Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States
Abhijit Banerjee is a Professor in the Department of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His research focuses on development economics, public health policy, and social protection programs, particularly addressing poverty and inequality in low- and middle-income countries. He has conducted large-scale experiments evaluating interventions such as conditional cash transfers, universal basic income, and healthcare policies. Key areas of interest include the design and implementation of anti-poverty programs, behavioral economics, and the long-term health impacts of infectious diseases like COVID-19. His work often integrates experimental methods to assess policy effectiveness, with contributions to global health studies and economic development strategies. Notably, his research on the RECOVERY trial evaluates treatments for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, while other studies explore financial spillover effects of electronic government transfers in Indonesia and savings behavior interventions in Chile. Banerjee has collaborated on projects analyzing post-COVID-19 health outcomes, labor market dynamics in India, and the role of trusted messengers in public health communication during crises. Despite the breadth of his contributions, specific details about his educational background, grants, or lab affiliations are not explicitly provided in the source text.
Emily Hannum is a Professor of Sociology and Education at the University of Pennsylvania's College of Arts & Sciences, where she also serves as Associate Dean for Social Sciences. She is affiliated with the Population Studies Center, Center for the Study of Contemporary China, Graduate School of Education, and Penn Development Research Initiative. Education: PhD in Sociology from University of Michigan (1998) Research Focus: Poverty and child welfare, gender and ethnic stratification, sociology of education Projects: Gansu Survey of Children and Families, climate-environment-childhood inequalities in LMICs Workshops: Co-organizer of Penn Education and Inequality Workshop Her research explores childhood poverty in China, demographic impacts on education systems, and climate risks affecting children's welfare. She investigates environmental hazards, educational disparities, and family separation effects across China, India, and low/middle-income countries. Recent publications analyze educational expansion in East Asia, climate crisis impacts on child health, and gender disparities in Latin America. She directs longitudinal studies on rural poverty and collaborates on cross-national projects related to environmental and educational equity. Scientific awards include the Stanley I. Sheerr Term Professorship in Social Sciences.
Institute of Hygiene and Tropical MedicinePortugal
Dr Peninah Murage is an Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in the Department of Public Health, Environments and Society under the Faculty of Public Health and Policy. She specializes in environmental epidemiology with a PhD in Health Geography and focuses on health impacts of environmental changes, particularly climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. Affiliation: Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health Her research explores climate change effects on health outcomes like heat-related mortality, cardiovascular diseases, and cognitive development in children. She integrates GIS/spatial analysis with public health and policy frameworks to identify nature-based solutions for sustainable development. Current work examines systemic inequalities in heat risk exposure and interventions such as tree-based strategies in low-income settings. Key grants include: Health Protection Research Unit on Climate Change and Health Security (2025-2030, NIHR) Climate Change and Non-Communicable Diseases in Senegal (2024-2027) Pathfinder 2: Accelerating Climate Action for Health (2023-2026) She actively contributes to the Lancet Pathfinder Commission and serves on the Executive Committee of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology (African Chapter).
Dr. Haneen Farah is an Associate Professor in the Department of Transport & Planning at Delft University of Technology and co-director of the Traffic and Transportation Safety Lab. She also serves as head of the Traffic Systems Engineering section. Her research focuses on road infrastructure design, road user behavior, and traffic safety, integrating transportation engineering, human factors, and econometrics. Prior to TU Delft, she was a postdoc at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and earned her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Her work includes national/international projects like SAMEN (mixed automated/human traffic implications), AfroSAFE (road safety in Africa), and XCARCITY (sustainable city mobility). She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on road design and traffic safety, including online programs for low/middle-income countries. Farah supervises multiple PhD and Master students in her research areas, contributing to over 50 peer-reviewed publications. Key research themes include infrastructure design for automated vehicles, driver behavior modeling, cyclist safety, and policy implementation of the Safe System approach. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges engineering and psychology to enhance traffic safety and efficiency through advanced analytics and simulation models.
