About Us
Our Mission: COMPASS works across disciplines to develop innovative solutions for US and global access to safe, effective, and trusted medical products that address the world’s pressing public health challenges.
People throughout the world need access to lifesaving drugs, vaccines, and medical devices whether to prevent or treat chronic illnesses, or to respond to the latest public health threat or outbreak, a future influenza or other pandemic, or the increasing problem of drug-resistant infections. Not only is access critical, but people everywhere rightfully expect high standards of safety and effectiveness and clear communication of what is and is not known about benefits and potential risks.
Solutions to these challenges cannot come from one group alone, but require collaboration across disciplines—from the medical, behavioral, communications and social sciences to law and foreign relations—and across sectors—from academia to governments to manufacturers and health systems and the public.
The Center on Medical Product Access, Safety and Stewardship (COMPASS) is uniquely situated to bring experts and decision makers together to find solutions. COMPASS marshals the resources of a renowned university in the heart of the nation’s capital to convene partners to address pressing challenges in novel ways.
At COMPASS we are committed to partnership and to agile, multidisciplinary solutions that have real world impact.
Our Team
Jesse L. Goodman, MD, MPH
Director, Center on Medical Product Access, Safety and Stewardship
Senior Scholar, O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University
Chair, Expert Vaccine Analysis Team
Jesse L. Goodman, MD, MPH is Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases and Attending Physician in Infectious Diseases at Georgetown University. Dr. Goodman also Chairs the Expert Vaccine Analysis Team, a multi-institutional cadre of independent, highly experienced and trusted vaccine experts hosted at Georgetown University.
From 2019–2014, he was the Chief Scientist of the FDA. He had broad responsibility for strategic leadership of FDA’s crosscutting scientific and public health efforts, including public health preparedness and medical countermeasures. Dr. Goodman led the 2009 H1N1 pandemic response and medical countermeasure review for FDA, serving as a member of the HHS Senior Leadership team and the White House Medical Countermeasure Review Group.
From 2003 to 2009, Dr. Goodman directed FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), overseeing activities critical to US and global preparedness and the development, evaluation, safety, quality, and availability of vaccines, cell and gene therapies, blood products and other biologics. As Senior Advisor to the Commissioner from 1998–2000, he initiated and co-chaired the US Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance, producing the first Public Health Action Plan to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance.
Dr. Goodman has served on the Decade of Vaccines Research and Development Group and on numerous CDC, NIH, DOD, and WHO Advisory and Review Committees, , including the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE). Previously, he was Professor of Medicine and Chief of Infectious Diseases at the University of Minnesota where his laboratory first isolated and characterized Anaplasma phagocytophilum, an emerging tick-borne infection.
A graduate of Harvard, he received his MD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and did residency and fellowship training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and at UCLA, where he was also Chief Medical Resident. He received his MPH from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Goodman is Board Certified in Medicine, Infectious Diseases, and Oncology and has authored numerous scientific papers and edited the book Tick-Borne Diseases of Humans (ASM Press). He has been elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation and to the National Academy of Medicine (Institute of Medicine).
Marcela Aguilar, MHS
Coordinator, Expert Vaccine Analysis Team
Marcela Aguilar, MHS, is a senior communications leader with experience translating complex global health initiatives into compelling, action-driven narratives. Most recently, she served as Communications Director for Breakthrough ACTION at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, where she led integrated communications strategy for USAID’s $504 million flagship global health social and behavior change project spanning 45 countries. Under her leadership, the project grew its digital reach, dramatically expanding its website audience, social media following, and email subscriber base while producing hundreds of publications, webinars, and reports.
Earlier in her career, Marcela directed communications and research initiatives for CDC, SAMHSA, USAID, and the National Eye Institute, tackling issues such as Zika prevention, diabetic eye disease, suicide prevention, and HIV/AIDS across the US, Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
She holds a Master of Health Sciences in Behavioral Sciences and Health Education from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a BA in Anthropology from Wheaton College, MA. Her work has earned numerous accolades, including a Communicator Award of Distinction, two Platinum Hermes Creative Awards, National Association of Government Communicators Awards, and a ClearMark Plan Language Award. She is a published author with credits spanning peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and international conference presentations.
Expert Vaccine Analysis Team
The Expert Vaccine Analysis Team (EVAT) is a multi-institutional cadre of independent, highly experienced and trusted vaccine experts that is hosted and supported by COMPASS. EVAT members include former FDA, CDC, and HHS leaders, academicians and policy experts with extensive expertise in vaccine science, immunization, medicine, communications and public health.
Work With Us
COMING SOON! Interested in tackling public health challenges? Check out our open positions and opportunities.