David L. Heymann, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor
Dr. David Heymann is the Assistant Director-General for Health Security and Environment and Representative of the Director-General for Polio Eradication at the World Health Organization. Prior to this, from 1998 until 2003, Heymann was Executive Director of the WHO Communicable Diseases Cluster. From 1995 to 1998, he was Director of the WHO Program on Emerging and other Communicable Diseases, and prior to that was the chief of research activities in the WHO Global Program on AIDS. Before joining WHO, Heymann worked for 13 years as a medical epidemiologist in sub-Saharan Africa on assignment from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr Heymann also worked for two years in India as a medical epidemiologist in the WHO Smallpox Eradication Program.
Research Interests
- Polio
- Communicable Disease Clusters
- AIDS
Education
Wake Forest University, M.D., 1970
Selected Publications
Heymann DL. Control, Elimination, Eradication and Re-emergence of Infectious Diseases: the Importance of Getting the Message Right. Bull World Health Organ, 2006;84(2):82.
Heymann DL. SARS and Emerging Infectious Diseases: a Challenge to Place Global Solidarity above National Sovereignty. Annals, Academy of Medicine, Singapore. May 2006, Vol. 35 No. 5.
Heymann DL, Sutter RW, Aylward RB. Polio Eradication: Interrupting Transmission, Towards A Polio-Free World. Future Virol. (2006) 1(2), 181-188.
Heymann DL. Resistance to Anti-Infective Drugs and the Threat to Public Health. Cell 124, February 24, 2006, Vol 124, 671-5, No. 4.
Heymann DL, Aylward RB. Poliomyelitis Eradication and Pandemic Influenza. Lancet. 6 May 2006, 367:1462-4.
Heymann DL, Sutter RW, Aylward RB. A Vision of A World Without Polio: the OPV Cessation Strategy. Biologicals. Vol. 34, June 2006, pp 75-79.
Heymann DL, Aylward RB. The Polio Eradication Endgame. IAVI Report, Vol 10/Number 2, March-April 2006:13-17.
Heymann DL. The Sovereignty of Disease. Yale Global Online. June 2006.
Heymann DL. Polio Eradication endgame and its vaccine-related challenges, Health Protection Matters, Issue Five, Summer 2006. Health Protection Agency Newsletter.
Heymann DL. No Borders for Infectious Diseases, Bridges, Volume 2 No.5, August-September 2006.
2011 Claremont Graduate University 
School of Community & Global Health 