MMV extends a sincere welcome to Philip Welkhoff, recently appointed Director of the Malaria Program at the Bill and Malaria Gates Foundation(BMGF). From March 2018, he will succeed the late Professor Alan Magill in this important role, and take over from Dan Hartman, currently the Malaria Program’s interim Director. 

Philip Welkhoff is Senior Director of Research at the Institute for Disease Modeling at Intellectual Ventures’ Global Good Fund. He currently serves as an external reviewer for the BMGF and as a pro bono external advisor for BMGF programs in Global Health and Global Development. Philip holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University in Applied and Computational Mathematics, and has dual undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas. He began working on malaria and mathematical models of disease transmission while at Princeton.

Philip’s work in informatics and mathematical modeling has added to the global body of knowledge on complex biological systems that perpetuate cycles of infection and reinfection. His simulations are also helping BMGF and its partners accelerate progress towards malaria elimination, using customized interventions tailored to the demands of specific populations and environments.

In the Foundation’s view, “…Philip’s leadership in this area will help maximize the impact of global malaria investment and sustain international commitment to creating a malaria-free world.”

Philip’s interest in disease transmission, particularly malaria, began early on. He suffered frequent bouts of malaria while growing up at a humanitarian hospital on the north coast of Haiti. This experience has helped form his understanding of the toll this disease takes on children, families and communities.

MMV looks forward to working with Philip, as we progress towards global malaria elimination.

MMV would also like to take this opportunity to thank Dan Hartman, who has played a stellar role as the Malaria Program’s Interim Director, while simultaneously serving as Director of Integrated Development at the Foundation. MMV has profited immensely from his superb guidance and leadership over the past 2 years, and we are happy to learn that Dan will continue to work with the Malaria team as Senior Advisor.