Dr. Thirumurthy Promoted to Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy

Congratulations to CHIBE Associate Director Harsha Thirumurthy, PhD, on his promotion to Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, effective July 1, 2022.

Dr. Thirumurthy’s promotion recognizes his extensive and impactful scholarly contributions as an economist and behavioral scientist working to improve health outcomes for people in low- and middle-income countries, especially in Africa. His work has focused in particular on evaluation of large-scale health initiatives that address high-burden diseases such as HIV and malaria as well as on behavioral interventions to improve HIV testing and access to care. He has published his research extensively in high-impact journals and has been generously funded by the Gates Foundation, the NIH, and other sources. In addition, he has worked with CHIBE Scientific Director Alison Buttenheim, PhD, MBA, and colleagues in South Africa to create South Africa’s first nudge unit focused on HIV prevention and has served as a member of numerous global health advisory bodies. Finally, and no less important, he co-founded the Penn Development Research Initiative to foster a community of global health and development scholars at Penn, and he has provided invaluable service to the Department of Medical Ethics & Health Policy as co-Vice-Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.