Wafaa El-Sadr

Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr is the founder and director of ICAP and an international expert in infectious diseases and public health with extensive experience in epidemiology and research on the prevention and management of HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and emerging infections, among others. She is also the director of Columbia World Projects and director of the Mailman School's Global Health Initiative (GHI), which mobilizes the university community to address critical challenges in global health.

For over four decades, she has advocated for families and communities most impacted by health challenges and championed a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to confronting the global epidemic. Based at Columbia University, she leads ICAP's portfolio of projects in more than 30 countries and manages a global team of over 2,000 staff. Under her leadership, ICAP has become a global leader in addressing global health challenges and health systems strengthening.

Dr. El-Sadr began her career as the HIV epidemic took hold in the United States. As chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Harlem Hospital, she developed successful methods for responding to HIV/AIDS through groundbreaking research and innovative models of care in her own community. Dr. El-Sadr became a leader in the global fight against HIV by arming healthcare systems around the world with effective strategies for confronting the impact of various health challenges and leveraging investment to strengthen health systems. She is the principal investigator for numerous ICAP-led research initiatives and a principal investigator of the NIH-funded HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN).

Dr. El-Sadr received her medical degree at Cairo University, a master's in public health (epidemiology) from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and a master's in public administration from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. She joined the faculty of Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1988 and became a professor of epidemiology and medicine at the Mailman School of Public Health. In 2013, she was appointed University Professor, Columbia's highest academic title. She also holds the Dr. Mathilde Krim-amfAR Chair in Global. She is a MacArthur fellow, as well as a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the Council for Foreign Relations, and the African Academy of Sciences.