Neil Boothby
Neil Boothby is a Professor of Population and Family Health and Director of the Fostering Resilience Program at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. His research focuses on the long-term consequences of deprivation and danger on child development, and the comparative efficacy of interventions that aim to strengthen the capacities of families and communities to protect young children from harm. From 2012-2014, Boothby took a leave of absence from Columbia University to serve as the U.S. government Special Adviser and Senior Coordinator to the USAID Administrator for Children in Adversity. During this time, he led the development of the USG Action Plan for Children in Adversity, which was launched at the White House to guide the government's foreign assistance for vulnerable children in low- and middle-income countries. Boothby has published extensively on risk and resilience among war and disaster-affected children, and is also the recipient of a number of awards for his field work, including the International Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year Award for his work on child soldiers; the Mickey Leland Award for his work with refugee children; the United Nation's Golden Achievement Award for Excellence in the Social Sector; and the USAID Award for Outstanding Group Achievement for his intergovernmental leadership.
Biography current as of June 19, 2018