Dr Melvin Sanicas

Dr Melvin Sanicas is a physician-scientist specializing in global health, immunology, and preventive medicine. He is currently the International Medical Director (Screening Portfolio) at Exact Sciences, managing research, clinical studies, and educational medical activities for novel technologies in cancer screening. He is also the co-host of Global Health Cast, a TED educator, and a consultant advisor for early stage life science and digital health startups. His lessons on some of the most important diseases (influenza, meningitis, tuberculosis, COVID-19) have been translated into over 25 different languages and viewed over 15 million times worldwide by students in schools and learners at home. Before joining Exact Sciences, Dr Sanicas held several positions across the biopharmaceutical industry, including Senior Global Medical Director at Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Global Medical Director and Clinical Development Medical Excellence Director at Takeda Pharmaceuticals based in Zurich and Regional Medical Director for Japan and the Asia Pacific region at Sanofi based in Singapore. Dr Sanicas was a Global Health Fellow and a Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington where he managed a portfolio of over USD 20 million of capability building and research projects in Europe, US, Asia, and Africa and launched the Collaboration for TB Vaccine Discovery (CTVD). He was a visiting scientist at the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative at the University of Cape Town and a TB Fellow at the Curry International Tuberculosis Center at the University of California in San Francisco.

Dr Sanicas earned his bachelor’s degree (cum laude) and Doctor of Medicine (MD) from the University of the Philippines Manila, Master of Science (MSc) degree in Vaccinology and Pharmaceutical Clinical Development (cum laude) from the Università di Siena in Italy, MSc in Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Master of Business Administration (MBA) specializing in Human Resource Management (with merit) from the University of Leicester School of Business, Diploma of Infectious Diseases from the Institut Pasteur, Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in Health Economics from the University of Aberdeen, PGCert in Patient Safety & Clinical Risk Management from the University of Leeds, and Executive Certificate in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. He is a Chartered Manager, a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health, a Fellow of the Royal Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.