Global Health Institute

Diana Rayes is the program director of the Faith and Global Health Initiative at the Georgetown University Global Health Institute. Rayes is a global health scholar whose work explores the intersection of political crisis, migration, and health systems, with a particular interest in how faith shapes health-seeking behaviors and influences health policy. Her current book project explores displacement, humanitarianism, and resilience through the lens of the Syrian crisis, examining both the structural forces driving migration and the lived experiences of refugees navigating new social and political landscapes.

Rayes has worked across academic, multilateral, and humanitarian sectors to bridge research, policy, and practice in fragile and conflict-affected settings. She previously held a postdoctoral appointment in the Science, Technology, and International Affairs Program at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and continues to hold affiliations with the Institute for the Study of International Migration and the Global Mental Health and Well-being Initiative. In addition to her academic work, she has advised numerous nonprofits, advocacy groups, think tanks, and United Nations agencies—including the World Health Organization and UNICEF, where she currently consults on global mental health and psychosocial support advocacy and programming. Rayes is also a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council, contributing to research and dialogue on global health security, displacement, and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

She holds a Ph.D. in international health and MHS in global mental health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a B.S. in psychology from Arizona State University.