Derek Yach (born 21 November 1955) is a global public health expert and former president of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World. He is a former employee of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

The Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropy, philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rock ...

, and

PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase, New York, Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the f ...

. Currently, he is active as a global health advocate and independent consultant specializing in chronic conditions, mental health wellbeing, and leveraging the intersection of private and public entities with emerging technologies.

Education

He received his

MBChB A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

from the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...

in 1979, his BSc (Hons Epi) from

Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch University (SU) (, ) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant university in Sub-Sahara ...

in 1982, and his MPH from

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is the public health graduate school of Johns Hopkins University, a private university, private research university primarily based in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded as the Johns Hopkins ...

in 1985. In 2007, he received an honorary DSc from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

Career

Yach's career has spanned over four decades, during which he has held numerous leadership roles in both the public and private sectors: * Centre for Epidemiological Research: Founder and Director, developing a national infrastructure for epidemiological research in South Africa (1985–1995). * WHO: Executive Director for Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, spearheading initiatives like the

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is a treaty adopted by the 56th World Health Assembly held in Geneva, Switzerland on 21 May 2003. It became the first World Health Organization treaty adopted under ...

and the Global Strategy on Diet and Physical Activity. * Yale University: Professor of Global Health * The Rockefeller Foundation: Director of Global Health * PepsiCo: Senior Vice President of Global Health and Agriculture Policy (2007–2012) * Vitality Institute: Executive Director (2012–2015), Chief Health Officer (2015–2017), and Senior Vitality Consultant (March–August 2017) * Foundation for a Smoke-Free World: Founder and President (2017–2021) * Global Health Strategies LLC: Independent consultant (2021–present)

Memberships and associations

Yach serves on several advisory boards, including the NIH's John E. Fogarty International Center, the Board of Directors of Cornerstone Capital Group, and the

Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of Burroughs Wellcome, one of the predec ...

's Sustaining Health Committee. He is also a board member of several influential health organizations and a mentor to the next generation of leaders.

Publications

Yach has authored or co-authored over 250 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals such as

Science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

The BMJ ''The BMJ'' is a fortnightly peer-reviewed medical journal, published by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, which in turn is wholly-owned by the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world ...

, and

The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, founded in England in 1823. It is one of the world's highest-impact academic journals and also one of the oldest medical journals still in publication. The journal publishes ...

. His work has been widely recognized and cited by major media outlets.

Awards and Honors

Yach has received numerous accolades, including an honorary Doctor of Science from Georgetown University and being a finalist for the Nelson Mandela Award in South Africa.

Personal Interests

Yach is an avid open water swimmer and is passionate about combining artificial intelligence with biotechnology to enhance public health outcomes worldwide.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yach, Derek PepsiCo people South African businesspeople World Health Organization officials Living people 1955 births South African officials of the United Nations