Passion and the desire to cure, prevent diseases and improve quality of life for patients, have driven Dr. Nancy M. Ruiz throughout her life and career. As Vice President of Infectious Diseases Pipeline and Portfolio Management at Merck Research Labs, she leads research projects aimed at life-threatening diseases and important unmet medical needs. With patients always in mind, Dr. Ruiz leads teams towards the advancement of science by developing medicines that prolong or improve lives. For over 25 years, she’s been dedicated to healthcare as a practicing physician, teacher and involved with worldwide clinical research. Dr. Ruiz has been involved with the development of medicines for the treatment of HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Bacterial and Fungal infections, rheumatoid arthritis and organ transplantation. She has received multiple awards, including being named ‘Top 10 Latinas’ by Latina Magazine in 2000, and TWIN award in 2009.