PATH leaders recognized at the highest levels of science and global governance
PATH is pleased to announce two recent milestone appointments:
Dr. Melanie Saville, PATH's Chief Scientific Officer, has been named Chair of the World Health Organization’s Product Development for Vaccines Advisory Committee (PDVAC), and Prof. Bilal Mateen, PATH's Chief AI Officer, has been appointed to the United Nations’ first Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence.
These recognitions, spanning vaccine development and artificial intelligence, reflect the breadth and depth of PATH's scientific leadership and the caliber of expertise the organization brings to the most pressing health challenges of our time.
Advancing vaccine innovation
Dr. Saville brings more than two decades of experience in vaccine research and development to her new role as PDVAC Chair. Her career has spanned the development of vaccines for seasonal and pandemic influenza, pediatric combinations, and vaccines against rabies, Japanese encephalitis, dengue, Ebola, and SARS-CoV-2. Before joining PATH in 2024, she served as Executive Director of Vaccine Research and Development at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), where she also led the R&D and manufacturing workstream for COVAX.
At PATH, Dr. Saville leads the product development division, overseeing global teams working on vaccines, medical devices, and diagnostics. Her appointment to the PDVAC Chair comes on the heels of PATH's Prix Galien Bridges Award for MenAfriVac, the meningitis A conjugate vaccine developed through a partnership that PATH co-led, which was recognized for its groundbreaking model of public-interest vaccine development.
"Melanie's appointment as Chair of WHO PDVAC reflects the depth of expertise and strategic vision she brings to vaccine development and global health. Her leadership will help ensure that life-saving vaccines are prioritized and accelerated for the communities that need them most, and underscores PATH's continued commitment to advancing access worldwide," says Nikolaj Gilbert, PATH President and CEO.
Shaping the global conversation on AI governance
Prof. Mateen was selected from more than 2,600 applicants through an open, merit-based process to serve on the UN's Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, the first fully independent global scientific body dedicated to assessing how artificial intelligence is transforming economies and societies. The panel of 40 experts, appointed by the UN General Assembly on February 12, 2026, will deliver its first report in July to inform the Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
A physician and academic by training, Prof. Mateen joined PATH as its inaugural Chief AI Officer in 2024, the first such role in the global health nonprofit sector. Under his leadership, PATH has built one of the most rigorous evidence bases for AI in health care delivery in low- and middle-income countries, including the largest Phase 3 randomized controlled trial of AI-based clinical decision support in Africa and benchmarking research published in Nature Health.
“Bilal’s work at PATH has always focused on making sure AI actually improves care for the communities who are too often left out. Having that perspective at the UN’s first independent scientific body on AI is incredibly important," says Kammerle Schneider, Chief Global Health Programs Officer at PATH.
PATH has always believed that the best global health solutions are grounded in rigorous science and shaped by the communities they are meant for. These appointments are a reflection of that commitment. From developing a vaccine that changed the trajectory of meningitis in Africa to producing the evidence base that policymakers need to govern AI responsibly, PATH's scientific leadership is being recognized where it matters most: in the institutions that set the direction for global health policy.
As Dr. Saville takes on her role guiding WHO's vaccine development priorities and Prof. Mateen brings his perspective on AI and health to the UN's governance agenda, PATH remains focused on what it has always done best: translating science into health impact for the communities that need it most.