Finding game-changing solutions for global health
Long before he became president of global development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Chris lived for eight years in Southeast Asia, where he oversaw research efforts to improve sexual and reproductive health, HIV, and family planning, among other projects. He was working with the Population Council at the time and led teams and programs in Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Yunnan, Vietnam and Laos.
Now at the Gates Foundation, Chris leads efforts to find creative ways to deliver life-saving solutions and products to people in developing countries who need them most. His focus lately has been on helping countries with COVID-19, eradicating polio, providing nutrition education, enhancing access to vaccines and family planning services, and creating critical interventions to help mothers and children thrive. For many years, Chris was president and CEO of PATH, where he expanded the Seattle-based global health nonprofit’s visibility and helped expand the organization’s reach to more than 70 countries. Chris was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2012.
Affiliations: President, Global Development Division, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Member, National Academy of Medicine; Clinical Professor, Global Health; Member, Creighton University Board of Trustees; Member, UW Department of Global Health External Advisory Board; Member, Global Preparedness Monitoring Board