Dr. Harwin de Vries is an Associate Professor at the Department of Technology and Operations Management, Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus University Rotterdam. His research focuses on health and humanitarian logistics, particularly disaster relief logistics and improving access to essential medicines in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). He explores the role of data analytics and new operational models in healthcare systems, such as mobile health service delivery. Before joining RSM, he worked at INSEAD as a postdoctoral researcher and manager of the INSEAD Humanitarian Research Group. He holds a PhD in Operations Research from Erasmus University. Education: PhD in Operations Research, Erasmus University Rotterdam His research interests include optimizing supply chain decisions in humanitarian contexts, with over 20 collaborations with health organizations. He teaches courses on Health & Humanitarian Logistics, Business Analytics, and Spreadsheet Modelling across BSc, MSc, and EMBA programs. Dr. de Vries has received notable awards including the 2021 ERIM Award for Young Researcher and a 2022 NWO VENI Grant. His work has been published in leading journals like Production and Operations Management and Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, and has been transformed into teaching cases. Grants: NWO VENI Grant (2022) He serves on the board of the POMS College of Humanitarian Operations & Crisis Management, actively contributing to academic and practical solutions in humanitarian logistics.
Professor Nicholas Buckley is a leading academic in Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Sydney and holds a Visiting Professor position at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. He serves as Research Director for the South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration (SACTRC) and is a Consultant Clinical Pharmacologist & Toxicologist at the NSW Poisons Information Centre and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. His work focuses on improving clinical toxicology practices, poison control policies, and understanding mechanisms of drug toxicity. Co-founder of SACTRC for agrochemical poisoning and snakebite research Chair of Australian Therapeutic Guidelines - Toxicology writing group Editorial roles in Clinical Toxicology, Drug Safety, and Australian Prescriber Research Interests include toxicovigilance, epidemiology of poisoning, acute kidney injury in poisoning/snakebite, pesticide safety interventions, antidote development, and pharmacoepidemiology of psychotropic drugs. His work combines clinical trials, population surveillance, and translational research. Scientific Contributions span 440+ peer-reviewed articles and 22 book chapters, with continuous funding since 2002. He has supervised over 20 higher degree students and leads international collaborations in low-and-middle-income countries through NIHR RIGHT4. Key Affiliations : Member of Charles Perkins Centre, Australian Medicines Handbook Editorial Advisory Board, and NIHR RIGHT4 programme.
Dr Adam Ritchie serves as a Senior Vaccinologist at the University of Oxford's Jenner Institute and Lecturer in Human Science at St Catherine's College. His work focuses on translating academic vaccine research into real-world impact through the development, manufacture, and clinical testing of candidates for rabies, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and SARS-CoV-2. Education: Holds a BSc, PhD, and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) qualification. His research spans vaccine development, clinical trial design, regulatory affairs, and public policy through Vax-Hub Global. Key interests include adenovirus-vectored platforms, scalable manufacturing processes, and addressing global health challenges in resource-limited settings. Analysis of his 2020-2025 publications reveals a cohesive research trajectory centered on ChAdOx1-vectored vaccines. Dominant themes include prime-boost regimens, intranasal delivery systems, cost-effectiveness modeling for low-income countries, and material science applications for vaccine stabilization. His work bridges laboratory innovation with implementation science, particularly in rabies prophylaxis and pandemic response. Ritchie actively contributes to the Douglas Research Group at the Jenner Institute and global vaccine initiatives through Vax-Hub. His collaborative work appears in high-impact journals including The Lancet, Nature Medicine, and Vaccine, with emphasis on clinical translation and equitable vaccine access.
Owen O'Donnell is a Full Professor of Applied Economics at the Erasmus School of Economics and Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management , Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is a Research Fellow at the Tinbergen Institute and an Editor of the Journal of Health Economics . Education: DPhil, University of York (UK) Research Interests: His work focuses on health economics, including health inequality, health insurance, financial protection, and labor economics, with applications in low-, middle-, and high-income countries. He employs cross-sectional analyses, equity-sensitive frameworks, and global health policy evaluation. Publications & Collaborations: He has published extensively in top journals like Lancet , PLOS Medicine , and Demography , addressing cardiovascular disease, hypertension screening, and healthcare access in India, Philippines, and Sub-Saharan Africa. His recent research emphasizes equity-sensitive welfare weights and treatment gain inequality. Professional Activities: He has served as an Editor for the Journal of Health Economics since 2007 and is actively involved in peer-review and editorial work until 2026.
