MONROVIA – Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan, Director-General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), has announced ongoing high-level discussions with the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, focusing on collaborative efforts to strengthen Liberia’s capacity in addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Dr. Nyan shared the update on his official Facebook page today, revealing that he has held meetings with key public health authorities at Johns Hopkins, including renowned Liberian-American physician and researcher, Dr. Lisa Cooper.
Dr. Lisa Cooper, Liberian-American physician and researcher, with Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan, Director-General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL).
“These meetings on collaborations between NPHIL and JHU have specifically emphasized the area of non-communicable diseases,” Dr. Nyan wrote. “Dr. Cooper and I previously participated in the 2014 Ebola outbreak response and the Ebola vaccine studies; she has brought immense pride to us.”
Dr. Lisa Cooper is an internal medicine and public health physician who holds the prestigious title of Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Equity in Health and Healthcare at Johns Hopkins University. She is jointly appointed across several divisions, including the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, School of Nursing, and multiple departments within the Bloomberg School of Public Health, namely Health, Behavior and Society; Health Policy and Management; Epidemiology; and International Health.
She serves as the James F. Fries Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and leads both the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity and the Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute. Dr. Cooper is also a Gilman Scholar and core faculty member of the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research. Her groundbreaking research on how race, ethnicity, and gender influence the patient-physician relationship and contribute to health disparities has earned her international recognition.
In 2007, Dr. Cooper was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for her contributions to public health and health equity. She currently serves as a member of the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).
Dr. Nyan’s engagement with such a prominent figure in global health reflects a broader strategy to elevate Liberia’s public health systems through international collaboration and evidence-based research. As Liberia continues to combat both infectious and non-communicable diseases, partnerships with globally recognized institutions like Johns Hopkins signal a forward-looking approach to health equity, disease prevention, and sustainable healthcare development.
