Welcoming Dr Saskia Popescu as the New CEO of GHSN
The Global Health Security Network is proud to announce the appointment of Dr Saskia Popescu, PhD, as our new Chief Executive Officer.
Dr Popescu is an internationally recognised infectious disease epidemiologist, biodefense expert, and leader in global health security. With a distinguished career spanning hospital outbreak response, pandemic preparedness, and biosecurity policy, she brings a wealth of expertise and leadership to GHSN.
Her experience includes frontline infectious disease response, advising global institutions such as the World Health Organization and APIC, and developing pandemic strategies for major organisations—including Netflix’s global studio operations. She has held senior roles at RAND, George Mason University, and the Council on Strategic Risks, and continues to educate the next generation of public health leaders as a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Dr Popescu’s work has involved close collaboration with key institutions including the National Academies of Science (NASEM), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and the PREZODE Initiative. She is also an assistant editor of Vaccine, a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a Fellow of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security’s Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative.
As GHSN’s new CEO, Dr Popescu will lead the organisation into its next phase of growth—expanding our global reach, deepening partnerships, and advancing bold, evidence-based solutions to today’s most pressing biological threats.
We are excited for what lies ahead under her leadership and invite our community to join us in warmly welcoming Dr Saskia Popescu to the GHSN family.
