Heather Wipfli

Dr. Heather Wipfli, PhD is Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences and International Relations at the University of Southern California and Member of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Wipfli is an accomplished researcher, educator, and university administrator with a strong track record in developing and sustaining public health research and educational programs all over the world. She currently leads several externally funded research projects, including multiple studies focused on tobacco control and cancer prevention among people living with HIV in Africa. She also serves as a co-investigator of the GEOHealth Hub for Eastern Africa, a multi-country research project focused on environmental and occupational health. Dr. Wipfli has been engaged in academic program administration for over 20 years at the undergraduate, masters, and PHD level, including serving as director of USC’s undergraduate programs in health promotion and global health. She is also an award-winning mentor, known for her engaging classroom instruction, ground-breaking international immersion courses, and applied student-led research lab. Dr. Wipfli has long been committed to the promotion of inclusive professional and pedogeological practice and received USC’s Inclusive Pedagogical Excellence Award in 2023. Prior to joining USC, Dr. Wipfli served on faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and was a technical officer at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. She has over 100 scientific publications, including her book ‘The Global War on Tobacco.