Adam Karpati, M.D., M.P.H. is Senior Vice President at Vital Strategies, where he leads the Public Health Programs Division, comprising teams working in dozens of countries worldwide to strengthen public health systems and address leading causes of death, illness, and injury. Major global initiatives include RESET Alcohol, which focuses on assisting countries to adopt policies to reduce alcohol-related harms to health and development, and Data for Health, which supports countries in improving civil registration and vital statistics and cancer registry systems and in using data for policymaking. In addition, the U.S.-based Overdose Prevention Program works in multiple states, supporting governments and communities to implement a harm reduction approach to reducing overdose mortality and improving the lives of people who use drugs. He previously stewarded the launch of Vital’s role in the Partnership for Healthy Cities and Global Road Safety initiatives, establishing teams and embedded staff in multiple cities and countries.
Dr Karpati is a globally recognized expert in public health, with more than 20 years of leadership experience in epidemiology, programs, emergency response, and policy. Prior to joining Vital Strategies in 2014, Dr Karpati spent 14 years with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, most recently as Executive Deputy Commissioner for Mental Hygiene. In that role, he oversaw the Health Department’s work around mental illnesses, substance use and developmental disabilities. He also served as the founding Assistant Commissioner for the Health Department’s District Public Health Office in Brooklyn, devoted to reducing health disparities by engaging communities in health and social solutions.
Dr Karpati earned his medical degree from McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montreal and completed a residency in internal medicine at New York University Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital. He served in the Epidemic Intelligence Service at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and also completed the CDC’s preventive medicine residency. He earned his Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health.
