Amanda Arnold Sees the Innovation Ecosystem from a Unique Perch
Apr 16, 2024
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Amanda Arnold, VP at Valneva, discusses vaccine policy, neglected diseases, global distribution, and career transitions with a focus on supporting the innovation ecosystem in science policy.
Science policy involves navigating innovation in society and integrating policies with scientific advancements.
Vaccine development companies balance commercial markets with humanitarian aid through strategic stockpiling and global access efforts.
Convergence-based research integrating life sciences and engineering drives collaborative solutions to complex challenges and shapes future research directions.
Deep dives
Defining Science Policy
Amanda Arnold discusses her definition of science policy in the podcast, highlighting the importance of innovation in society and how policies relate to science in daily activities. She emphasizes the role of science within the context of innovation in Washington and the unique community dedicated to science policy in the US.
Role of Industry in Science Policy
Arnold explains her work as a vice president for governmental affairs and policy at a vaccine development company, focusing on neglected and tropical disease vaccines. She delves into the company's efforts to balance commercial markets with humanitarian aid, advocating for smart stockpiling and ensuring global access to their products through licensing agreements.
Convergence-Based Research
Arnold shares her involvement in convergence-based research during her time at MIT, emphasizing the integration of life sciences with engineering to enhance research funding streams. She discusses the need for a collaborative approach to address complex challenges and the significant impact of convergence in shaping future research directions.
Motivations in Science Policy
Arnold's motivation stems from her desire to prevent pandemics and improve global health through vaccine development. She reflects on her career trajectory moving between political, federal agency, academia, and private sector roles to better contribute to the innovation ecosystem and address critical public health challenges.
Global Response to Pandemics
Arnold highlights the shift towards global collaboration in vaccine development post-pandemic, emphasizing the importance of a coordinated international response. She discusses working on state and global levels to ensure equitable vaccine distribution and stockpiling to prevent future outbreaks, showcasing the evolution of vaccine development strategies to address global health challenges.
In this installment of Science Policy IRL, we explore another sector of science policy: private industry. Amanda Arnold is the vice president of governmental affairs and policy at Valneva, a private vaccine development company, where she works on policy for creating, manufacturing, and distributing vaccines that address unmet medical needs, such as for Lyme and Zika.
Arnold has worked in the science policy realm for over twenty years, first as a policy staffer for a US senator, then as a legislative liaison for the National Institutes of Health, and as a senior policy advisor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Arnold talks to editor Megan Nicholson about the role industry plays in the science policy enterprise and what she has learned about the US innovation ecosystem from working across sectors.
Resources:
Read Amanda Arnold’s Issues article, “Rules for Operating at Warp Speed,” to learn about how the government can work to rapidly respond to future crises.
