Podcast

mRNA technology will democratize healthcare in a way this industry has not seen before.

In this episode of the HLTH Matters podcast, Saul talks to Shannon Klinger, chief legal officer and corporate secretary at Moderna and president of the Moderna Charitable Foundation, about how they are making groundbreaking advances in vaccine technology and actively improving health equity worldwide. Moderna is a platform technology company that played a significant role in the COVID-19 pandemic by developing an mRNA vaccine. This technology stimulates the human body to fight a targeted disease through a vaccine that can be quickly marketed, a transformative step for public health. Shannon also discusses Moderna’s Charitable Foundation, Global Public Health Strategy, and mRNA Access program as ways the company tackles healthcare disparities like vaccine inequity worldwide with funding, presence, and shared knowledge.

Tune in to learn more about Moderna’s contributions to making a difference in public health!

About Shannon Klinger:

As Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Shannon Thyme Klinger leads Moderna’s legal, governance, and corporate compliance efforts.

Ms. Klinger joined Moderna from Novartis (NYSE: NVS), serving as Chief Legal Officer and a member of the Novartis Executive Committee since 2018. Previously, she served as Chief Ethics, Risk & Compliance Officer. During her ten-year tenure at Novartis, she held other roles of increasing responsibility, including as Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer and Global Head of Litigation, General Counsel, and Global Head of Legal at Sandoz, a Novartis division.

Throughout her career, Ms. Klinger’s work has focused on driving long-term business performance and building trust with society, including ensuring access to medicine, protecting innovation with intellectual property, championing the responsible use of data, and enabling excellence in product launches. She is also a committed advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Ms. Klinger served on the board of directors of the SIX Group in Switzerland from 2016 to 2020.

Ms. Klinger received her Juris Doctorate with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Notre Dame. She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and the District of Columbia Bar.

Things You’ll Learn:

• Moderna has focused on infectious diseases and commits to creating transformative therapies for patients with the power of mRNA.
• The World Health Organization releases a flu strain selection in March or April every year. 
• The Moderna Charitable Foundation was initially endowed with $50 million. 
• The Foundation recently announced $4 million worth of grants in sub-Saharan Africa to organizations focused on clinical training and workforce development on educating about vaccines.
• In 2023, Moderna partnered with the African Union to commit 100 million doses of their most updated variant vaccine for low-middle-income countries. 
• Moderna has a program called mRNA Access, where they partner with researchers and universities worldwide to give them access to their platform, research, and scientific advice, thus tackling public health challenges together.

Resources:

• Connect with and follow Shannon Klinger on LinkedIn.
• Follow Moderna on LinkedIn.
• Discover the Moderna Website!
• Check out the mRNA Access Website!
• Visit Moderna’s Charitable Foundation Website!