Francis S. Collins, MD, Ph.D. is one of the crucial public health influencers. He’s an American geneticist-physician, as well as famous as a director and “gene hunter,” with gene discoveries that are now part of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).

Francis is a key influencer on Public Health Twitter. He has been the director for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 2009. As a spokesperson for the nation’s largest biomedical research agency, his role at the NIH focuses on promoting treatment and prevention. He trains and oversees the work of researchers, while playing an essential role as a influencer and purveyor of knowledge.

Jeremy Konyndyk is one of the best public health influencers. He is a senior policy fellow at the Center of Global Development. His research focuses on USAID policy reform, humanitarian efforts, and outbreak preparedness on a global scale.

Jeremy is a key influencer on Public Health Twitter. His background also includes a prominent position as the director of the USAID’s Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) for the Obama administration. In the coronavirus, COVID-19, he  famously made a “no-regrets” correlation with the preparedness effort.

Dr. Oni Blackstock is a primary care and HIV physician and researcher. She is a former assistant commissioner for the Bureau of HIV for the New York City Department of Health. Her research considers the experiences of women and people of color in healthcare. During the COVID-19 pandemic Blackstock shared advice on how people in New York City could maintain sexual health and slow the spread of coronavirus disease as well as guidance for people with HIV and HIV care providers about the intersection of HIV and COVID-19.      
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Blackstock grew up in Brooklyn. She attended the Stuyvesant High School in New York City. She completed her undergraduate and graduate medical degrees at Harvard University. She attended Harvard alongside her twin sister, Uché Blackstock, who also studied medicine. 

Caitlin Rivers, PhD is one of the leading public health influencers. Dr. Rivers is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Rivers is a key influencer on Public Health Twitter, with her predictive modeling.  She is an epidemiologist who has been a prominent voice in the coronavirus, COVID-19 debate, as a proponent for utmost caution, aggressive prevention, and absolute containment in the face of great danger.

Eric Topol is a significant public health influencer. He’s an American cardiologist and geneticist, with expertise as a digital medical researcher. He’s well known for his outspoken stance about the safety of rofecoxib (Vioxx).

After his unceremonious departure from Cleveland Clinic, Topol founded Scripps Research Translational Institute. He also holds prominent roles as Editor-in-Chief at TheHeart.org and Medscape. Eric is a key influencer on Public Health Twitter, but he’s also a prominent author, with a focus on the juxtaposition of technology and healthcare.

Scott Gottlieb, MD is one of the top public health influencers. He’s an American medical policy expert, physician, and health advocate, well-known as the former Commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), from 2017-2019.

Dr. Gottlieb is a key influencer on Public Health Twitter. He is still a vocal voice in public health spheres, with commentary on the current state of healthcare in relation to widespread pandemics like the coronavirus, COVID-19.

Dr. Raj Panjabi is CEO of Last Mile Health, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Advisor to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. Born in Liberia, Raj fled the country\'s civil war at age nine, becoming a refugee in the United States. He returned to Liberia as a medical student and in 2007 co-founded Last Mile Health.

Raj and the Last Mile Health team played a key role in the 2013-16 West Africa Ebola epidemic, helping train over a thousand frontline and community health workers and support the Government of Liberia to lead its national Ebola Operations Center. Panjabi delivered testimony on the Ebola epidemic at the US Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee.

In response to COVID19, Last Mile Health has supported governments in Africa, including Liberia, Malawi, Uganda, and Ethiopia to train frontline health workers to respond to COVID19. Raj serves as Technical Advisor to former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in her role as Co-Chair, with former Prime Minister Helen Clark, of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response at the World Health Organization. Raj has cared for patients with COVID and urgent care needs.

Bill Gates is Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Microsoft Co-founder. Voracious reader. Avid traveler. Active blogger.

Bill Gates, who has been one of the wealthiest men in the world for decades, made his fortune as the co-founder of Microsoft. The company, which was a key player in the personal computer revolution in the 1990s, eventually became a corporate behemoth, and Gates became a household name as a tech titan and business magnate.

Gates Foundation—distributed more than US$7.8 billion, including more than US$2 billion for work combating HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria; approximately US$1.9 billion for immunizations; and US$448 million for the GCGH projects. Bill and Melinda Gates have given $45.5 billion to charitable causes, including the eponymously named Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, since 1994, CNBC reported, citing the Chronicle of Philanthropy. In 2019, the couple donated $589 million to charity, making them the seventh most philanthropic people last year.