Helen Matzger

Helen Matzger oversees the foundation’s support for the Routine Immunization Strengthening Program, which works to improve routine immunization in subnational areas within 10 countries that have low Penta3 vaccine coverage and are at high risk of poliovirus transmission.

Helen joined the foundation in 2011. Her roles since then have included leading a team that works with partners on introducing and expanding access to high-impact vaccines, including for measles, human papillomavirus, pneumococcal pneumonia, rotavirus, cholera, typhoid, and yellow fever. From 2017 to 2019, she was seconded to the World Health Organization, where she worked on global and country level immunization issues.

Helen has spent significant time working and living in India and Bangladesh on a range of public health issues, including nutrition; water, sanitation, and hygiene; and neglected tropical diseases. She has worked in both the nonprofit and public sectors, including in roles at Helen Keller International, the Institute for One World Health, and the University of California, San Francisco. She has led large and complex public health research projects involving many partners in national and global settings. 

Helen studied international development and South Asian studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and received an MPH from the University of Michigan.