Harvard Catalyst Profiles

Patricia Geli, PhD, is a Research Scientist in the department of Global Health and Population and Executive Director of the Reform for Resilience Commission's North America Hub. The Reform for Resilience Commission has been created to help shape the new models, metrics and practical policy reforms to help leaders - in the public and private sectors - deliver the changes needed for healthier growth.

Patricia also plays an essential role in guiding the School's participation in the Partnership for Central America, a coalition formed in response to Vice President Kamala Harris' May 2021 call to action to address the root causes of migration from Central America. She serves as the School's point person for the Partnership's regional economic development initiative for countries in the Northern Triangle of Central America.

Prior to joining Harvard, Patricia worked at the World Bank for a decade, most recently as a Senior Economist and Task Team Leader. In this capacity, she led the development and implementation support of the Africa CDC Project with a total envelope of USD250mn. She served on the World Bank’s COVID-19 task force, and also served on an extended mission in Sierra Leone at the height of the Ebola crisis. Patricia brings tremendous experience of working in situations of Fragility, Conflict and Violence including Central African Republic and South Sudan; and she won numerous awards for excellence during her tenure.

Previously, she worked in The Public Health Agency of Sweden and Resources for the Future.

Patricia's academic background spans economics, epidemiology, public health, biostatistics, and mathematical modeling. She holds a PhD in mathematical statistics from Stockholm University.