Ilaria Capua

Professor Ilaria Capua, DVM, MS, PhD, is Senior Fellow of Global Health at Johns Hopkins University, SAIS Europe. An internationally renowned virologist, she has led diagnostic and research laboratories on zoonotic and emerging viruses both in Italy and abroad. In 2006, she promoted the global sharing of viral genetic sequences for pandemic preparedness, an initiative that was covered by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, as well as by the scientific press including Science and Nature.

She has collaborated with WHO, FAO, OIE, CDC, ECDC and coordinated  international research projects. She is the author of over 240 publications in international journals, a member of the European Academy of Sciences, and a member of two Lancet Commissions. She is the inventor  of the concept of Circular Health, a convergence model that promotes health and sustainability.

She served as a Member of the Italian Parliament (2013-2016) and has received international awards, including the Penn Vet World Leadership Award, the Scientific American 50 award, and the Hypatia Prize from the European Academy of Sciences.

She is an essayist and columnist for Corriere della Sera and has published over 10 popular science books for the public, young adults and children, some of which have been translated into the main European languages. She is an advocate for leadership and for the empowerment of women.