LARRY BRILLIANT
Dr Larry Brilliant | Global Health Expert | Former WHO Director.
Larry Brilliant is a renowned epidemiologist, physician, and technologist who has made significant contributions to the fields of public health and global health initiatives. He gained recognition for his involvement in the successful eradication of smallpox, serving as a key member of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) smallpox eradication program in the 1970s. Larry Brilliant has also held various leadership positions, including serving as the CEO of the Skoll Global Threats Fund and as a member of the faculty at the University of Michigan. His expertise spans areas such as infectious diseases, pandemics, and the intersection of technology and public health. Larry Brilliant is widely regarded as a visionary figure in the field of global health and has played a crucial role in shaping public health strategies and initiatives worldwide.
Credentials:
– Pioneering physician and global philanthropist.
– Chair of the Skoll Global Threats Fund Senior Adviser to Jeff Skoll.
– Inaugural Executive Director of Google.org and, later, Chief Philanthropy Evangelist.
– Founder and director of The Seva Foundation.
– Member of strategic advisory committees for the Berkeley School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley; – – Omidyar Network; and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Venture Capital.
– Co Founder – The Well, a pioneering virtual community,
– Larry earned a Master of Public Health degree in health planning and economic development from the University of Michigan, and he received his M.D. from Wayne Medical School.
– He has received several awards from the Government of India and from WHO.
– In 2005 he received an honorary Doctor of Sciences degree from Knox College,
“International Public Health Hero” by the University of California.
– In February 2006 he received the Sapling Foundation’s TED Prize.
Books:
Sometimes Brilliant: The Impossible Adventure of a Spiritual Seeker and Visionary Physician Who Helped Conquer the Worst Disease in History. October 2016.
Smallpox Eradiction in India.
In the media:
Larry Brilliant, Hippie Doctor that helped cure smallpox
Larry Brilliant Helped to eradicate smallpox – and he has advice for COVID-19
BIOGRAPHY
Pioneering physician, epidemologist, expert on pandemics such as the Coronavirus (COVID-19). He is also a global philanthropist.
The tragedies and economic impact of COVID-19 can best be explained by the world’s foremost authority on pandemics and viruses, Dr. Larry Brilliant, physician, epidemiologist, global philanthropist and self-described social change “addict.” Through his consulting and advisory services, Brilliant offers leaders actionable, strategic advice for navigating uncertainty during global health crises.
Brilliant, who is the founder and CEO of Pandefense Advisory, is best known for having lead the World Health Organization’s smallpox eradication program that saved 2 million lives. He was previously the president and CEO of the Skoll Global Threats Fund, vice president of Google, and the founding executive director of Google.org.
Brilliant is an M.D. and M.P.H. who is board certified in preventive medicine and public health. He also serves as a member of strategic advisory committees for the Berkeley School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley; Omidyar Network; and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Venture Capital.
In addition to his medical career, Brilliant co-founded The Well, a pioneering virtual community, with Stewart Brand in 1985. He also holds a telecommunications technology patent and has served as CEO of two public companies and other venture-backed startups.
Brilliant is the founder-director of The Seva Foundation, which works in dozens of countries, to eliminate preventable and curable blindness. He has written two books, and dozens of articles, including “Sometimes Brilliant“, his account of the successful eradication of smallpox. Brilliant has worked at city, county, state, federal and international levels. He was a “first responder” for CDC’s smallpox bio-terrorism response effort, has volunteered in Sri Lanka for tsunami relief, and he established Pandefense Advisory, an interdisciplinary consultancy that aims to prepare for possible pandemic influenza. Brilliant lived in India while working as a United Nations medical officer for more than a decade, where he played a key role in the successful World Health Organization (WHO) smallpox eradication program. He recently worked for the WHO polio eradication effort as well. He was Associate Professor of epidemiology, global health planning and economic development at the University of Michigan.
Brilliant earned a Master of Public Health degree in health planning and economic development from the University of Michigan, and he received his M.D. from Wayne Medical School. He has received several awards from the Government of India and from WHO. In 2005, he received an honorary Doctor of Sciences degree from Knox College, and he was named “International Public Health Hero” by the University of California. In February 2006, he received the Sapling Foundation’s TED Prize.