Institute for Global Health names its inaugural director

Saad B. Omer, MBBS, MPH, PhD, has been named the inaugural director of the Yale Institute for Global Health (YIGH). Omer is currently the William H. Foege Professor of Global Health, Epidemiology, and Pediatrics at Emory University’s schools of public health and medicine. He will hold joint appointments at Yale School of Public Health and Yale School of Medicine and a secondary appointment at Yale School of Nursing, effective July 1.

“Some of the most pressing problems of our time are related to global health,” says Omer. “Addressing them will require us to bring our ‘A game.’ Therefore, global health needs and deserves the involvement of an institution such as Yale.”

Omer plans to tap Yale’s preeminence in research, teaching, and clinical care. His vision for YIGH is to support faculty and trainees in developing transformative initiatives that cross disciplines and have an impact on people’s lives across the globe.

Omer has published widely in peer-reviewed journals, has multiple awards, and has served on several advisory panels including the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria—Incentives for Vaccine Working Group, and the WHO Expert Advisory Group for Healthcare Worker Vaccination.

He received his PhD and MPH degrees from Johns Hopkins University, and his MBBS from the Aga Khan University Medical College.