Draft:Douglas J. Manion

Douglas J. Manion M.D. FRCP(C) (born June 2, 1960) is a Canadian board-certified internal medicine doctor. He also holds a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering..

Early life and education
Manion was born in Ottawa, Ontario on June 2, 1960. His father John Manion is a Canadian civil servant. At the request of his parents, he studied mathematics and physics in French. In 1979, he began attending the University of Ottawa to receive a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering, inspired by a mentor who was designing low cost sewage systems for Africa. While in school, he became aware of an epidemic in Africa and began considering pre-med classes. In 1983, during his final year of his engineering school, Manion began taking pre-med courses. In 1990, he graduated from University of Ottawa with a medical degree in Internal medicine. From 1992 to 1997, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School / Massachusetts General Hospital where he performed retrovirology research.

Career
From 1997 to 2001, Manion worked as a medical director for DuPont Pharmaceuticals. While there, he led clinical research for Efavirenz (brand name Sustiva), one of the first major HIV/AIDS medicines. Then, from 2001 to 2005, he worked for GlaxoSmithKline, where he was the VP of Clinical Development and Medical Affairs for HIV. Beginning in 2005, he was the VP of Clinical Research for Virology, Immunology, and Neurology at Bristol Myers Squibb. In 2010, he was promoted to SVP of Virology Development in Japan, then the SVP Head of Global Pharmacovigilance and Epidemiology in mid 2014, and finally the SVP Head of Specialty Development in late 2014. While working for Bristol Myers Squibb, he worked on BMS' effort to cure Hepatitis C virus. In an interview, he referred to this work as "...a Manhattan Project in the world in terms of curing [Hepatitis C virus]". In 2017, Manion joined Kleo Pharmaceuticals as its CEO. In July 2021, he joined Arena Pharmaceuticals as EVP of Research and Development. . In December 2021, Arena Pharmaceuticals was acquired by Pfizer for approximately $6.6 billion. Following that, Manion joined Aclaris Therapeutics in August 2022 as President & Chief Operating Officer, transitioning to President & Chief Executive Officer in January 2023. In January 2024, it was announced that Manion would step down from his position and leave the company.

Achievements
Manion is known for his research in HIV that led to the creation of Efavirenz. Through his HIV/AIDS research, he met with people such as NIAID director Anthony Fauci and former CDC director Robert Redfield. At the World AIDS Conference, he first met prominent HIV/AIDS activist Sean Strub, with whom he worked closely through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Non-pharmaceutical
Manion is currently a council member on the Milford, Pennsylvania borough council, having been elected in the 2021. He is also on the board of the Milford Water Authority. In 2020, along with mayor Sean Strub, he founded the Milford Covid Volunteer Task Force, helping manage the borough's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.