Doris J. Rouse

Doris Rouse, PhD, manages the coordination of diverse disciplines to address major global health needs. Dr. Rouse’s research interests include development of new drugs and drug therapies to combat antibiotic resistance and antimicrobial resistant strains of bacteria. She leads a multidisciplinary team of scientists providing the regulatory and drug development expertise to plan and manage the pre-clinical and clinical development of new drugs and devices. Over the past 16 years, this team has supported NIH, non-profits, universities, and small businesses in advancing compounds from early discovery to clinical development and regulatory submissions.

Dr. Rouse has extensive experience in the formation and ongoing operation of  public and private consortia such as the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development. In support of the TB Alliance, she has contributed to the selection and development of a promising compound, PA-824, which entered Phase 3 studies in 2015 for both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant tuberculosis. RTI’s ongoing work in support of the TB Alliance has the potential to inform and advance global efforts to combat antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance of other bacteria.

For the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Dr. Rouse recently led a study on best practices of public-private partnerships for medical product development. She has led three Gates Foundation global health projects focused on developing and bringing to market new medical products for low- and middle-income countries. For example, she was co-PI of the Maternal and Neonatal Directed Assessment of Technology (MANDATE) project that developed a decision-support model to identify the higher impact opportunities for improving maternal and neonatal health in low resource settings. 

In her tenure as Director of the Center for Technology Applications at RTI, she managed technology assessment, outlicensing, and technology sourcing projects for numerous government and corporate clients. Dr. Rouse serves as an Adjunct Professor in the UNC Gillings School of Public Health.