Americares, the global health and disaster relief organization, has welcomed Kellen Thomas as its new senior vice president of medicine security to oversee all aspects of the organization’s global medicine security strategy, including its distribution of more than $1 billion in medicine and supplies to an average of 80 countries annually.
Thomas is responsible for stewarding product donations from 200 pharmaceutical and medical supply companies to Americares’ 4,000 partner health facilities worldwide, including aid shipments for international and domestic emergency response. This includes all sourcing, warehousing, logistics, supply chain and partnership teams that work together with partner organizations to ensure timely delivery of products.
Thomas also oversees Americares Patient Assistance Program and its Medical Outreach program, which provides donated medical aid to U.S.-based medical professionals traveling outside the country to care for patients in need. In addition, he will lead new strategic initiatives that advance medicine security work beyond product donations as Americares seeks to implement holistic and high-impact activities that expand access to medicine globally.
“We are delighted to welcome Kellen as our new senior vice president of medicine security,” said Americares President and CEO Christine Squires. “In a medicine-secure community, every clinic, health worker and patient has reliable, equitable access to essential medicines and supplies, and the need for that access has never been more urgent. Kellen’s deep expertise will be invaluable in this role and I’m confident that under his leadership, Americares will continue to advance this important work.”
Thomas brings to Americares extensive experience in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, including leadership roles at global pharmaceutical companies where he advanced numerous global health programs, access initiatives and partnerships across a range of therapeutic areas, including HIV, tuberculosis, oncology and maternal and reproductive health. Prior to joining Americares, he served as senior director of Pfizer’s Accord for a Healthier World and Global Commercial Access Partnerships team, where he led the reproductive health portfolio as well as managed initiatives focused on innovative financing, oncology and infectious disease.
Prior to Pfizer, he spent five years at Viatris, where he served as director of its Infectious Disease Center of Excellence, supporting the company’s access and growth strategy in emerging markets, leading key transactions and partnerships and supporting the launch of lifesaving infectious disease assets globally. He also spent several years with the Clinton Health Access Initiative, working with pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers to bring contraceptives, maternal health products and antiviral medications to low- and middle-income countries. Earlier in his career, Thomas held consulting and business development roles with Deloitte, Calibre and L-3 Communications, supporting U.S. government and international development projects.
“Thomas said, “…Now, more than ever, we need to build resilient supply chains and access models that can provide reliable and high-quality products to patients around the world. I’m committed to expanding access to medicines and ensuring patients remain at the center of everything we do at Americares.”
Thomas earned a bachelor’s degree in government and a minor in international studies from Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania.
A leader in the humanitarian sector, Americares is No. 8 on Forbes list of Top 100 Charities and has a 4-star rating — the highest possible — from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. Americares helps communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters; increase accessibility, availability, affordability and acceptability of medicine and medical supplies; improve and expand clinical services; and prevent disease and promote good health. Since it was established in 1979, Americares has provided over $24 billion in aid to 164 countries, including the United States.
