Bethany Holt, MD, MPH

Bethany is a global health practitioner currently serving as the Director of Health Systems Transformation and Partnerships at the Program in Global Primary Health Care at the Harvard Medical School Office for Research Initiatives and Global Programs. In this role, she oversees global research, education, innovation, and advocacy initiatives to advance people-centered primary health care. Her portfolio includes co-leading the Lancet Global Health Commission on People-Centered Care for Universal Health Coverage and partnering with governments and communities to co-design and scale innovative care models, such as hepatitis services in Vietnam and the Philippines and community-based prevention of chronic illness in Thailand and Indonesia. She also leads the Program’s scholarly engagement and is passionate about engaging and mentoring students and trainees from diverse disciplines in community engagement and global health delivery.

Bethany brings to the Program a multi-disciplinary perspective gained over 10 years of work in the health and social impact sectors in the US, Australia, and the Asia-Pacific. She applies knowledge and tools gained through experience as a physician, public health researcher, strategy consultant and philanthropic development partner. Prior to her medical degree, for which she earned First Class Honours and the University Medal, Bethany studied international relations and economics. She graduated with an MPH in Global Health from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which she attended on a Fulbright Scholarship, and subsequently a Post Doctoral Fellowship with the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her academic focus is on health systems strengthening through implementation science, community partnership, and participatory methods.