Rebecca Martin

Rebecca Martin, PhD oversees all of Sabin’s global immunization programs, including building global communities of practice, identifying barriers and creating solutions to improve vaccine access and delivery of current and new vaccines, and conducting epidemiological research to support immunization.

She was previously the Vice President for Global Health and the Director of the Emory Global Health Institute at Emory University and a Research Professor in the Hubert Department of Global Health in the Rollins School of Public Health. As a member of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center leadership team, she led efforts to build and align diverse, multidisciplinary, global health infrastructure and foster global collaborations across Emory University and with international health organizations.

Rebecca brings 24 years of distinguished public health experience from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). From 2015-2021, she served as director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, leading the agency’s global efforts to protect, detect, and respond to health threats through science, policy, partnership, and evidence-based public health action. As director of the Global Immunization Division at CDC from 2012-2015, she led global polio eradication efforts, accelerated disease control for vaccine-preventable diseases, facilitated new vaccine introductions, and strengthened immunization systems worldwide.

For ten years, she was detailed from the CDC to the World Health Organization’s African and European Regional Offices, where she directed immunization programs for eight East African and 53 European Member States, respectively. In her four years in Nairobi, Kenya, she provided technical expertise to East African countries focused on vaccine-preventable disease surveillance, prevention and elimination strategies and policies, and new vaccine introductions. For several years in Dar as Salaam, Tanzania, she led the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and supervised staff in surveillance, health management information systems (HMIS), monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and human capacity development for CDC HIV/AIDS programs.

Prior to joining the CDC in 1997, Rebecca was an epidemiologist with the Maryland Department of Hygiene and Mental Health, leading state efforts to increase vaccination coverage, prevent and respond to outbreaks, and coordinate Maryland’s children’s immunization registry implementation.

Rebecca earned her PhD in global health with a focus on infectious disease epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. For over 26 years, she has partnered with countries, multilateral organizations, and NGOs to reduce morbidity and mortality. She has co-authored manuscripts and book chapters and developed global health strategic plans and guidelines.

Return to Our People