Senior Director, Global Safety Physician Lead COVID-19 Franchise

Dr. Veronica V. Urdaneta is a distinguished physician and public health expert with over three decades of experience spanning clinical medicine, epidemiology, pharmacovigilance, and regulatory affairs. She currently serves as the Global Clinical Safety Lead for the COVID-19 Franchise, Marburg, and HIV programs at Moderna, where she directs a comprehensive clinical safety and risk management program. In this role, she leads a team of safety physicians and oversees the development of pharmacovigilance strategies, regulatory submissions, and safety communications for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines globally. Dr. Urdaneta was born in Venezuela and earned her medical degree from Zulia University in 1989. She later completed dual Master of Public Health degrees in Epidemiology, one from Zulia University and another from Johns Hopkins University. She also completed a fellowship in Malariology and Tropical Diseases. Before joining Moderna, Dr. Urdaneta held senior safety roles at Merck, Endo Pharmaceuticals, and Janssen, contributing to the safety assessment of vaccines and therapeutic products. Her earlier career includes a notable tenure as State Epidemiologist at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, where she directed statewide infectious disease surveillance and pandemic preparedness. Her work has led to numerous regulatory approvals and influential publications in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Urdaneta is also a frequent speaker at international conferences and has served as a public health spokesperson and advisor at both state and national levels in the U.S. She holds memberships in professional societies such as IDSA, ISPE, and ASTMH, reflecting her ongoing commitment to advancing public health and vaccine safety.