Chiara Altare

Chiara Altare, PhD, MSPH, MA, is an Associate Scientist in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a key member of the Center for Humanitarian Health. Her work focuses on public health in humanitarian emergencies, particularly in conflict, displacement, and epidemic settings. She holds a PhD and MSPH from the University of Louvain and an MA from the University of Turin.

• PhD, University of Louvain, 2016
• MSPH, University of Louvain, 2012
• MA, University of Turin, 2005

Dr. Altare’s research spans four main areas: (1) operational monitoring and measurement methods in humanitarian settings, including work with WHO on regional emergency frameworks; (2) infectious disease outbreaks such as Ebola, cholera, and COVID-19 in crises; (3) health service delivery in conflict zones like the DRC and South Sudan; and (4) the interplay between climate change, displacement, conflict, and health. She leads case studies on the indirect effects of pandemics and investigates rapid response strategies for cholera.

Her recent publications (2020–2025) reflect a strong trend in evaluating health service utilization during pandemics, outbreak response effectiveness (especially cholera), and innovative data collection methods in unstable environments. Her work frequently involves refugee populations and uses mixed-methods and cohort study designs across regions including Bangladesh, Jordan, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

She received the 2023 Excellence in International Public Health Practice Award from Johns Hopkins for her work on infectious disease outbreaks in fragile settings, conducted in partnership with WHO, UNHCR, and NGOs.

Dr. Altare has advised major global health initiatives, including serving as Scientific Coordinator for the CHH-Lancet Commission on Health, Forced Displacement and Conflict. She previously held research roles at Action Against Hunger and the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED). She has over 15 years of field experience across Africa, Asia, Central America, and the Eastern Mediterranean.

She is actively involved in teaching, offering courses such as 'Health Interventions in Humanitarian Emergencies' and 'Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Humanitarian Emergencies' at the Bloomberg School. Her research is highly collaborative, involving institutions and agencies worldwide, and she continues to publish actively through 2025.