Chris Beyrer

CHRIS BEYRER, MD, MPH ’91, was installed to the inaugural Desmond M. Tutu Professorship in Public Health and Human Rights during a ceremony in April 2016, in Cape Town, South Africa. Dr. Beyrer is Professor of Epidemiology, International Health, and Health, Behavior and Society at the Bloomberg School. He is the founding director of the Center for Public Health and Human Rights, (CPHHR) established in April 2004 to advance fundamental human rights through research, teaching and advocacy. In addition to directing CPHHR, Dr. Beyrer serves as Director of Johns Hopkins Training Program in HIV Epidemiology and Prevention Science, and is Associate Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and of the University’s Center for Global Health. He currently serves as a member of the MSM Working Group of the HIV Prevention Trials Network. Dr. Beyrer has extensive experience in conducting international collaborative research and training programs in HIV/AIDS and other infectious disease epidemiology, in infectious disease prevention research, HIV among Key Populations, and in health and human rights. As Director of the Johns Hopkins Fogarty AITRP Program, Dr. Beyrer provided fellowships for over 1,400 international scholars in HIV/AIDS prevention, research, and treatment. Most recently, he was elected president of the International AIDS Society, appointed to the UNAIDS Scientific Experts Panel, and elected a member of the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Beyrer is the author of more than 250 scientific papers, and author or editor of six books, including War in the Blood: Sex, Politics and AIDS in Southeast Asia, and Public Health and Human Rights: Evidence-Based Approaches. He has served as a consultant and advisor to numerous national and international institutions, including the National Institutes of Health, the World Bank, and the Open Society Foundations. He received a BA in history from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, his MD from SUNY Downstate, and completed his residency, public health training, and an MPH at Johns Hopkins University. Since 2010, Bishop Tutu and Dr. Beyrer have worked in tandem to advocate for human rights in the realm of public health.