Vittorio Christou

Christos Christou, MD, PhD, MSc is a surgeon, humanitarian leader, and Visiting Scientist at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His work bridges clinical medicine, humanitarian action, and global health policy, with a particular focus on health in conflict, humanitarian negotiation, trust, and the protection of medical care.

Dr Christou graduated from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, where he also completed a PhD in Surgery. He holds an MSc in International Health & Health Crisis Management and the European Board of Surgery Qualification (EBSQ) in Coloproctology. Alongside his surgical training and later clinical practice in Greece and the United Kingdom, he joined Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in 2002, working in humanitarian crises across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

From 2019 to 2025, Dr Christou served as International President of MSF, leading one of the world's largest medical humanitarian organisations through the COVID-19 pandemic, armed conflicts, forced displacement, and other major global health emergencies. During his presidency, he represented MSF in international political, diplomatic, and academic fora, advocating for equitable access to healthcare, the protection of civilians and health workers, and respect for international humanitarian law.

Today, Dr Christou combines clinical, academic, and policy engagement through research, teaching, and advisory roles. His work explores the intersection of medicine, humanitarian action, and global governance, with particular interest in strengthening trust and resilience in health systems affected by conflict and crises. In 2025, he was recognized in the TIME100 Philanthropy list for his contributions to humanitarianism.