Global Health Institute

On April 20, 2021, Georgetown’s Conversations in Global Health class was fortunate enough to engage in conversation with Ms. Natasha Bilimoria, the current deputy assistant administrator in the Bureau of Global Health at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). To say the least, Ms. Bilimoria has had an impressive and diverse career in global health. In 2013, she became the director of U.S. strategy for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, where she focused on garnering public and private sector support in the United States to advance Gavi’s mission of increasing childhood immunization in low-income countries. Prior to her work at Gavi and USAID, Ms. Bilimoria spent several years at Friends of the Global Fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, which advocates for U.S. support for the Global Fund (a public-private partnership which aims to end the AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria epidemics). Ms. Bilimoria’s experience working in multilateral institutions, non-profit organizations, and the federal government brought a unique and refreshing perspective to our discussion on how we can inspire Americans to recognize the power and importance of global health in an era where the health of individuals and nations is more connected than ever before.

As a first-generation college student, thinking about my next professional steps after Georgetown has been daunting. It feels like there are so many opportunities available, yet every opportunity seems out of reach or incompatible. Ms. Natasha Bilimoria, deputy assistant administrator at the Bureau of Global Health at U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), spoke with the Conversations in Global Health students about her current position and shared insight into her career path. Ms. Bilimoria reflected on the knowledge she has acquired throughout her decades-long career in private and public sector institutions such as the Social Security Administration, the White House, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, and Glaser Foundation.