Ellen Strahlman, MD, MHSc

Dr Ellen Strahlman is currently Chief Medical Officer for Becton, Dickinson and Company.

She was previously Senior Vice President, Office of the CEO, and Global Head, Neglected Tropical Diseases for GlaxoSmithKline. In this capacity, she led the company’s many programs and activities in Global Health, served on the Board of Directors for ViiV Healthcare, plc, was the Senior Executive Advisor to the CEO Future Strategy Group, Vaccines Public Health Program and PULSE Volunteer Program, and provided specific support to the CEO for medical matters relating to public health, access to medicine programs, corporate development activities, and other external engagement efforts.

Ellen joined GSK in August 2008, as the Chief Medical Officer for the company. In this role, as the most senior physician leader of the company, she had primary responsibility for matters of patient safety, general medical governance, medical ethics and integrity, medical information, and investigations involving human subjects relating to any GSK product (pharmaceutical, biological and consumer healthcare medicinal products) in development and on the market. She was appointed to her new role in the Office of the CEO in March 2012. Prior to joining GSK, Ellen was Vice President, Worldwide Business Development at Pfizer. Earlier in her career, Ellen held senior leadership positions at Bausch & Lomb, Merck & Co. and, more recently, at Novartis and Virgoen Ltd.

Accompanying her work in industry, Ellen has been a champion and spokesperson for public health and world heath issues, including HIV and blinding eye diseases. She is a graduate of Harvard University (Biochemical Sciences and Applied Mathematics) and obtained her medical degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She has medical qualifications in general surgery and ophthalmology, together with a Masters Degree in Health Sciences.