Professor David Clifton is the Royal Academy of Engineering Chair of Clinical Machine Learning at the University of Oxford’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering. He leads the Computational Health Informatics (CHI) Lab, focusing on AI-driven healthcare solutions with a strong emphasis on translational research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). His work spans digital health technologies, medical imaging analysis, and AI ethics. Clifton holds multiple fellowships, including from the Alan Turing Institute and Fudan University. Key affiliations include co-directorship of the Oxford-CityU Centre for Cardiovascular Engineering and involvement in the Wellcome Trust’s Flagship Centre in Vietnam. His research has been commercialized through spinouts like OBS Medical and Oxehealth. Notable projects include AI tools for non-invasive vital sign monitoring and pandemic response strategies using audio-based health data. Clifton’s awards include the IEEE Early Career Award (2022) and the Vice-Chancellor’s Innovation Prize. His lab’s Suzhou branch focuses on open-source digital health research using public datasets. Current research themes include multimodal data integration, generative AI in healthcare, and equitable AI deployment across global health systems.
Dr. Michelle J. Johnson is an Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, affiliated with the Perelman School of Medicine in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She holds secondary appointments in Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). She directs the Rehabilitation Robotic Lab and is actively involved in global health initiatives, particularly in Botswana, focusing on neurorehabilitation for stroke and HIV-related impairments. Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University Her research centers on rehabilitation robotics, neurorehabilitation, and the application of technology to address motor and cognitive impairments after brain injury. She is particularly committed to making robotic rehabilitation accessible in low- and middle-income countries. Her work bridges engineering, clinical medicine, and global health equity. The recent publications highlight a strong trend in inclusive, globally applicable rehabilitation robotics. Her work spans clinical trials in Mexico, theoretical frameworks for inclusive design, and comprehensive analyses of global disparities in access to robotic therapy. The focus is on stroke, HIV-related neurological impairments, and technological solutions that are affordable and scalable in resource-limited settings. Dr. Johnson has received significant recognition for her work, including: Fulbright Scholar IEEE Distinguished Lecturer She leads the Rehabilitation Robotic Lab, where she mentors students and develops innovative technologies. She has secured funding and collaborative support for international projects, including data collection in Botswana and the development of a global webinar series (GPMRR) with Elsevier to disseminate knowledge in rehabilitation robotics. Her work includes grant-funded research on characterizing impairment in populations with HIV, stroke, or both, and designing robot-assisted strategies tailored to these needs. Dr. Johnson leads the Rehabilitation Robotic Lab, which focuses on developing and testing robotic systems for neurorehabilitation. The lab emphasizes inclusive design, global applicability, and clinical validation across diverse populations and healthcare settings.
Hamsa Bastani is an Associate Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, with a secondary appointment in Statistics and Data Science. She co-directs the Wharton Healthcare Analytics Lab and serves as an Associate Editor for Operations Research, M&SOM and OR Letters. Her academic journey began with summa cum laude graduation from Harvard in 2012 with an A.M. in physics and A.B. in physics and mathematics. She completed her PhD in Stanford's Electrical Engineering department under Mohsen Bayati, followed by a Herman Goldstine postdoctoral fellowship at IBM Research. Professor Bastani's research focuses on developing novel machine learning algorithms for data-driven decision-making, with applications spanning healthcare operations, social good, and revenue management. Her work demonstrates particular expertise in sequential decision-making (bandits, reinforcement learning), learning from auxiliary data sources (transfer learning, meta-learning), and designing effective human-AI interfaces (interpretability, fairness). She has made significant contributions to understanding how AI systems affect and augment human behavior, with the goal of designing AI tools that help humans thrive. Her publications reveal a strong trend toward high-impact applications of machine learning in critical societal domains. A significant portion of her recent work focuses on healthcare applications, including optimizing health supply chains in low- and middle-income countries, designing clinical trial protocols, and creating targeted public health interventions. Another major theme examines the complex relationship between humans and AI systems, particularly how AI affects learning outcomes and decision-making processes. Her work frequently bridges theoretical advances with practical implementation, as evidenced by country-scale deployments in Greece and Sierra Leone. Wagner Prize for Excellence in Operations Research Practice (2021) Pierskalla Award for Best Paper in Healthcare (2021, 2019, 2016) Behavioral OM Best Paper Award (2021) Public Sector in OR Best Paper Award (2024) INFORMS Data Mining Best Paper Award (2022) Wharton Teaching Excellence Award (2019, 2020, 2021) Professor Bastani has advised numerous PhD students who have gone on to prominent positions, including Pia Ramchandani (Director of Responsible AI at PwC), Arielle Anderer (Assistant Professor at Cornell Johnson), and Kan Xu (Assistant Professor at ASU Carey). Her research has been supported by collaborations with national governments, including the Greek government where she co-designed Eva, the national-scale reinforcement learning system for targeted COVID-19 testing, and the Government of Sierra Leone where she improved patient access to essential medicines by nearly 20% via decision-aware learning. She has also conducted the first large field study deploying generative AI tutors in high school math classes. She leads the Wharton Healthcare Analytics Lab and serves on the Steering Committee for the Penn Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics and on the statistics advisory committee for the AHA Food is Medicine Initiative. Outside academia, she serves on the Workday AI Advisory Board, demonstrating her commitment to translating academic research into practical applications.
