Gail J. Cassell, PhD, is currently vice president of Scientific Affairs and Distinguished Lilly Research Scholar for Infectious Diseases, Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the former vice president of Infectious Diseases Drug Discovery and Clinical Development of Eli Lilly and the former Charles H. McCauley professor and chairman of the Department of Microbiology at the University of Alabama Schools of Medicine and Dentistry at Birmingham - a department which ranked first in research funding from the National Institutes of Health during the decade of her leadership.

Dr. Cassell has received national and international awards and an honorary degree for her research in infectious diseases, including the CDC Honor Award in Public Health for exceptional leadership and contributions in the development and implementation of CDC’s Emerging Infectious Disease Plan 1997 and a Citation from the FDA Commissioner for her role as chair of the review of science and technology at the FDA and the Report FDA: Science and Mission at Risk 2008 and the Emmy Klineberger-Nobel Award in 2008 for outstanding and sustained research contributions to the field of mycoplasmology. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences and is currently serving a second 3-year term on the IOM Council, the governing board.

Dr. Cassell has been intimately involved in establishment of science policy and legislation related to biomedical research and public health. For nine years she was chairman of the Public and Scientific Affairs Board of the American Society for Microbiology; has served as an adviser on infectious diseases and indirect costs of research to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and has been an invited participant in numerous Congressional hearings and briefings related to infectious diseases, anti-microbial resistance, and biomedical research. She has served two terms on the LCME, the accrediting body for U.S. medical schools as well as other national committees involved in establishing policies in training in the biomedical sciences. She is an Emeritus Member of the Board of Research!America and a former member and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Burroughs Welcome Fund. She has just completed a term on the Leadership Council of the School of Public Health of Harvard University. Currently she is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Visitors of Columbia University School of Medicine, the Advisory Council of the School of Nursing of Johns Hopkins, and the Advisory Council of the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health.