Hib Initiative Team

Mathuram Santosham, MD, MPH

Dr. Santosham was born in Vellore, India and obtained his MBBS degree from the Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and research (JIPMER) in, Pondicherry, India in 1970. He subsequently moved to the United States and obtained Board Certification in Pediatrics and an MPH degree from the Johns Hopkins University. He also did a Fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Santosham currently is part of the Executive Committee for the recently formed Hib Initiative, overseeing activities to help countries make evidence-informed decisions regarding the use of Hib vaccines. He is the Director of the Center for American Indian and Alaskan Native Health, and the Program for Health Systems at the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland and a Professor in the Department of International Health, and the Department of Pediatrics at JHU.

Dr. Santosham is internationally known for his work on oral rehydration therapy and for his work on childhood vaccines. He has conducted numerous vaccine efficacy trials, including rotavirus vaccine, H. influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine, and pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. He was the Primary Investigator on the pivotal vaccine efficacy trial that led to the licensure of one of the Hib conjugate vaccines.

Dr. Santosham serves on numerous national and international committees on infant vaccines and oral rehydration therapy. He has acted as consultant for several international agencies including WHO, USAID and UNICEF. He has provided consultation in various aspects of child survival in over 30 countries. He is the author of over 100 peer-reviewed journals and serves as a reviewer for several international medical journals. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the prestigious Thrasher Research Fund award for excellence in research.

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