Sameh El-Saharty

Sameh El-Saharty is an Egyptian medical doctor and global health expert. He works as Senior Health Policy Advisor for different organizations including The World Bank in Washington, DC; Commissioner on the Lancet Global Health Commission on People-centered Care (PCC) for Universal Health Coverage (UHC); Affiliate Faculty at Harvard Medical School (HMS); Member of the High-Advisory Committee on Human Capital with the Deputy Prime Minister of Egypt. Dr. El-Saharty had joined the Bank in 1998 and was the first Egyptian to work in the health, population, and nutrition (HNP) sector at the World Bank since its establishment. During this period, he was responsible for leading the health policy dialog and health strategy development for client countries as well as managing several programs and projects amounting to more than $5 billion in more than 30 countries in three world regions. Before his current position, he was the Program Leader for Human Development, responsible for the Health, Nutrition and Population, education, social protection and labor markets in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. He had also held the position of Adjunct A. Professor of International Health at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Education He graduated from Cairo University School of Medicine in 1982 and received a Master of Public Health from the Military Medical Academy in Egypt in 1988, a Certificate in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo in 1988, a Fellowship in Social and Economic Policy from Harvard Kennedy School, and Master of Public Health in International Health Policy and Management from Harvard University in 1991.

Major publications in international health He authored and contributed to more than 80 published books, papers, articles, studies, reviews, and technical reports. His most cited works include: "Achieving the Demographic Dividend in Egypt: Choice not Destiny"; “Curbing the Noncommunicable Disease Epidemic in the Middle East and North Africa: Prevention Among Young People Is The Key”; “The Path to Universal Health Coverage in Bangladesh: Bridging the Gap of Human Resources for Health”; “Connecting Sectors and Systems for Health Results”; “Capitalizing on the Demographic Transition: Tackling Non-Communicable Diseases in South Asia"; and “Improving Health Service Delivery in Developing Countries: From Evidence to Action”. The links to these reports and his other most important publications are below.

Professional experience El-Saharty provided policy advice and managed programs and projects that spanned a wide range of health programs and systems including maternal and child health, nutrition, communicable and non-communicable diseases, health promotion and behavior change, health service delivery, hospital management, human resources, health governance, public expenditures, health financing, health insurance, and health reform. He is one of the leading experts who designed the Health Sector Reform Program in Egypt in 1998 that piloted the expansion of health insurance coverage and introduced the family health model in the country. Prior to joining the World Bank, he has worked for several organizations including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Pathfinder International, Clark Atlanta University, the American University in Cairo (AUC), Vinci (construction) (formerly Société Générale d’Entreprises), Ministry of Health and Population (Egypt), and Cairo University School of Medicine. He also worked for part-time or provided short-term consultancies to several organizations including Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Harvard Kennedy School of Government, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Management Sciences for Health (MSH), and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Professional affiliations El-Saharty is a member of the Global Think Tank of the Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of Health. He serves as a member of the Dean’s Leadership Council of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and is a member and now the President-Elect of the Executive Committee of the School’s Alumni Council. In addition, he serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Arab Staff Association the World Bank-International Monetary Fund. In the past, he served on the advisory board of several institutions including the MENA Health Policy Forum, the Harvard Arab Alumni Association, and the Institute for Social and Economic Policy in the Middle East at Harvard University.

Awards and recognitions He received several awards including the Knowledge Management Award (2012) and Award of Excellence (2009) from the World Bank; the Alumni Leadership Award (2010) from Harvard University; and was decorated with the “Medal of Officer of the Independence” of the National Order (2006) by the President of the Republic of Djibouti; and the Middle East Fellowship (1990) from the Institute for Social and Economic Policy in the Middle East, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.