Biden Administration Appoints Renee Wegrzyn as Director of the ARPA-H

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) was proposed by the Biden Administration on March 15, 2022, as a government organization to drive biomedical and healthcare innovation. Under the NIH, this agency will help the United States further establish its role in biomedical research. In a recent press release, President Biden appointed Renee Wegrzyn, PhD, current vice president of business at Ginkgo Bioworks, as Director of the ARPA-H.

According to the press release, “President Biden created ARPA-H in March 2022 to push the limits of US biomedical and health research and innovation. ARPA-H will embrace proven models of tapping talent and expertise from across industry, academia, and government to bring new ideas and approaches, as well as the ability to marshal resources through public–private partnerships.”

In addition to efforts meant to increase industry advancements, the ARPA-H will also focus on equity. Part of the agency’s mission is to promote equal access to healthcare across all patient populations.

Wegrzyn currently works on natural synthetics as they apply to infectious diseases. In her position as vice president of Ginkgo Bioworks, she has worked on biomanufacturing, vaccine development and innovation, and biosurveillance.

Furthermore, the press release states, “Wegrzyn served on the scientific advisory boards for the National Academies of Science Board on Army Research and Development, Revive & Restore, Air Force Research Labs, Nuclear Threat Initiative, and the Innovative Genomics Institute. She holds doctorate and bachelor’s degrees in applied biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology, was a fellow in the Center for Health Security Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative (ELBI), and completed her postdoctoral training as an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow in Heidelberg, Germany.”

With her vast experience in the scientific community, members of the industry are hopeful that she will be a good leader for this agency. While Wegrzyn has not yet started her role, the organization is gearing up to welcome her. As the administration continues to make efforts to advance scientific research, the public will watch how the policies unfold.