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Team.
Now US Medical Affairs Lead at GSK Vaccines, translating epidemiologic evidence into policy, payer, and reimbursement strategy across pediatric and adult vaccine portfolios. Recognized for leading complex observational studies, shaping national immunization guidance, and engaging WHO, BMGF, Gavi, and global advisory groups on vaccine impact and access.
- Vaccine Epidemiology
- Pneumococcal Disease
- Vaccine Effectiveness
- Real-World Evidence
- ACIP Policy
- Medical Affairs
- COVID-19 Vaccines
- Global Health
Vaccine Effectiveness
Designing and leading observational and real-world VE studies across pneumococcal, COVID-19, and pediatric vaccine portfolios.
Pneumococcal Disease
Two decades of CDC leadership on pneumococcal surveillance, serotype dynamics, and conjugate vaccine impact in the U.S. and globally.
Immunization Policy
CDC lead to ACIP's Pneumococcal Work Group; co-author on multiple ACIP recommendations for adult and pediatric vaccination.
Real-World Evidence
RWE strategy across federal and industry settings — disease burden, economic modeling, and HTA-relevant evidence to inform payer decisions.
Global Public Health
Technical assistance to ministries of health in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe on vaccine introduction, surveillance, and impact assessment.
Medical Affairs Leadership
Cross-functional leadership of US Medical Matrix Teams at GSK Vaccines — integrating epidemiology, health outcomes, and economic evidence.
Professional Journey
From CDC's Active Bacterial Core Surveillance bench to leading national immunization policy and US Medical Affairs at GSK.
Feb 2023 — Present
US Medical Affairs Lead, Pipeline & Established Pediatric Vaccines
GSK Vaccines · US Medical and Clinical Affairs
Lead a cross-functional US Medical Matrix Team integrating epidemiology, health outcomes, and economic evidence to support vaccine policy and reimbursement decisions across the pneumococcal, influenza/COVID, and pediatric portfolios.
- Real-world evidence strategy
- Payer & HTA engagement
- Pediatric & adult indications
- Advisory board convening
Jan 2022 — Feb 2023
Team Lead, Vaccine Effectiveness & Policy
CDC · Respiratory Viruses Branch / NCIRD
Directed CDC's Vaccine Effectiveness and Policy Team — 13 epidemiologists, statisticians, and fellows — overseeing the COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness portfolio (>$100M) that informed ACIP recommendations and federal vaccine guidance.
- COVID-19 VE portfolio
- ACIP work-group leadership
- Congressional & media SME
Aug 2004 — Jan 2022
Senior Epidemiologist · Pneumococcal Disease & Vaccine Policy Lead
CDC · Respiratory Diseases Branch / NCIRD
Led the pneumococcal disease and vaccine policy program; CDC lead to ACIP's Pneumococcal Work Group (2008–2018). Directed RWE studies on pneumococcal surveillance and vaccine evaluation in the U.S. and globally with WHO, BMGF, USAID, and Gavi.
- ACIP Pneumococcal Work Group
- Global vaccine introduction support
- Ebola & COVID-19 emergency response leadership
- Bacterial respiratory disease surveillance
Jul 2001 — Aug 2004
Surveillance Coordinator, Active Bacterial Core Surveillance
CDC · Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases
Coordinated multistate ABCs surveillance for invasive bacterial pathogens — the network that powered the foundational pre- and post-PCV7 epidemiology of pneumococcal disease in the United States.
Dec 1995 — Jul 2001
Guest Researcher · Respiratory & Mycotic Diseases
CDC · National Center for Infectious Diseases
Bench and methods-development work on pneumococcal immunology and opsonophagocytic assays, contributing to the early measurement infrastructure for pneumococcal vaccine evaluation.
EDUCATION
PhD, Epidemiology
Emory University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
MPH, Epidemiology
Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University
BS, Microbiology
Georgia State University
Medical Studies
Tbilisi State Medical University, Republic of Georgia
Select Publications
A curated selection from peer-reviewed work in vaccine epidemiology, pneumococcal disease, and COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness.
High-Impact Journals
Landmark Pneumococcal Vaccine for Adults Aged ≥19 Years: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, United States, 2023
MMWR Recommendations & Reports·2023
Landmark Effectiveness of mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine Among U.S. Health Care Personnel
New England Journal of Medicine·2021
Landmark Sustained Reductions in Invasive Pneumococcal Disease in the Era of Conjugate Vaccine
Journal of Infectious Diseases·2010
Effectiveness of 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine for Prevention of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease Among U.S. Children, 2010–2019
Vaccine·2024
Use of 15-Valent and 20-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines Among U.S. Adults: Updated ACIP Recommendations
MMWR Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report·2022
Decline in Invasive Pneumococcal Disease after the Introduction of Protein-Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine
New England Journal of Medicine·2003
NEJM
Lancet · JAMA · CID — published in top-tier journals
MMWR
CDC Morbidity & Mortality Weekly — multiple ACIP recommendations
50+
Peer-reviewed publications spanning 25+ years of vaccine epidemiology
Portfolio
Long-form case studies, talks, and policy briefs — currently being curated.
ACIP Policy Briefs
Behind-the-scenes notes on the evidence pipeline that fed adult pneumococcal recommendations, from surveillance to ACIP work-group review.
Coming SoonSpeaking Engagements
Recent talks at scientific congresses, advisory boards, and HTA panels on real-world vaccine effectiveness and policy translation.
Coming SoonSelected Webinars
Recorded technical webinars on pneumococcal vaccine impact, COVID-19 VE methods, and evidence-to-policy translation for healthcare audiences.
Coming Soon
Let's Collaborate
Open to discussing vaccine epidemiology, real-world evidence partnerships, ACIP / HTA evidence reviews, advisory engagements, and speaking invitations.