Dr. Susana Castro-Kemp is an Associate Professor in Psychology and Human Development at University College London's Institute of Education (IOE), where she serves as Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education (CIE) since September 2023. Previously, she was a Reader in Education at the University of Roehampton for eight years. Her work focuses on inclusive education policy and practice globally, with particular expertise in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), early childhood intervention, and mental health in schools. The IOE has been ranked number one in the world for Education for several consecutive years, providing an ideal environment for her impactful research. Dr. Castro-Kemp holds a PhD in Psychology jointly awarded in 2012 by the University of Porto (Portugal) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA). Her doctoral research was fully funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology/European Commission and the Global Education and Development Studies scholarships. She is a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society, a Senior Fellow of Advance HE, and a Recognised Research Supervisor by the UK Council for Graduate Education. Dr. Castro-Kemp's research centers on policy regulating education, health, and welfare services for children, particularly those with support needs. She examines inclusive education practices from users' perspectives, policy models leading to effective inclusive pedagogy, and country-level policy impacts on outcomes for children with special educational needs. Her work moves away from diagnostic labels toward engagement and civic participation as educational outcomes. She also investigates inclusion and early intervention in low- and middle-income countries, mental health in schools, and quality of early childhood education. Her recent publications reveal several key trends in inclusive education research. There's growing emphasis on understanding educational experiences through the voices of children and families rather than diagnostic labels. Much of her work examines the implementation gap between inclusive education policy and classroom practice. She has conducted significant research on how children with special educational needs experienced the pandemic, revealing both challenges and unexpected "silver linings" for some groups. Her corpus analysis of Ofsted reports shows narrow focus in early childhood education inspections, while her work on SEND policy increasingly takes an international comparative approach. Dr. Castro-Kemp has received recognition for her impactful work, including: Best Digital Humanities Project for Community Engagement Prize (2023) from the National Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences of South Africa for her project "Optimising collaborations and reducing inequalities of Early Childhood Intervention in post-Covid-19 South Africa" Dr. Castro-Kemp has secured approximately £1.3 million in research funding from various sources including ESRC, British Academy/Leverhulme Trust, European Commission, and private sponsors. Her current major project is 'ScopeSEND' (2024-2026), funded by the Nuffield Foundation (£250,000), examining international SEND policies. She has led numerous projects including "Transdisciplinary provision for children with disabilities in the Global South" (£3,500), "Optimising collaborations in South Africa" (£47,200), and "Froebel meets Ofsted" (£19,185). As a supervisor, she mentors MA/MSc and PhD students in education policy, early childhood, and inclusive education, having been nominated for student choice awards for excellent feedback and outstanding research supervision. As Director of the UCL Centre for Inclusive Education since 2023, Dr. Castro-Kemp leads a team focused on advancing knowledge exchange and research in inclusion and special needs. The Centre works with schools, educators, parents, and early years settings to translate research into practice. Her international collaborations include work with the World Health Organization as a technical advisor on the use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) system in educational contexts. She also serves on the SEN Policy Research Forum and has provided oral evidence to the House of Commons Education Select Committee.
