Ulrike Buchwald, MD
Merck
Ulrike Buchwald is Scientific Associate Vice President and Therapeutic Area Head, Vaccines, in Translational Medicine at Merck Research Laboratories (MRL). In this role, she draws on her clinical, public health, and basic science expertise to advance novel vaccines that address global unmet needs.
Ulrike joined MRL in 2015 as Director in Vaccines Global Clinical Development, focusing on HPV and Zoster vaccines. From 2017 to 2024, she played a central role in pneumococcal vaccine development in positions of increasing responsibility, including as program lead for PNEUMOVAX23 and the adult VAXNEUVANCE program and as Section Head overseeing the development of CAPVAXIVE and next-generation pneumococcal vaccines. Since June 2024, she has been responsible for early vaccine development across all programs.
Ulrike received her MD and Dr. med. degrees from the Freie Universität Berlin in Germany and postgraduate degrees from the London School of Hygiene &Tropical Medicine. She completed an Internal Medicine residency and Infectious Diseases fellowship at New York University and conducted research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and at the Medical Research Council in The Gambia. Before joining Merck, she was faculty at the University of Maryland, focusing on HIV, tuberculosis, and HPV-related care and research. She continues to see patients at Johns Hopkins University.
Ulrike joined MRL in 2015 as Director in Vaccines Global Clinical Development, focusing on HPV and Zoster vaccines. From 2017 to 2024, she played a central role in pneumococcal vaccine development in positions of increasing responsibility, including as program lead for PNEUMOVAX23 and the adult VAXNEUVANCE program and as Section Head overseeing the development of CAPVAXIVE and next-generation pneumococcal vaccines. Since June 2024, she has been responsible for early vaccine development across all programs.
Ulrike received her MD and Dr. med. degrees from the Freie Universität Berlin in Germany and postgraduate degrees from the London School of Hygiene &Tropical Medicine. She completed an Internal Medicine residency and Infectious Diseases fellowship at New York University and conducted research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and at the Medical Research Council in The Gambia. Before joining Merck, she was faculty at the University of Maryland, focusing on HIV, tuberculosis, and HPV-related care and research. She continues to see patients at Johns Hopkins University.
