Subject Experts

ITI has Subject Experts with expertise in a wide range of topics on trachoma, NTDs, the SAFE Strategy, trends in public health and more. Please contact us to arrange for an interview with any of our Subject Experts.

Bios

Laura Barrett, Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Programs
Laura Barrett is responsible for strategizing, exploring and developing opportunities to expand programming, improve performance, reduce costs, and reach trachoma elimination goals more efficiently through collaboration with other NTD and health programs using similar intervention strategies.  Ms. Barrett provides technical support to country programs in more than five African countries that have integrated the delivery of trachoma and NTD interventions, particularly the mass drug administration component of seven NTDs. She also directs a $2.5M portfolio of public and private grants for integrated NTD programs and surgical services for trachoma sufferers in Africa.  

Ms. Barrett has more than ten years of public health program management experience with emphasis on disease prevention and control through community participation, health systems strengthening, and capacity building. Her background includes disease surveillance, monitoring and evaluation, water and sanitation, health education, and training. Prior to joining ITI, she was a technical advisor to the Ghana Guinea Worm Eradication Program where she worked with local officials to lead and implement Guinea worm eradication strategies in 98 endemic and 127 at-risk communities in a highly endemic district. The team’s effort resulted in a 74% reduction in Guinea worm (GW) cases in the district in one year. Additionally, Ms. Barrett facilitated the repair of 50 hand pumps to re-supply safe water to 25,000 people at risk of GW infection and created a hand pump repair manual for use by technicians and community water and sanitation committees. As a Senior Research Project Coordinator with the Lymphatic Filariasis Support Center, she worked in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Malawi to test a methodology to measure the effects the implementation of the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis may have on health systems in endemic countries.  She has also executed public health programs as a Community Health Education Extension Agent with the Peace Corps in Cameroon. She holds a Master of Public Health from Emory University.  She is fluent in English and proficient in French.