Jay K. Varma, MD

    Jay K. Varma, MD
    Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
    Jay K. Varma, MD, joined SIGA as the Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer in September 2023. He has also served on the SIGA Board of Directors since November 2022.  Dr. Varma was previously a Professor of Population Health Sciences and Director of the Cornell Center for Pandemic Prevention and Response at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Varma is an expert on the prevention and control of diseases, having led epidemic responses, developed global and national policies, and led large-scale programs that have saved hundreds of thousands of lives in China, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the United States.  From 2001-2021, he worked for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with postings in Atlanta, Thailand, China, Ethiopia, and New York City. Recruited by the Mayor of New York at the peak of the COVID epidemic, Dr. Varma served from April 2020 to May 2021 as the principal scientific spokesperson and architect for New York City’s COVID-19 pandemic response, including the largest diagnostic testing and contact tracing programs in the country, the phased re-opening of businesses, the health policies and practices for the safe re-opening of the largest public school system in the country, and vaccination campaigns. In September 2021, Dr. Varma joined Weill Cornell Medicine to conduct research, training, and programs on public health and direct a new center focused on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.  Dr. Varma graduated with highest honors from Harvard for his undergraduate education, and completed medical school, internal medicine residency, and chief residency at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

    Evan Knisely

      Evan Knisely

      Evan A. Knisely is the founder of Tides Group, LLC, a boutique corporate strategy and government relations consulting firm. Tides Group, LLC was founded in October 2020. Prior to establishing Tides Group, Mr. Knisely served between 2006 and 2020 as an executive with MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated, a private diversified holding company with investments in publicly traded and privately held companies. Most recently, Mr. Knisely served as Executive Vice President, Government Affairs managing all federal public policy, regulatory, and political matters for MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated and its affiliated companies. Preceding MacAndrews and Forbes, Mr. Knisely served for eight years as Vice President at Van Scoyoc Associates, Inc., a government relations firm. Mr. Knisely is a member of the Ford’s Theatre Board of Trustees; a past president of the Business-Government Relations Council; and sits on the Limited Partner Advisory Committee of Cobro Ventures Opportunity Fund, L.P. Mr. Knisely is a graduate of Tufts University.

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