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Amy Finan
CEO, Sabin Vaccine Institute
Amy Finan is the Chief Executive Officer of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, a position she has held since April 2016.1 As CEO, she has led the development and implementation of a new organizational strategy focused on making vaccines more accessible, enabling innovation, and expanding immunization globally.1
Career Highlights
Under Finan's leadership, Sabin has achieved several notable accomplishments:
- Launched a new R&D program in 2019, securing a license from GSK to develop vaccines against Ebola Sudan and Marburg viruses1
- Rebuilt Sabin's immunization programs and strengthened relationships with global organizations like WHO, Gavi, UNICEF, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation1
- Expanded disease surveillance programs to aid countries in vaccine introduction decisions1
- Implemented educational programs for journalists to report accurately on vaccines1
Previous Experience
Before joining Sabin, Finan's career included:
- Senior Vice President at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) for 11 years1
- President of the Biotechnology Institute1
- Corporate communications and investor relations lead at EntreMed, Inc.1
- Director of government relations at the National Association for Biomedical Research1
Education and Personal
Amy Finan studied at the London School of Economics & Political Science and graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science from Trinity College in Washington, D.C.1 A native of Columbus, Ohio, she has lived in the Washington, D.C. area for over 35 years and currently resides in Bethesda, Maryland, with her family.1
Recent Activities
Finan has been actively involved in Sabin's efforts to combat infectious diseases:
- She recently visited Rwanda's Marburg Command Post, supporting the country's efforts to manage the Marburg virus outbreak2
- Under her leadership, Sabin delivered over 1,700 doses of the Marburg virus vaccine to protect frontline health workers in Rwanda2
Amy Finan continues to lead Sabin Vaccine Institute in its mission to make vaccines more accessible and expand immunization across the globe.13
Highlights
Last night, I had the privilege of being in the presence of individuals whose scientific brilliance is matched only by their unwavering dedication to the less fortunate. It takes a special sort of person to give up the course of comfort and embark on that rockier journey, dedicating much of their lives and careers to making life-saving vaccinations accessible in under-resourced countries. For over 30 years, the Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal has been a beacon of scientific excellence and a testament to the transformative power of vaccines. The award recognizes the outstanding contributions of vaccinologists to the global health arena. Every Gold Medal Recipient has embodied Dr. Sabin’s abiding belief that immunization is as much about equity and health justice as it is about science. We saw that same ethos sparkle brightly last night as we celebrated 2024 recipients Dr. Keith Klugman and Dr. Shabir Madhi at our annual Gold Medal and Rising Star ceremony at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C. Keith and Shabir are South African physician-scientists whose contributions to vaccines for pneumonia and diarrheal diseases have saved more than 3.5 million lives in recent decades. Their research has helped pave the way for the introduction of pivotal vaccines in immunization programs – including the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, where their findings significantly influenced vaccination policy in the Global South. In recent years, vaccines have become increasingly politicized and pulled into a maelstrom of misinformation and disinformation. While the pandemic shone a spotlight on the power of vaccines, it has also underlined the issue of vaccine hesitancy which remains a global health threat. No country is exempt from this: here we are again in the United States with a measles resurgence right on our doorstep. Many have forgotten what it is to have lost lives and livelihoods from diseases because of #vaccines, a victim of its unparalleled ability to prevent disease and save lives. Our 2024 Rising Star Prof. Nicole E. Basta gives me terrific hope as her research focuses on identifying new evidence to improve vaccination uptake and overall health in communities. The Rising Star award honors an emerging vaccine leader with a demonstrated commitment to the field of immunization. Nicole is all that and more. A first-generation college graduate, Nicole is now mentoring the next cohort of public health researchers through her teaching and research lab. Each year at the close of this ceremony, I come away feeling optimistic and energized by those I meet from around the world, with renewed belief in Sabin's delivery model which centers on investing in local partners and codesigning approaches with stakeholders on the ground -- so that they are applicable to a community context with the highest chance of adoption.#vaccineswork
More on our 2024 Awardees: https://bit.ly/3xQ9yqO Wits Faculty of Health Sciences Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
I have exciting news to share. Today, Sabin kicked off a Phase 2 clinical trial for our #Marburg vaccine candidate. The end goal: To protect communities against this lethal disease and avert the next Marburg outbreak. For a small-sized nonprofit like Sabin, this is a giant step forward. I am grateful for the many who helped get us here: the unstoppable perseverance and persistence of our R&D team who pulled many long nights to make this possible; our funders Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA); our manufacturing partner REITHERA, our past and current colleagues at the The National Institutes of Health Vaccine Research Center and GSK, and the list goes on. Now, Sabin’s principal investigators, Dr. Betty Mwesigwa at Makerere University Walter Reed Project, and Dr. Nduba Videlis at the Kenya Medical Research Institute have joined the team to head up our Phase 2 trial with sites in Kampala, Uganda and Siaya, Kenya, respectively. All these collaborative efforts came to fruition this morning when Dr. Mwesigwa’s team administered the Sabin Marburg vaccine to the first healthy adult participants in Uganda, a country familiar with the death and illness unleashed by Marburg. Dr. Nduba’s team in Kenya will start enrolling volunteers in the coming months. In 2024, we plan to conduct a similar Phase 2 clinical trial in the United States. There are currently no approved vaccines for Marburg -- or for Sudan ebolavirus which is the other filovirus vaccine candidate that we are readying for a Phase 2 clinical trial. These viruses strike hard and are doing so with increased frequency, especially in the African continent – on average, one of every two individuals sickened by Marburg and Sudan #ebolavirus diseases succumbs to it. As we learned from COVID-19, pandemics are inherently unpredictable. An uncontained outbreak in one remote place can rapidly become a global conflagration. Vaccines such as this one for Marburg are essential to get ahead of such a crisis.
Read more in our news release:
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Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.