Dr. Adnan Ali Hyder, who was born and schooled in Pakistan, has risen to serve as the dean of one of America’s leading public health schools. He will formally become Dean of Boston University School of Public Health in fall 2025.
Anyone who reads about global health leadership, public policy contributions, or Pakistan’s contributions to international scholarship will find their path inspiring and educational.
From Karachi Classrooms to U.S. Academia
Adnan Hyder received his M.D. from Aga Khan University in Karachi in 1990. He continued on to earn an M.P.H. (1993) and a Ph.D. in Health Systems (1998) from Johns Hopkins University.
This excellent educational background laid the platform for a career combining clinical wisdom with public health ingenuity. It also represents a broader pattern: Pakistani medical alumni making valuable contributions to health systems around the world.
Twenty-Five Years Advancing Global Health
Hyder has a career of more than 25 years dedicated to enhancing health in low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. He initiated empirical research in injury prevention, ethics, and non-communicable diseases.
His research identified disease burden, risk factors, economic burden, and culture-associated health outcomes, shaping national health policy. This breadth demonstrates his potential for integrating data-driven insight with practical application.
At Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Hyder established its International Injury Research Unit (2010), which achieved WHO Collaborating Centre status. In 2018, he became George Washington University’s Milken Institute School Senior Associate Dean for Research & Innovation.
There, he initiated the first U.S. Centre on Commercial Determinants of Health, addressing tobacco, alcohol, unhealthy food, and fossil fuels. These roles demonstrate his ability to establish centres that influence the world’s debate and policy.
Champion of Ethics, Equity, and Fairness
Hyder leads research ethics, health equity, and poverty alleviation efforts. He established bioethics groups and a commercial determinants centre with a focus on corporate influence on health.
He also co-chairs a commission on international gun violence with The Lancet for evidence-informed solutions. This blend of ethical investigation, equity emphasis, and policy intervention identifies him as a comprehensive public health thinker.
Dean of Boston University School of Public Health
July 21, 2025, BU appointed Hyder Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor, effective August 15. He replaces Sandro Galea and comes at a pivotal time: world health confronts budget limitations and systemic threats.
Hyder’s strategy focuses on constructing research, increasing student influence, fortifying finances, and enhancing BU’s international standing. Under his leadership, there is a global mindset combining mission-driven justice with scholarly discipline.
Dr. Adnan Hyder’s path, from Aga Khan graduate to dean of one of America’s premier public health schools, illustrates the international influence of Pakistani-educated doctors. His own career is a model of research system excellence, ethics, equity, and corporate health influence.
As dean, he’ll guide Boston University through a critical period. His leadership shows how cross-border education tracks can inform international policy and social reform. For public health, ethical leadership, or Pakistan’s international contributions, readers, his tale provides both pride and deep insight.
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