Zachary Katz is the Vice President of Essential Medicines, and leads the team focused on improving care and treatment for diarrhea and pneumonia, which are among the leading causes of mortality for children under five years old. The Essential Medicines team is also leading work on access to oxygen therapy to drastically reduce over 825,000 hypoxemia-related deaths annually.
Mr. Katz joined CHAI in 2006 to open its office in Papua New Guinea, spearheading efforts to support the launch of a national pediatric HIV treatment program. He then led the CHAI office in Cambodia and took on regional management in Southeast Asia. In 2010, he took over the Laboratory Services Team, focusing on the availability of point-of-care diagnostics to diagnose and manage HIV and tuberculosis and contributing to landmark price negotiations for HIV viral load testing. Between 2016 and 2020, Mr. Katz was the inaugural Chief Access Officer at the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) where he was responsible for the organization’s full portfolio of delivery-oriented work across multiple diseases, governments, and partners.
Mr. Katz holds a BA in Geology from Carleton College and a Master’s in Public Administration from the Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service at New York University. Mr. Katz and his family are based in Geneva, Switzerland.