Blog Post

Welcome Dr. Mitch Wolfe!

Welcome Dr. Mitch Wolfe!

Dr. Wolfe brings over 20 years of experience in developing public health infrastructure in the U.S. and internationally


We are excited to welcome Mitch Wolfe, MD, MPH, RDML (ret.), USPHS, as Vice President of Global Engagement and Governance in biosecurity. In this new role, Dr. Wolfe will bolster partnerships, both in the U.S. and internationally, to advance the development of effective, sustainable, and equitable infrastructure for biosecurity and pathogen monitoring. Dr. Wolfe, a medical epidemiologist, has guided strategies for national and global public health systems for over 25 years.

Throughout his career, Dr. Wolfe has defined critical public health strategies and bolstered multilateral and multisectoral collaboration to combat transboundary biosecurity threats. Dr. Wolfe joins Ginkgo’s biosecurity and public health unit, Concentric by Ginkgo, which is building global infrastructure for biosecurity to empower governments, communities, and public health leaders to prevent, detect and respond to a wide variety of biological threats. Dr. Wolfe will grow and catalyze collaboration across our global biosecurity network, which currently includes 14 countries and several multilateral organizations with active programs, pilots, or memoranda of understanding.

“Every country in the world needs strengthened biosecurity to enable better detection and response to pandemic threats,” said Dr. Wolfe. “Early detection is a critical element, and innovation, flexibility, and collaboration are critical for success. I joined Ginkgo because I believe we can add tremendous value to these efforts as a systems integrator and strategic partner, helping to build country-level and global health security infrastructure. I am excited to work with Ginkgo’s biosecurity team to grow innovation and collaboration among public and private partners, to collectively tackle the rising risks from known and novel pathogens.”

Dr. Wolfe most recently served as global public health consultant for multiple organizations, and previous to that was the Chief Medical Officer for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he led global strategy for the agency. He has previously served in critical global health leadership roles, including as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and CDC Country Director in Thailand and Vietnam. In 2020, he retired from the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service at the rank of Rear Admiral. Dr. Wolfe holds a Medical Doctorate from the University of Vermont College of Medicine and his Master of Public Health degree from University of California, Berkeley.

Learn more about our global biosecurity programs and tools here.