Judyth Twigg

Judyth Twigg is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), within the College of Humanities and Sciences. Her research focuses on public health, demography, and health systems reform in Eurasia, as well as evaluations of multilateral development bank projects in human capital and public sector management globally.

Education:

• B.S. in Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, 1984
• M.A. in Political Science and Russian/East European Studies, University of Pittsburgh, 1986
• Ph.D. in Political Science and Security Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1994

Her research interests include public health policy in Russia and Ukraine, vaccine diplomacy, health system resilience during crises, and the political economy of development. She has extensively studied how health reforms unfold in post-Soviet states and how international institutions influence domestic policy trajectories. Her work combines qualitative political analysis with public health evaluation methodologies.

Her recent publications examine the public health consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian vaccine diplomacy, and development evaluation in the Balkans. These works reflect a growing trend toward policy-relevant, interdisciplinary scholarship at the intersection of global health, security, and governance.

Scientific Awards:

• SCHEV Outstanding Faculty Award, 2005
• VCU College of Humanities and Sciences Elske v.P. Smith Distinguished Lecturer Award, 2018
• "Best of 2021" article award from Council on Foreign Relations "Think Global Health" site, for "Why Aren't Russians Getting Vaccinated" (with Lillian Posner), July 2021

Twigg has served as a consultant evaluator for the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group, the Asian Development Bank’s Independent Evaluation Department, and the Inter-American Development Bank’s Office of Evaluation and Oversight. These roles involved leading high-level assessments of country partnership frameworks and development projects. She has also advised the Center for Strategic and International Studies and contributed to policy reports on health reform in Ukraine. She teaches courses such as Ukrainian Politics and Society (with Kyiv School of Economics), Diplomacy Lab (with U.S. Department of State), International Political Economy, Politics of Global Health, and Political Science Senior Seminar, indicating strong engagement with student mentorship and real-world policy training.

She is affiliated with several professional and policy institutions, including serving as a Trustee of the Eurasia Foundation and as a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, reflecting her influence in both academic and policy circles.