Jon Andrus is an Adjoint Professor of Family Medicine and Pediatrics, Section of Pediatric Infectious Disease in the CU School of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Dr. Andrus is based at the Center for Global Health's Washington DC office and leads the University of Colorado’s efforts to advocate for the evidence-based use of life-saving vaccines in the world’s poorest communities. He has more than 30 years of experience working in global health at all levels of the health system.
Dr. Andrus has served as Deputy Director at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). At PAHO, among several duties, he oversaw departments of Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief; and Knowledge Management and Communication. Prior to that, he was the lead technical advisor for PAHO’s immunization program, providing oversight and guidance for PAHO’s technical cooperation to member countries. He also served as polio focal point for polio eradication in Southeast Asia and regional advisor for immunization during the 1990s.
Dr. Andrus also holds faculty appointments at the University of California, San Francisco and the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. He began his global health career as a Peace Corps volunteer, serving as a district medical officer in Malawi and has since held positions in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) Global Immunization Division, as head of the Vaccinology and Immunization Program at the Institute for Global Health at the Universities of California at San Francisco and Berkeley, and as director and professor of the Global Health MPH Program at George Washington University. Currently, Dr. Andrus is the co-Chair of the Global Polio Partners Group and a member of the Independent Monitoring Board for the Polio Transition. He serves on numerous WHO advisory committees, including PAHO’s Technical Advisory Group for Vaccine Preventable Diseases, and SEARO’s Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination. He also has been an active member of the ROTA Council.
Dr. Andrus has published more than 100 scientific peer-reviewed papers on topics covering disease eradication, the introduction of new vaccines and primary care. He has received numerous awards, including the 2013 Transformational Leadership Award of the University of California, the 2011 Global Leadership Award of the Pneumococcal Awareness Council of Experts, and the 2000 Distinguished Service Medal—the highest award of the United States Public Health Service—for his leadership in working to eradicate polio in Southeast Asia. He has received awards for his leadership in the eradication of measles, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome, as well as the introduction of new vaccines in developing countries. Dr. Andrus holds a Bachelor of Science from Stanford University, obtained a medical degree from the University of California, Davis and completed his residencies in family medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, and preventive medicine at the CDC.
