Dr. David Townes

Biography

Dr. Townes received his medical degree from the University of Massachusetts and completed his internship and residency in emergency medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He also completed a fellowship in International Emergency Medicine, earning a Master's Degree in Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy Administration. He has a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Currently, he serves as the Public Health Medical Technical Advisor for the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and as a Medical Epidemiologist for the Emergency Response and Recovery Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). His responsibilities include providing expert technical advice, reviewing health proposals submitted to BHA, and overseeing the design and implementation of BHA-funded programs. Dr. Townes has also held the role of Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer at the CDC's Malaria Branch and has served as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS). His extensive global health experience includes expedition medicine in Antarctica and various roles in humanitarian emergency settings across multiple countries. He is the Course Director for GH 576: Health in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies.

Research Interests

Experience