Judd Walson

Judd Walson is the co-founder and former Executive Director of the Strategic Analysis, Research & Training (START) Center.

Dr. Walson is chair of the Department of International Health at the Bloomberg School and the inaugural Robert E. Black Chair in International Health at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Walson is a physician trained in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Infectious Diseases with extensive experience working in research, public health programming, policy development, product development, and clinical practice. He completed his Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residencies at Duke University, a Fellowship in Infectious Disease at the University of Washington, and received his MPH from Tufts University.

Dr. Walson's research focuses on interventions to improve child survival, growth, and development in Africa and South Asia. He collaborates with ministries of health, NGOs, and academic partners in Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, India, Kenya, Malawi, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Uganda. He has conducted numerous trials investigating poor nutrition and infectious diseases to inform improvements in policy and programs globally. He has also worked in product development across vaccines, diagnostics, and devices.

He co-leads the Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, a collaboration of experts working at institutions across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The studies conducted under the network have led to the development of strategies to reduce mortality among acutely ill children. The research has also led to novel approaches enabling risk-differentiated care, ensuring those at highest risk are supported adequately both during and after contact with the health system. He also leads the DeWorm3 study—a large community cluster randomized trial focused on eliminating soil-transmitted helminths that has enrolled over 360,000 individuals in Benin, Malawi, and India. These intestinal parasites include roundworm and hookworm and are among the most common causes of infections in humans, disproportionately impacting communities living in poverty.

Specific Skills: Infectious disease clinical expertise, study design and implementation, mentoring.