Kristie Mikus

Dr. Kristie Mikus serves as Executive Director of the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC), a coalition of more than 45 nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and aligned businesses advancing policies to accelerate the development and delivery of vaccines, diagnostics, drugs, and other health tools. Under her leadership, GHTC brings together the global health R&D community to educate policymakers, drive evidence-based advocacy, and build momentum for sustained investment in innovation to save lives. She regularly represents GHTC in high-level policy forums and ensures that innovation remains central to efforts to strengthen global health security, equity, and resilience. Dr. Mikus has more than 25 years of experience in global health policy, diplomacy, and program leadership. Prior to joining GHTC in 2024, she served as Senior Policy Advisor at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where she led the Global Health Center’s Washington, DC, office and advanced CDC’s global health priorities through engagement with U.S. government, multilateral, and external partners. She previously spent over a decade in Lusaka, Zambia, serving as CDC Zambia’s Deputy Country Director and as U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Country Coordinator. In that role, she oversaw the $400 million annual program for HIV prevention, care, and treatment, and represented the U.S. government on the Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanism. Earlier in her career, Dr. Mikus was among PEPFAR’s first staff members, serving as Congressional Liaison, Country Lead for multiple African and Caribbean countries, and later as Country Coordinator in Zambia. She also worked in the State Department’s Bureau of Foreign Assistance on foreign aid reform and strategic planning. She began her U.S. government service as a Presidential Management Fellow and today also serves as Adjunct Faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, teaching public health leadership in the MPH program. Dr. Mikus holds a Doctor of Public Health from UNC Chapel Hill, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Delaware, and a Bachelor’s degree from Washington College.