Syra Madad

Syra Madad (Urdu: سائرہ مدد, née Sikandar; born October 22, 1986) is an American pathogen preparedness expert, and biosecurity advisor. Madad is the Chief Biopreparedness Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals where she was part of the executive leadership team which oversaw New York City's response to the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in the city's 11 public hospitals. She was featured in the Netflix documentary series Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak and the Discovery Channel documentary The Vaccine: Conquering COVID. Madad has been at the forefront of numerous outbreak responses, including Ebola, Zika, Measles, COVID-19, and MPox, developing strategies for prevention, preparedness, mitigation, and recovery. She is also a Fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in the Defense, Emerging Technology, and Strategy (DETS) program, where she founded and moderates the Women in STEM and Diversity in STEM series. She also serves as Core Faculty at the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC) and Affiliate Faculty at Boston University's Center for Emerging Infectious Disease Policy & Research.

Madad provides advisory expertise to prominent national and global organizations, including the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB), the Forum on Microbial Threats at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and the World Health Organization’s technical advisory group on responsible life sciences and dual-use research.

Madad has been recognized for her leadership and contributions to health security and infectious disease preparedness. She was named to Fortune’s prestigious 40 Under 40 list and honored by Crain’s New York Business as one of the Most Notable in Health Care.