Inaugural Vice Chair and New Director of Health Systems Program Named by Department of International Health

Sara Bennett, PhD, assumed the role of vice chair of the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health this September. In her new role, she will lead implementation of the Department’s new strategic plan. Shannon Doocy, PhD ’04, replaces Bennett as director of the Health Systems Program.

Bennett, who led the Department’s Health System’s program for six years, works in health policy and systems research. She has particular expertise in health workforce issues, health financing, and health markets. As part of the new vice chair role, Bennett will oversee the execution of the Department’s strategic plan for research, education, and partnerships, including the Department’s efforts to reinforce core research strengths, build capacity in new research areas, and sustain focus on improved health outcomes for groups experiencing disproportionate impact of health burdens. Bennett’s current research interests focus on issues around donor transition and sustainability, including institutional capacity strengthening and strengthening of public health systems. Bennett is the co-chair of the Johns Hopkins Gupta-Klinsky India Institute. She has also served as the chair of Health Systems Global, editor of Health Policy and Planning, and executive director of the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research at the WHO.

 “I am grateful to Sara for her extraordinary leadership as director of the Health Systems Program and know that she will bring her leadership expertise to the Department in this new role,” says Judd Walson, MD, chair of the Department. 

Doocy, who has been a faculty member in the department since 2004, will oversee the Health Systems Program’s research and education endeavors, including leading over 70 faculty members, as well as the management of the Program’s three graduate degree programs. Her research focuses on the health impacts of humanitarian emergencies and the effectiveness of humanitarian interventions on populations affected by natural disasters and conflict. She has over 20 years of experience working in partnership with humanitarian agencies in the areas of health systems and health service delivery, food security, nutrition, cash transfers and climate. Doocy previously was associate director for academic programs for the Health Systems Program and currently co-directs the MPH humanitarian health concentration at the Bloomberg School. 

“Shannon is perfectly placed to take on leadership of the Program. She has been an invaluable asset as associate director of academic programs and the Program will flourish under her leadership,” says Bennett.