Meet Our Founder

October 14th, 2024

GAIA Vaccine Foundation would like to take the opportunity to formally introduce our incredible founder, Dr. Annie De Groot. Dr. De Groot was our Scientific Director for many years and recently joined the Board of Directors. Our Content and Community Manager, Anja Schneider, spoke to Dr. De Groot her inspiration to create GAIA Vaccine Foundation as well as her hopes for the organization’s future.

The initial idea to start GAIA Vaccine Foundation derived from Dr. De Groot's time working on the development of a globally relevant HIV vaccine to fight the HIV epidemic. In particular, she was concerned that the current vaccines being developed in Europe and the United States were not based on the strains that were being transmitted in global epicenters, which at the time, was mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. De Groot wanted to re-strategize to address the potential gap in healthcare, and to do so, she began writing grants to assist in the initial development of vaccines in Sub-Saharan Africa. She found that the involvement of African scientists was a crucial aspect in the organization of her agenda, so she partnered with local clinics in Bamako, Mali. 
 

Dr. De Groot said that she did not have a background in setting up non-profit organizations, but her trusted first board members were compelled by the vision and set the foundation for promoting the strength of relationships between GAIA and institutions, hospitals and scientists in Mali. During this team, she was the lead scientist on the NIH grant for the global vaccine that was being developed in her lab at Brown University. As the organization transformed over the years, it began to encapsulate the vision of reducing the incidence of infectious diseases that disproportionately affect the under-served and promote the development of globally relevant, globally accessible vaccines that can be distributed on a not-for-profit basis in the developing world. These infectious disease incidences not only included HIV infections, but also tuberculosis, HPV, and more recently, COVID-19. 

When asked what she believes GAIA Vaccine Foundation has achieved since its inception, she stated “We have excelled at identifying technologies, methodologies, and tools, that address the problem of infectious diseases, and at piloting their adaptation in 'low resource setting' that is Mali, and then helping to promote their adaptation to become part of 'healthcare strategy' in Mali,”. Dr. De Groot cites the example of Hope Center Clinic, an HIV clinic that was created within an already existing community clinic- thus bringing care closer to affected patients. The Hope Center Clinic was the first one of its kind, and through trial and error, it has become a blueprint for the integration of HIV care into local and already existing establishments. Dr. De Groot has hopes of continuing to expand this model of HIV care into more clinics as GVF continues to develop and grow. 

Other achievements include the cervical cancer screening demonstration programs, as well as the current implementation of cervical cancer education programs in advance before the introduction of the cervical cancer (HPV) vaccine, which is in the works currently. GVF is also responsible for the piloting of the Pratt Pouch in Mali, a discreet self administered method for reducing mother to child transmission of HIV infection. The Pratt Pouch is indicative of an effective intervention, especially when stigma may impede access to care for HIV positive pregnant mothers.

As for the future of GAIA Vaccine Foundation, Dr. De Groot is eager for its growth and development, and hopeful for what is to come. She cites that a vital aspect in our organization’s growth is donor’s support. With it, we can expand our current programs, and implement important health care aspects such as self testing for HPV in a clinic setting that would simplify the screening of women for cervical cancer, and save countless lives from the biggest killer of Malian women in their prime years. Dr. De Groot also asserts she would like to introduce more basic HIV care into even more community clinics- expanding outreach and bringing necessary medical care even closer to affected clients. 

 
As Dr. De Groot reflects on the beginning of GAIA Vaccine Foundation, she is also hopeful for what is to come. GAIA Vaccine Foundation has come a long way since its inception, but Dr. De Groot has goals of expanding our impact even further. If you are interested in donating to our programs, you can visit the link on this newsletter, or our website to learn more.