Christy Hanson

Christy Hanson leads a team that invests in product development and operational research to address several neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). She joined the foundation in 2017 and was a deputy director on the Tuberculosis team until transitioning to the Neglected Tropical Diseases team in 2019.

Before joining the foundation, Christy was a tenured associate professor at Macalester College and dean of the college’s Institute for Global Citizenship. Earlier, she served as chief of the infectious disease division at USAID and oversaw programs on malaria, tuberculosis, NTDs, and antimicrobial resistance. In 2006, she led the launch of USAID’s NTD program. She has also held positions at the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and PATH.

Christy has worked alongside the governments of more than 30 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America, providing technical and policy development guidance to ministries of health. Her primary research focus is the use of data for decision-making. She has published more than 25 peer-reviewed articles as well as global guidance documents and book chapters.

Christy earned a Ph.D. in international health systems with a concentration in health economics from Johns Hopkins University and an MPH from the University of Minnesota.