Sepsis Alliance Welcomes Dr. Rangarajan Sampath to the Board of Directors

Sepsis Alliance, the nation’s first and leading sepsis organization, is pleased to welcome Rangarajan Sampath, PhD, to the Board of Directors. Dr. Sampath is Senior Vice President and Head of the Center for Innovation in Diagnostics (CID) at Siemens Healthineers. There, he leads innovation and new technology development in oncology, neurology, and infectious disease diagnostics.

Dr. Sampath brings extensive experience in infectious disease diagnostics development to Sepsis Alliance, notably the diagnosis of sepsis and antimicrobial resistance. “Having spent over two decades in this field, I’m passionate about the need to raise awareness and bring multi-faceted solutions to tackling sepsis,” Dr. Sampath noted. “Confronting the nearly 20 percent fatality rate among patients afflicted with sepsis, Sepsis Alliance has been a leading champion in raising global interest on the potential severity of this disease and steps towards prompt diagnosis and effective treatment pathways. I’m proud to lend my voice to these efforts and join Sepsis Alliance’s life-saving pursuits.”

With over 100 publications and over 40 issued patents in infectious disease diagnostics, Dr. Sampath is a recognized leader in the field. His other research interests include pathogen discovery, fevers of unknown origin, tropical diseases, epidemiological surveillance, and biothreat detection. Dr. Sampath was previously Chief Scientific Officer at Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), a Geneva-based non-profit organization focused on bringing innovative diagnostics to low- and middle-income countries. In this capacity, he headed FIND’s research and development organization – directing its innovation, product development, and disease programs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led a research team that established an evaluation framework for the independent assessment of commercially available COVID-19 assays to aid procurement and country prioritization decisions.

“Sepsis Alliance has taken a large interest in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a public health threat that is strongly tied to sepsis,” said Thomas Heymann, Sepsis Alliance President and CEO. “Dr. Sampath’s knowledge of diagnostics and connections in the research world around infectious diseases and AMR will elevate Sepsis Alliance’s work to raise awareness of sepsis and AMR, and save lives.”

Sepsis, the body’s overwhelming and toxic response to infection, affects 1.7 million people and takes 350,000 adult lives each year in the United States. Sepsis is one of the most significant health complications that can result from antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claim that in the U.S., someone dies every 15 minutes from an AMR infection, which is almost 100 people every day. Learn more about sepsis and AMR at EndSuperbugs.org.

Learn more about Dr. Sampath here.