Susan Foster

Professor Foster received her PhD from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (University of London). She graduated in English Literature from the University of Colorado, holds an MA in International Affairs and Development Economics from Ohio University and is certified in Translation & Interpretation through Georgetown University. She served in the Peace Corps in Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Cameroon from 1973-76, and then worked as a Young Professional and Project Economist in the World Bank’s Population, Health and Nutrition Department from 1979-1985. She was seconded to the World Health Organization’s Essential Drugs Program in Geneva from 1985-1989. She then joined the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine as Senior Lecturer in Health Economics, and was course organizer for the MSc in Public Health in Developing Countries. She was appointed the School’s first Distance Learning Coordinator in 1996.

In addition to the previously mentioned countries, Professor Foster has also done work in Burundi, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Madagascar, Indonesia and Malaysia. Her research interests are primarily on the economics of infectious disease, particularly antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance, malaria, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, and TB, and [pharmaceutical policy. She is involved in several research projects, primarily in Africa. She speaks French, Spanish and Portuguese. She did her PhD research on the socioeconomic impact of HIV/AIDS in Zambia. Professor Foster teaches PH511: Pathogens, Poverty and Populations, IH888: Seminar on International Health Policy Issues, and IH880: Noncommunicable Diseases. Professor Foster is also the Director of Public Policy and Education at the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA), located on the Tufts Medical Campus in downtown Boston.