Richard Wilder leads legal efforts in support of fair and equitable access to vaccines
CONCORD, NH – Richard Wilder, General Counsel and Director of Business Development at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), will be the keynote at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law’s 46th commencement on Saturday, May 22, 2021. A 1984 graduate of UNH Franklin Pierce, Wilder’s legal and policy support to the Global Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation helped launch the development and delivery of drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics in the developing world. Now, through his work at CEPI, he works at the forefront of the global development and distribution of the COVAX vaccine for COVID-19.
Committed to accelerating the development and manufacture of vaccines to every country in the world, CEPI is expected to pioneer the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history through its COVAX shipments. With plans to deliver close to 2 billion does of COVID-19 vaccines this year, CEPI is working to guarantee fair and equitable access to the vaccine to citizens around the world, including those from low- to middle-income countries, where vaccines are typically under-deployed.
“Richard Wilder’s groundbreaking work at the intersection of law, health, and equity is an inspiration to the entire legal community,” said Megan Carpenter, dean at the law school. “As our graduating students embark on their legal careers during this extraordinary time, I can think of no better message than one focused on innovation, global collaboration, equity and access, and perseverance in the face of crisis.”
CEPI, launched at the World Economic Forum in 2017, was created due to the failure of the public health community in the face of the Ebola crisis. Now, as our world has entered a new era of pandemic and epidemic risk, the work of CEPI holds new significance as its primary purpose is to fund the development of vaccines. In partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, CEPI developed COVAX in an effort to accelerate the development and manufacture of vaccines to ensure the protection of the future health of our society.
In addition to serving as Associate General Counsel in the Global Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Richard has also held positions as Associate General Counsel for Intellectual Property Policy at Microsoft Corporation and Director of the Global Intellectual Property Issues Division of the World Intellectual Property Organization and has lobbied on behalf of multiple organizations, including the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, Medicines for Malaria Venture, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
Wilder earned a JD degree from UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law and a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington (Seattle). For more information about Franklin Pierce School of Law’s May commencement, go to https://law.unh.edu/commencement
