One of the prized research leadership awards at the BEYA STEM Conference will go to Rakhee Palekar, an international thought leader in pandemic preparedness and response, especially influenza and respiratory virus disease threats and emergencies. Dr. Palekar is the chief scientist for public health and epidemic epidemiology at the MITRE Corporation.

Early in her career, she worked as a primary care physician within a federally-qualified health center. She then transitioned into public health, first as a Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) epidemic intelligence service officer, then as a medical officer within the CDC Influenza Division, and finally as a team lead for the Influenza and Respiratory Virus Team for the World Health Organization (WHO) America’s Regional Office.

During her public health career, Dr. Palekar mentored many students and colleagues in public health and epidemiology and published more than 30 scientific articles, based on her work, in prestigious peer-reviewed journals.

“Rakhee has dedicated her career to forging unique, impactful, global research innovations. The work of our company, and by extension government sponsors and the public, have been undeniably and deeply enriched by Dr. Palekar’s many contributions,” said Dr. Jason Providakes of The MITRE Corporation.