Education

MPH Tufts University, 2000
BA Anthropology, Pitzer College, 1993
MD Tufts University, 2000

Contact

206-612-4571
jwalson1@jh.edu

Bio

Dr. Walson is chair of the Department of International Health at the Bloomberg School and the inaugural Robert E. Black Chair in International Health. Walson is a physician trained in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Infectious Diseases with extensive experience working in research, public health programming, policy development, product development, and clinical practice. His research focuses on interventions to improve child survival, growth, and development in Africa and South Asia. He collaborates with ministries of health, NGOs, and academic partners in Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, India, Kenya, Malawi, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Uganda. Walson has conducted numerous trials investigating poor nutrition and infectious diseases to inform improvements in policy and programs globally. He has also worked in product development across vaccines, diagnostics, and devices.

He co-leads the Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, a collaboration of experts working at institutions across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The studies conducted under the network have led to the development of strategies to reduce mortality among acutely ill children. The research has also led to novel approaches enabling risk-differentiated care, ensuring those at highest risk are supported adequately both during and after contact with the health system. He also leads the DeWorm3 study—a large community cluster randomized trial focused on eliminating soil-transmitted helminths that has enrolled over 360,000 individuals in Benin, Malawi, and India. These intestinal parasites include roundworm and hookworm and are among the most common causes of infections in humans, disproportionately impacting communities living in poverty.