Rebecca Katz, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Director & Professor
Areas of Expertise
- Biological Weapons Convention
- Global health security policy
- Health diplomacy
- Innovative financing for health
- International Health Regulations
- Pandemic preparedness
Dr. Rebecca Katz is a Professor and Director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security, and holds joint appointments in Georgetown University Medical Center and the School of Foreign Service. She teaches courses on global health diplomacy, global health security, managing mass gatherings, and emerging infectious diseases in the Science, Technology and International Affairs, Security Studies, and Global Infectious Disease Programs. Prior to coming to Georgetown in 2016, she spent ten years at The George Washington University as faculty in the Milken Institute School of Public Health. Since 2007, much of her work has been on the domestic and global implementation of the International Health Regulations as well as governance of public health emergencies. She has authored over 120 peer reviewed manuscripts and seven books in addition to numerous op eds, blogs, white papers and book chapters.
From 2004 to 2019, Dr. Katz was a consultant to the Department of State, working on issues related to the Biological Weapons Convention, pandemic influenza and disease surveillance. She returned to the Department of State from January 2021 to December 2024 as a senior advisor on the global COVID-19 response and global health security.
In 2019, Dr. Katz co-convened the first international scientific conference on global health security, bringing together over 900 participants from around the world to form a community of practice. This conference now successfully brings together over 1200 global health security academic and policy experts every two years.
Dr. Katz received her undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College, an M.P.H. from Yale University, and a Ph.D. from Princeton University. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Additional appointments, roles and membership:
Technical Advisory Panel, Pandemic Fund
Global Health Security Network, co-founder and board member
Co-founder, National Center for Health Security and Resilience
Faculty Director, Graduate Certificate in Health Diplomacy, Institute for the Study of Diplomacy
Senior Fellow, Pax sapiens Pandemic Prevention Program