Robert Walker, MD

Dr. Walker is the Director of the Division of Clinical Development (DCD) and (Acting) Chief Medical Officer in the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). The DCD manages the Clinical Studies Network and is responsible for oversight of the coordination, execution, and analysis of interventional clinical studies funded by BARDA intended to support licensure and Emergency Use Authorization of medical countermeasures. Dr. Walker joined BARDA in 2014, and oversees a diverse portfolio of vaccines, therapeutics, and devices in clinical development for potential use in public health emergencies. Prior to joining BARDA, Dr. Walker was Chief Medical Officer at Nuron Biotech in Exton, PA. His other prior work in clinical development includes directing tuberculosis vaccine clinical trials at Aeras, and positions of increasing responsibility at MedImmune, Inc., where he oversaw the late-stage clinical development and U.S. marketing approval of FluMist intranasal influenza vaccine, and where he managed the respiratory virus vaccines and inflammatory and pulmonary diseases portfolios, international expansion activities, and phase 4/epidemiology studies. Before working in the biotech industry, Dr. Walker was a clinical investigator at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and an attending physician in Critical Care Medicine at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. Dr. Walker earned his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and received his internal medicine training at George Washington University and his subspecialty training in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.