Taryn Vian, PhD

Dr. Vian is a public health scholar and academic leader whose work is guided by the belief that all people have the right to access quality health care without having to experience financial hardship. She is dedicated to practice-based teaching and the development of emerging public health leaders eager to work with communities to address the underlying social determinants of health. Through her research and scholarly work, she has furthered efforts to control corruption in the health sector, advance health systems and access to medicines, and evaluate public-private partnerships and community health initiatives. Dr. Vian has published over 140 articles, book chapters, and professional reports, and has served on international technical committees and advised the World Health Organization, Council of Europe, World Bank, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and other clients.

Dr. Vian’s passion for education inspires her efforts to reform curriculum and pedagogy for health professionals, including initiatives to motivate and engage students in the classroom, collaborate with partner organizations in practice-based teaching, and enhance intentional communities of scholar-teachers through peer review. 

Dr. Vian is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer from Cameroon and has a PhD in Public Policy and Global Health from Boston University, an MS in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health, and a BA in Philosophy from Colgate University. Follow her on Twitter @TarynVian.

• Global health
• Public-private partnerships
• Anti-corruption
• Health policy and management

• Corruption in the health sector
• Transparency and good governance
• Health systems strengthening

• Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Health Planning and Management
• Editorial Board Member, Health Systems & Reform
• Co-Director, Community Public Health Practice Concentration
• Research Fellow, World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Governance, Accountability and Transparency in the Pharmaceutical Sector. Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto (January 2020 - present)
• Clinical Professor of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health (2016-2019)
• Associate Chair, Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health (2015-2018)

• PhD, Public Policy and Global Health, University Professors Program, Boston University
• SM, Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston
• BA Colgate University, Philosophy, Hamilton, NY

• Norman A. Scotch Award for Excellence in Teaching, Boston University. 2011
• Alumni Award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation, University Professors Program, Boston University. 2010
• Awards for Excellence in Teaching, IH757 Fighting Corruption Through Transparency and Accountability, Boston University School of Public Health, and IH773 Financial Management for Health Programs. 2014
• Best Abstract Award (with co-author Travis DiJoseph), John McCahan Medical Campus Education Day, Boston University. “Pilot test of the General Observation and Reflection Platform (GORP) for measuring the level of activity in classrooms.” 2016

• Vian T, Agnew B., & McInnes DK. (2022). Whistleblowing as an anti-corruption strategy in health and pharmaceutical organizations: A scoping review protocol. Global Health Action, 15(1), Article 2140494.
• Scott NA, Kaiser JL, Jack BW, Nkholongo EL, Nash T, Alade M, Vian T. (2022). Observational study of the clinical performance of a Public-Private Partnership national referral hospital network in Lesotho: Do improvements last over time? PLOS ONE, 17(9), e0272568. 
• Vian T, Kaiser JL, Ngoma T, Juntunen A, Mataka KK, Bwalya M, Sakanga V, Rockers PC, Hamer DH, Biemba G, Scott NA. (2022). Planning for maternity waiting home bed capacity: Lessons from rural Zambia. Annals of Global Health, 88(1), Article 37. 
• Vian T, Fong R, Kaiser JL, Sakanga V, Mwansa M, Chastain P, Ngoma T, Scott NA. (2020). Using open public meetings and elections to promote inward transparency and accountability: lessons from Zambia. International Journal of Health Policy and Management.
• Vian T. (2020). Anti-corruption, transparency and accountability in health: Concepts, frameworks, and approaches. Global Health Action, 13(sup1). Article 1694744.