Dr. Rashid A. Chotani

A physician and scientist building Washington's Pakistan desk

Dr. Rashid A. Chotani is a physician and scientist, global health strategist, and institutional leader with more than 25 years of experience advancing public health, health security, academic medicine, pandemic preparedness, and international health cooperation. He has built and led major scientific and operational programs spanning government, academia, national security, global health, emerging technologies, and infectious disease response.

His career includes leadership roles with the U.S. Department of Defense, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Johns Hopkins University, and other leading academic and public sector institutions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he served in a major U.S. national response effort, providing scientific, strategic, and operational leadership across a large national program involving approximately 4,500 personnel and 88 sites, with more than $700 million in operations. His work brought together public health, infectious disease surveillance, risk assessment, scientific evidence, operational execution, and institutional coordination during one of the most consequential public health emergencies in modern U.S. history.

He has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, George Washington University, and the Uniformed Services University, and as a Senior Fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. He has authored more than 90 scientific publications, two books, and multiple patents.

His contributions to international health, security, pandemic response, and public service have been recognized through national and international honors, including recognition from NATO and Pakistan’s “Pride of Pakistan” Award for service to Pakistan and its diaspora. These honors reflect a career dedicated to strengthening institutions, advancing scientific cooperation, responding to global health threats, and serving communities across borders.

As President and CEO, Dr. Chotani brings this experience to building an institution that connects policy, leadership, science, public health, and engagement between people. It is a credible platform in Washington for strengthening relations between the United States and Pakistan and developing the next generation of leaders committed to a stronger and more constructive bilateral partnership.

His founding vision is to establish an independent, intellectually rigorous institution focused on action, one that brings together policymakers, scholars, business leaders, health and security experts, pandemic and preparedness specialists, and the Pakistani American community to advance informed dialogue, meaningful partnerships, and lasting engagement between the United States and Pakistan.