Laurie Garrett
Senior Fellow for Global Health
Expertise
Global health systems; chronic and infectious diseases; bioterrorism; public health and its effects on foreign policy and national security.
Programs
Global Health Program
Featured Publications
CFR Senior Fellow for Global Health Laurie Garrett discusses the rising vulnerabilities to the world's medicine and drug supply as a result of the increasingly globalized supply chain, and presents six steps the G8 and G20 states should take to combat the growing problem of counterfeit and substandard medicines and ensure the reliability of the world's drug and vaccine supply.
See more in Global Health
Laurie Garrett discusses the current state of global health programs.
See more in Financial Crises, Global Health
Most countries in the world have moved toward provision of systems of universal health coverage, enhancing affordability and access to medical care. Even as the U.S. Supreme Court debates legal standards for Americans, this report finds that risk-pooling is essential for affordable access to medical care in poor and emerging-market countries.
See more in Global Health
All Publications
CFR's Senior Fellow for Global Health, Laurie Garrett, discusses the drivers of rising global food prices, including increasing demand for meat, biofuels, price speculation, and severe weather events.
See more in United States, Food Security
CFR's Senior Fellow for Global Health, Laurie Garrett, discusses the implications of rising food prices on global health.
See more in Middle East, Global Health, Food Security
With food prices at historic levels, unrest is mounting around the world, particularly in import-dependent regions such as the Middle East. CFR's Laurie Garrett says to meet demand going forward, countries will need to enhance food production and efficiencies.
See more in Natural Resources Management, Food Security
See more in Health, Science, and Technology, Public Health Threats, Drugs
The cholera epidemic that has added to the list of Haiti's post-earthquake miseries is a reminder that what Haiti needs more than anything else is good governance that would lead to better infrastructure and safe water.
See more in Haiti, Health, Science, and Technology
Laurie Garrett and El'Haum Alavian discuss the challenge, for the world's richest nations, of assisting emerging economies in their transition to self-reliance in obtaining public goods, and finding solutions that guarantee equitable access to health for the entire family of nations.
See more in Global Health, Foreign Aid
Four CFR fellows weigh in on the effectiveness of the State Department's Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review recommendations.
See more in Global Health, U.S. Strategy and Politics
Haiti's cholera outbreak is exacerbated by unclean water and a subpar sanitation system, and lagging infrastructure repairs highlight the inadequate global response to the country's earthquake in January, says CFR's Laurie Garrett.
See more in Haiti, Health, Science, and Technology
Concerns about global wheat supplies are sparking fears that price inflation in the wheat market could lead to a food crisis akin to the one in 2008, says CFR's Laurie Garrett.
See more in Russian Fed., Infrastructure, Food Security
International donor support for fighting HIV has flat-lined, yet the United States--the world's largest donor--is under fire from the global community, and domestic political support for Obama administration global health funding is flagging, writes CFR's Laurie Garrett.
See more in United States, Global Governance, Health, Science, and Technology
The G20 meetings in Toronto will be marked by competing agendas on global growth and strengthening global financial supervision. This Backgrounder looks at the chief policy concerns of each.
See more in Health, Science, and Technology
Cubans want the United States to lift its long-standing embargo on Cuba, but any serious easing of trade and travel restrictions between the two countries may badly harm Cuba's health-care industry.
See more in Cuba, Health, Science, and Technology
President Obama's first National Security Strategy departs from Bush administration doctrine by redefining the war against terror groups and embracing multilateralism, and may expect too much from global partners, say CFR experts in an analytical roundup.
See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security
Laurie Garrett and Captain Eustaquio Castro-Mendoza, USN, discuss the steps that must be taken to protect Haiti, still recovering from the earthquake, from the coming hurricane season.
See more in Haiti, Preparedness, Foreign Aid
It's important to evaluate foreign aid programs and address questions of accountability and value, especially at a time of concern about the economy, but cuts or reductions in foreign assistance support aren't merited, says CFR's Laurie Garrett.
See more in United States, Foreign Aid
Healthcare reform has been seen internationally as a test of President Obama's mettle, writes CFR's global health expert Laurie Garrett, and GOP challenges will force it to be a White House preoccupation until after the November elections.
See more in United States, Health, Science, and Technology, Congress
A monthly e-newsletter with in-depth analysis of events and new developments in global health, from CFR's Global Health Program.
An e-newsletter produced by CFR's Global Health Program looking at the Obama administration's Global Health Initiative, the swine flu backlash, and the dangers ahead for Haiti, as well as a number of other timely issues.
See more in United States, Global Health
A monthly e-newsletter with in-depth analysis of events and new developments in global health, from CFR's Global Health Program.
Laurie Garrett and Dana March point out that vaccinations against influenza do not mrerely protect the population from the virus itself but that they have significant long term health benefits that should not be ignored.
See more in Global Health, Public Health Threats, Health
Featured Press
HIV at 50+
Laurie Garrett moderated this panel at the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC. Doctors, researchers, and international policymakers discussed the implications of a growing HIV population over 50 years of age and what is required in order to address the new challenges in this aging population, in regards to medicine as well as research and policy.
Dual Uses for Avian Flu Research
Charlotte Howard of the Economist interviewed Laurie Garrett about the controversial bird flu (H5N1) research conducted by Dr. Ron Fouchier at the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands. Garrett discusses the contention surrounding duel-use research and the lack of international consensus regarding research regulation.
A Conversation with Peter Piot: No Time to Lose
Laurie Garrett interviews Peter Piot, who discovered the Ebola virus, about his new book No Time to Lose.
Map: Vaccine-Preventable Outbreaks

This interactive map visually plots diseases that are easily preventable by inexpensive and effective vaccines. The Global Health Program at the Council on Foreign Relations has been tracking news reports on these outbreaks since the fall of 2008.
More About Laurie Garrett
See more at Laurie Garrett's personal website, lauriegarrett.com.