(Washington, D.C.) – Cornerstone Government Affairs today announced the addition of Dr. Wendy Sammons-Jackon, Deputy Principal Assistant for Research and Technology (PA(R&T)) at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC), to the firm’s federal government relations team. With more than 25 years of experience in the U.S. Army and Military Health System, Sammons-Jackson specializes in leading diverse medical research and development programs for the Department of Defense (DoD), infectious diseases research, clinical laboratory sciences and medical countermeasure development against endemic and emerging threats.
“We are thrilled to have Wendy joining the team and bolstering an already strong national security and defense health capability,” Cornerstone CEO Geoff Gonella said. “She is a true subject matter expert with an excellent reputation and will immediately add significant value to a range of clients.”
Sammons-Jackson joins Cornerstone following her time as the Acting Deputy Principal Assistant for Research and Technology for the USAMRDC. In this role, she advised the U.S. Army and Defense Health Agency on policy implications, strategy development, program implementation and execution and oversight of a $2 billion Medical Research and Development portfolio. Sammons-Jackson also served as the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command lead in the transition of its science and technology capabilities to the Defense Health Agency in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAA) for Fiscal Years 2019 and 2020. There she focused on the transition of directing the funding, manpower, program oversight and other resources from the USAMRDC to the Defense Health Agency. In addition, she served as an Army representative to the Joint Medical Research and Development Oversight Group ensuring federal funding for DoD medical research supported military service requirements in combat casualty care, military operational medicine and military infectious diseases.
Prior to her retirement as a Colonel from the U.S. Army, Sammons-Jackson served as the Director of the Military Infectious Diseases Research Program, where she led all aspects of planning, programming, budgeting and execution for bacterial and viral disease research in support of service member health and readiness. She also led the Department’s COVID-19 efforts to support science and technology endeavors aimed at development vaccines and therapeutics in response to the pandemic.
Sammons-Jackson prior roles include Military Deputy Principal Assistant for Research and Technology, and Deputy Director of Military Infectious Diseases Research Program for the USAMRDC. Dr. Sammons-Jackson also served as a Biodefense Research Microbiologist and is an expert in high consequence infectious disease threats, with a focus on bacterial pathogens and medical countermeasure research and development.
“I am truly honored to join the team at Cornerstone,” Sammons-Jackson said. “The firm’s multi-functional, team-based approach provides a unique opportunity to be part of a diverse team of professionals with the common goal of solving problems and presenting opportunities for our clients. I look forward to applying my experience in military medicine to support the firm across the breadth of client needs.”
Sammons-Jackson received her Doctorate of Philosophy with a focus on Medical Microbiology and Immunology from the University of South Florida, and her Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology from Salisbury University.