A Conversation with WHO’s Dr. Meg Doherty
American Meg Doherty, MD MPH PhD, a leading figure in global health, has dedicated her career to combating HIV, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections (STI)—first in her hometown of Boston, Massachusetts and later through her public health and medical training in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. Today, as the Director of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programs at the World Health Organization (WHO), she plays a critical role in shaping policies and interventions to improve public health worldwide.
The Path to Global Health
Doherty’s journey into medicine was shaped by a strong foundation in community service. A graduate of Princeton University, she joined the Peace Corps in what was then Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was an experience that profoundly influenced her motivation to pursue a career in global health and medicine. After training in public health at Johns Hopkins University, she attended Harvard Medical School to specialize in internal medicine and primary health care, earning her stripes at Massachusetts General Hospital. She eventually went back to Johns Hopkins Hospital to subspecialize in infectious diseases, joining its prestigious faculty of medicine.
From 2005-2010, Doherty served in Ethiopia, working to expand the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program under a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded project. Her work in Ethiopia not only strengthened the nation’s healthcare infrastructure to address the HIV and TB epidemics, but led her to WHO, where she continues to serve.
The Role of WHO in Global Health
Doherty describes WHO as a unique platform that bridges the technical, scientific and political aspects of public health. With 194 member countries, WHO provides a global perspective on disease prevention and treatment strategies.
“WHO opens a window to what’s happening across health in all countries that are part of the organization. That offers people like myself a chance to bring the full breadth of our backgrounds to do more good for more people. WHO offers that platform, that place to convene experts, scientists, community members and leaders. It’s a privilege,” she explains.
“WHO opens a window to what’s happening across health in all countries that are part of the organization. That offers people like myself a chance to bring the full breadth of our backgrounds to do more good for more people.”
Doherty’s firsthand experience in Africa reinforced her belief in the critical role WHO plays in expanding healthcare programs worldwide. “I didn’t realize until I worked in Africa that having WHO guidance, structure and leadership is absolutely critical to scaling up programs. Without it, countries can’t implement. Period. WHO provides all the tools to deliver medical interventions that are fit for purpose for their settings. Not for Boston or Baltimore or London. For them.”
“WHO provides all the tools to deliver medical interventions that are fit for purpose for their settings. Not for Boston or Baltimore or London. For them.”
She learned that lesson during her work expanding antiretroviral therapy as a population-level intervention—what she describes as “the most important guideline-setting effort I’ve been involved in at WHO.” The process leveraged global clinical trials and cohort studies to determine the most effective strategies for different patient populations. The process also drove home just how much the U.S. directly benefits—and benefits from—global health. “American clinicians and researchers are part of the process every step of the way. We have to be. Our training makes for better science; it also makes for better medicine for U.S. populations.”
The Global Health Connection to U.S. Health
Doherty stresses how global health efforts ultimately protect people in the U.S. “Every day—right now in my work in Africa and globally—I’m protecting people in the U.S. My colleagues and I are working to stop multidrug-resistant tuberculosis from coming back to the U.S. and reducing the spread of drug-resistant sexually transmitted diseases. Our efforts mitigate the resurgence of HIV in countries where it is well-controlled and support the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and Hepatitis B.”
“Every day—right now in my work in Africa and globally—I’m protecting people in the U.S.”
The rapid exchange of scientific knowledge between countries has also proven invaluable in responding to global health crises. Doherty noted how WHO worked diligently with U.S. authorities and communities to successfully contain the multi-country outbreak of mpox in 2022-2023, which significantly impacted the U.S and more than 100 other countries. She also cites the COVID-19 pandemic as a further example. “In my field of HIV programming, we already had years of experience developing guidelines and implementing HIV self-tests,” Doherty shares. “We learned that most people can test themselves and understand the results. So when teams were trying to figure out how to scale COVID-19 rapid diagnostic tools and self-tests in the middle of a pandemic, our department supported COVID-19 self-testing guidelines. Countries and people benefitted from the rapid transfer of HIV knowledge to an emerging crisis.”
A Commitment to Future Generations
Beyond policy work, Doherty remains committed to mentoring the next generation of physicians. “I’m just one of hundreds of Americans bringing the best of their training to communities around the world, then bringing that global training back to the U.S. in a constant exchange of ideas and expertise. It’s a privilege to share my knowledge with colleagues and the next generation of physicians and public health professionals.”
“I’m just one of hundreds of Americans bringing the best of their training to communities around the world, then bringing that global training back to the U.S. in a constant exchange of ideas and expertise. It’s a privilege to share my knowledge.”
Despite the challenges of working with limited resources, Doherty remains inspired by the impact of WHO’s efforts. “We work hard and take pride in our work. We’re frugal. We don’t work on big budgets, but on great science. We run on a budget that’s far less than that of a medium-sized hospital. It’s amazing what WHO can do.”
Doherty’s contribution to American health through her dedication to WHO is equally amazing—and needed now more than ever.