Dr. Silvia Baiocco serves as Assistant Professor at University of Rome Tor Vergata, teaching entrepreneurship, tourism management, and marketing courses across Bachelor and Master programs including 'Creation of Enterprises and Entrepreneurship' (Master), 'Fundamentals of Service Management' (Bachelor), and 'Tourism and Cultural Management for Sustainability' (Bachelor). Her institutional affiliation centers on Business Economics (sector ECON-07/A) with research rooted in co-evolutionary theory. Her research critically examines sustainable business model innovation through three interconnected lenses: (1) tourism-destination co-evolution in historic villages and Alberghi Diffusi, (2) university-industry knowledge exchange for sustainable spin-offs via PNICube Observatory frameworks, and (3) technology integration in smart tourism through AI-driven destination management. She emphasizes context-specific adaptation in both high-income (Italy) and low/middle-income settings (Ghana), with strong focus on social impact and heritage preservation. Analysis of her 2023-2025 publications reveals accelerating focus on digital tourism transformation (AI applications, smart city integration) and resilience-building in accommodation firms. Her work consistently applies co-evolutionary frameworks to decode organizational adaptation, particularly in sustainable entrepreneurship contexts. The PNICube Observatory reports highlight her policy-relevant contributions to university research valorization. As educator, Dr. Baiocco actively shapes future business leaders through courses spanning startup creation to sustainable destination management. Her research trajectory indicates deepening engagement with technology-mediated sustainability solutions and cross-sectoral innovation ecosystems, particularly through ongoing PNICube Observatory initiatives.
Rafael Pérez-Escamilla is a Professor of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences) and serves as Director of the Office of Public Health Practice, the Global Health Concentration, and the Maternal and Child Health Promotion Track at the Yale School of Public Health. He leads the Yale-Griffin CDC Prevention Research Center with over $70 million in extramural funding, focusing on improving breastfeeding outcomes, maternal-child nutrition, food security, and early childhood development through community health worker interventions. He holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico City), an MS in Food Science, and a PhD in Nutrition from the University of California, Davis. His postdoctoral training at UC Davis explored the link between nutrition and early childhood development. His research interests emphasize breastfeeding promotion , maternal and child health equity , food security measurement , and implementation science . He co-leads studies in vulnerable communities, including U.S. communities of color, and has published over 340 articles, three books, and numerous technical reports. Key publications from 2024–2025 highlight innovations in addressing food insecurity, hypertension disparities, and the evaluation of global nutrition programs. His work bridges research and practice, advocating for scalable interventions. Awards: Lifetime Achievements Award in Global Nutrition (2020) Elected to U.S. National Academy of Medicine (2019) Doctor Honoris Causa from Universidad de Guadalajara (2016) Patricia Martens Award for Excellence in Breastfeeding Research (2015) As a senior advisor to WHO, UNICEF, and U.S. federal agencies, he collaborates on global nutrition policies and measurement frameworks. His grants fund programs like the FOOD4MOMS initiative and the Criança Feliz Program in Brazil. He mentors students through the Maternal and Child Health Promotion Track and oversees Yale’s Global Health and Public Health Practice initiatives. Active in interdisciplinary teams such as the Becoming Breastfeeding Friendly (BBF) initiative and the Center for Methods in Implementation and Prevention Science (CMIPS), he promotes collaboration between academia, communities, and policymakers.
Institute of Hygiene and Tropical MedicinePortugal
Prof Dame Anne Mills serves as Deputy Director and Provost at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), alongside her role as Professor of Health Economics and Policy. Her career spans leadership in global health policy, with a focus on improving health systems and financial protection. Educated at Oxford University, she has contributed significantly to understanding health financing reforms and universal health coverage, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like Thailand and China. Her research emphasizes equity in healthcare access, hospital-centric health systems, and the impact of aid structures on governance. Notable contributions include analyzing Thailand’s universal coverage scheme and China’s health reforms. She has been recognized with prestigious awards, including election to the Royal Society and the DCMG Medal (2016). Her work advocates for stronger country leadership in global health initiatives and addresses challenges such as catastrophic health spending in Indonesia. Key Highlights: Deputy Director & Provost, LSHTM Professor of Health Economics and Policy Expertise in health systems, financing, and universal coverage Her mentorship and solutions-oriented approach have driven impactful policy changes, emphasizing sustainable health system strengthening. She actively promotes women’s leadership in global health through initiatives like the Women Leaders in Global Health Conference.
