Eve E. Slater, M.D.
Eve Slater is a graduate of Vassar College (magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa), and received her MD from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (Alpha Omega Alpha). Her clinical training was at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) where she completed residency and cardiology fellowship. In 1976, Dr. Slater became the first woman Chief Resident in Medicine in the 165-year history of MGH. From 1977 through 1982, she served as Chief of the Hypertension Unit at MGH and was Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She directed research funded by the NIH and the American Heart Association, published on biochemical causes of hypertension and diseases of the aorta, was active in patient care, and taught extensively. Eve continued clinical teaching as Adjunct Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Columbia (1983-2001, 2003-5) and was appointed Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine in 2005 and Professor of Clinical Medicine in 2014, where she is currently a member of the Division of Nephrology and the Associates in Internal Medicine, the outpatient center of NYP. She was the Lloyd H. Smith Visiting Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco in 2003 and is a Fellow of the America College of Cardiology.
Eve joined Merck Research Laboratories (MRL) in 1983 as Senior Director of Biochemical Endocrinology, responsible for the endocrine, atherosclerosis, and receptor molecular biology teams; her research focused on cell signaling. Dr. Slater became head of regulatory affairs in 1988, Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Development in 1990, and Senior Vice President in 1994 and was the first woman to attain these ranks in MRL. Dr. Slater supervised worldwide regulatory activities for all Merck medicines and vaccines, which included responsibility for FDA and international agency liaison, worldwide NDA submissions, product labeling, quality assurance and drug safety. Drugs approved during her tenure included major medicines to treat hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, osteoporosis, asthma, arthritis, prostate disease, and vaccines for chicken pox and h. influenza. Additionally, she managed the Merck Manual, the Geriatrics Manual, and the Home Edition and was also responsible for OTC clinical development, as part of Johnson & Johnson-Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals. In 2001, Eve was named Senior Vice President of MRL External Policy and Vice President, Corporate Public Affairs. She served on the International Conference on Harmonization Subcommittee on the Structure and Content of Clinical Studies Reports (chair), and on both the Regulations Advisory (chair) and Policy Boards for the UK Centre for Medicines Research. She was a member of the US Keystone National Policy Dialogue on HIV (reporting to Vice President Al Gore), a founding member of the Collaborative Forum for HIV Research, and was named to the NIH Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council.
In 2001, Dr. Slater was named by President George W. Bush as Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH), US Department of Health and Human Services, thereby becoming America’s first woman ASH. There she served HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson as chief health policy advisor, with special emphasis on translational medicine including electronic systems (eHealth) and innovation, biosecurity, human subjects’ protection, women’s health, elder care and HIV/AIDS. During her tenure, federal adoption of eHealth communication standards was initiated, electronic medical records were funded for the Indian Health Service, and a response plan for pandemic influenza was drafted for the G8 health ministers. She received the Virginia Kneeland Frantz ’22 Distinguished Women in Medicine Award from the College of Physicians & Surgeons in 2003; and was selected to the National Library of Medicine’s Exhibition “Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America’s Women Physicians.”
In 2007, Eve was named Senior Vice President for Worldwide Policy at Pfizer, Inc. There her work focused on health care reform, biomedical innovation, and public health in both the developed and developing world. She joined the Board and later Executive Committee of the New England Health Care Institute (now NEHI), a health policy think tank. She was a Commissioner of the Urban Indian Health Commission based in Seattle, WA and a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (2006-2011). She was a trustee of the Foundation of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and a member of the Board of the Liberty Science Center. She has been nominated by Governor Chris Christie to serve on the Board of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Eve has served on the Boards of several biotech companies (Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA; Phase Forward, Waltham, MA; VaxGen, Brisbane, CA; Theravance, South San Francisco, CA; AnorMed, Vancouver, B.C.), and currently serves on the Boards of Idera Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA; iTherX Pharma, San Diego, CA; ACRES (Alliance for Clinical Research Excellence and Safety), Cambridge, MA; the Advisory Board of Vaxess Technologies, Alston, MA, and is a member of a DSMB for a phase 2 anti-malarial clinical trial in Mali conducted by Tulane University School of Medicine.
An accomplished flutist, Dr. Slater has studied with many America’s foremost flutists and appeared as flute soloist with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. She now serves on the Board of Visitors of the New England Conservatory of Music.
Eve joined Merck Research Laboratories (MRL) in 1983 as Senior Director of Biochemical Endocrinology, responsible for the endocrine, atherosclerosis, and receptor molecular biology teams; her research focused on cell signaling. Dr. Slater became head of regulatory affairs in 1988, Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Development in 1990, and Senior Vice President in 1994 and was the first woman to attain these ranks in MRL. Dr. Slater supervised worldwide regulatory activities for all Merck medicines and vaccines, which included responsibility for FDA and international agency liaison, worldwide NDA submissions, product labeling, quality assurance and drug safety. Drugs approved during her tenure included major medicines to treat hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, osteoporosis, asthma, arthritis, prostate disease, and vaccines for chicken pox and h. influenza. Additionally, she managed the Merck Manual, the Geriatrics Manual, and the Home Edition and was also responsible for OTC clinical development, as part of Johnson & Johnson-Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals. In 2001, Eve was named Senior Vice President of MRL External Policy and Vice President, Corporate Public Affairs. She served on the International Conference on Harmonization Subcommittee on the Structure and Content of Clinical Studies Reports (chair), and on both the Regulations Advisory (chair) and Policy Boards for the UK Centre for Medicines Research. She was a member of the US Keystone National Policy Dialogue on HIV (reporting to Vice President Al Gore), a founding member of the Collaborative Forum for HIV Research, and was named to the NIH Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council.
In 2001, Dr. Slater was named by President George W. Bush as Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH), US Department of Health and Human Services, thereby becoming America’s first woman ASH. There she served HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson as chief health policy advisor, with special emphasis on translational medicine including electronic systems (eHealth) and innovation, biosecurity, human subjects’ protection, women’s health, elder care and HIV/AIDS. During her tenure, federal adoption of eHealth communication standards was initiated, electronic medical records were funded for the Indian Health Service, and a response plan for pandemic influenza was drafted for the G8 health ministers. She received the Virginia Kneeland Frantz ’22 Distinguished Women in Medicine Award from the College of Physicians & Surgeons in 2003; and was selected to the National Library of Medicine’s Exhibition “Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America’s Women Physicians.”
In 2007, Eve was named Senior Vice President for Worldwide Policy at Pfizer, Inc. There her work focused on health care reform, biomedical innovation, and public health in both the developed and developing world. She joined the Board and later Executive Committee of the New England Health Care Institute (now NEHI), a health policy think tank. She was a Commissioner of the Urban Indian Health Commission based in Seattle, WA and a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (2006-2011). She was a trustee of the Foundation of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and a member of the Board of the Liberty Science Center. She has been nominated by Governor Chris Christie to serve on the Board of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Eve has served on the Boards of several biotech companies (Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA; Phase Forward, Waltham, MA; VaxGen, Brisbane, CA; Theravance, South San Francisco, CA; AnorMed, Vancouver, B.C.), and currently serves on the Boards of Idera Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA; iTherX Pharma, San Diego, CA; ACRES (Alliance for Clinical Research Excellence and Safety), Cambridge, MA; the Advisory Board of Vaxess Technologies, Alston, MA, and is a member of a DSMB for a phase 2 anti-malarial clinical trial in Mali conducted by Tulane University School of Medicine.
An accomplished flutist, Dr. Slater has studied with many America’s foremost flutists and appeared as flute soloist with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. She now serves on the Board of Visitors of the New England Conservatory of Music.