Dr. Jeffrey P. Koplan is vice president for Global Health at Emory University, co-founder of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI), and principal investigator of the Global Health Institute-China Tobacco Control Partnership. Dr. Koplan founded the Emory Global Health Institute (EGHI) in 2006, served as its director until March, 2013, and continues to be actively involved in its daily operations in his role as vice president for Global Health. Prior to founding EGHI, Dr. Koplan was vice president for Academic Health Affairs at Emory University.

A former director (1998-2002) and 26-year veteran of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Koplan began his public health career in the early 1970s as a member of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service. He has worked on virtually every major public health issue, including infectious diseases such as smallpox and HIV/AIDS, environmental issues such as the Bhopal chemical disaster, and the health toll of tobacco and chronic diseases around the globe. From 1994 to 1998, he pursued his interest in enhancing the interactions between clinical medicine and public health by leading the Prudential Center for Health Care Research, a nationally recognized health services research organization.

He has extensive international experience including assignments in Bangladesh and Trinidad and Tobago, and extensive work experience in many countries including China, India, Guatemala, and Hungary. He has worked in collaborative relationships with Chinese health officials since his first visit to China in 1980, as leader of the US-PRC Public Health – Health Services Research Team. His work has included US-PRC bilateral projects, World Bank missions and World Health Organization consultations. He is an Honorary Professor of the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine and Honorary Advisor 001 of the Chinese CDC. He chairs the visiting committee to the Harvard School of Public Health, the Advisory Committee to the CDC of Nigeria and the Population Health ERG panel of the Wellcome Trust. He serves as a member of the Independent Monitoring Board for Polio Eradication (WHO and partners).

Dr. Koplan is a graduate of Yale College, the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, and the Harvard School of Public Health. He is a Master of the American College of Physicians and a member of the U.S. Institute of Medicine. He has served on many advisory groups and consultancies in the U.S. and overseas, and has had several international academic appointments. He has written more than 220 scientific papers. He is a trustee of the China Medical Board, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Marcus Foundation, and a former trustee of Yale University.