Leadership

Dr. Salama is Chief Scientific Officer at Fedora Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Advisor, Antimicrobial Resistance Steering Committee, Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC); Executive Board Member, Canadian Pandemic Preparedness Hub;  Member of the Oversight Committee, Li Ka Shin Alberta Virology Institute (LKSAVI); Chair, Canadian Antimicrobial Resistance Coalition (CAIC); Director, BioAlberta Board of Directors; Consultant, Brass Dome Ventures Ltd., Chair, Al Rashid Education Foundation (AREF), and advises for or serves on several committees for a number of not-for-profit organizations.

Dr. Salama has over 25 years drug discovery experience across several disciplines including the discovery and development of new antibacterial and antifungal agents.  He also held several C-level positions in both the drug discovery and contract research sectors.

Additionally, Dr. Salama is business development professional with over 20-year experience in strategic planning, evaluation of new business and scientific opportunities, partnership establishment and management, contract negotiations, as well as in-licensing and out-licensing of assets. He was actively involved in dozens of licensing and partnership agreements, including the licensing of Fedora’s Beta-lactamase inhibitors to F. Hoffman La Roche in a US$750 million license deal.

Dr. Salama received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Salford, UK, and published over 50 original research articles and presentations at international congresses. He is also an inventor on several original patents in the anti-infective and anti-inflammatory disease areas.

Chelsea Smallwood is the Director of Public Affairs at BD. In her role, Chelsea collaborates with cross-sector stakeholders such as leading health agencies, governments and academic centres to lend private sector support on critical health issues, particularly the intersection of health care innovation, research and policy.

Chelsea is focused on advancing BD’s role in redefining the future of healthcare through research and policy, raising awareness for and advancing efforts in support of building a more resilient healthcare ecosystem and improving access to healthcare.

Chelsea brings a deep understanding of the healthcare landscape, having joined BD in 2013. Most recently, Chelsea held the role of Public Affairs Director for BD in Canada where she played a pivotal role in working proactively with federal and provincial governments to successfully deliver millions of devices to support COVID-19 vaccinations, PCR tests, and rapid, point-of-care tests in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also held various roles in Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) where she has driven multiple programs for economic evaluation and clinical outcomes, developing compelling health economic tools that meet health care stakeholder evidence needs. Chelsea played an instrumental role in building BD-Canada’s strategy for addressing healthcare challenges such as patient and healthcare worker safety, cancer, and antimicrobial resistance.  

Chelsea holds an Executive MSc in Health Economics, Policy and Management from the London School of Economics, an MSc in Biomedical and Molecular Sciences specializing in Cancer Research from Queen’s University, a Bachelor of Science with honours in Life Sciences from Queen’s University and a B.Ed. from the University of Toronto.