William Bertrand, PhD

An Emeritus Professor from Tulane University, Dr. Bertrand the Wisner-Chair holder, was the Vice President of Institutional Planning, Research and Innovation, Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Founding Chair of the Department of International Health and Executive Director of the Payson Center.
He is currently a visiting scientist at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and on the Governing Council of the American University of Nigeria. He is the founding Co-director of the Kinshasa School of Public Health, and contributed to establishing 6 other Schools Public Health in Africa and Asia. He also was the first Principal Investigator for USAID’s Famine Early Warning Project or FEWS. He was the founding director of the Center for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CDMHA) at Tulane where he worked closely with the United States Southern Command in researching, training and responding to problems, building local capacity to manage complex emergencies and sudden and chronic/complex disasters in Latin America.
He has served on Council at US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and as a member of the Pan American Health Foundation board. He has over one hundred reviewed articles, monographs and books and made over 300 presentations at scientific meetings Professor Bertrand’s research focuses on monitoring, evaluation and implementation science, and the integration of information technology into health development interventions with a focus on creating sustainable and resilient individuals and communities globally. His special focus is on using information technology to build global human resources for sustainable development in the face of global warming.
Dr. Bertrand is also fluent in Spanish and French.