Vaxart and Westwood & Wilshire Team to Appoint CMO

September 27, 2021, South San Francisco, CA— Vaxart, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, has brought on James Cummings as its new Chief Medical Officer. The company is developing a range of oral vaccines based on its proprietary delivery platform, VAAST™. Vaxart vaccines are designed to be administered using tablets that can be stored and shipped without refrigeration and eliminate the risk of needle-stick injury. 

As Vaxart continues to expand, the desired profile for their new CMO was found in Dr. Cummings. For the past three years, Dr. Cummings has served as the President of ICON Government and Public Health Solutions. Previous to that, he held positions of growing seniority at Novavax, leaving the company as the Vice President of Clinical Development and Translational Medicine. Dr. Cummings began his career as an Army Physician, leaving as a Colonel after 20 years in the service, with roles including Chief, Department of Clinical Trials and Chief of Overseas Vaccine Development. He received his MD from Georgetown.

This search was successfully led by Chris Tillman for the Life Sciences Practice at Westwood and Wilshire.

About Westwood & Wilshire

Westwood & Wilshire is a retained executive search firm that recognizes people as any organization’s top asset. The firm has delivered premier talent to many of the world’s most innovative companies in life sciences, healthcare, and advanced technology. Westwood & Wilshire specializes in bringing top-tier candidates at the mid-management to C-Suite level to clients ranging from VC backed start-ups to mid-sized commercial entities. The firm has offices in Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, Scottsdale, and Connecticut serving clients worldwide.