⇩

About

Dr. Phelan is Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, and Faculty Director (Policy) at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Planetary Health. Dr. Phelan is an internationally recognized expert in global health law, specializing in international law and infectious diseases and the impact of global change events on health, including planetary health issues like biodiversity and climate change. She/they advises international organizations and governments on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, and has served on international and national advisory bodies, including for the World Health Organization and the US National Academies. Dr. Phelan has been recognized as a Woman of Influence by the Australian Financial Review and was appointed as an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society.

Dr. Phelan earned a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) in international law and infectious diseases from Georgetown University Law Center as a General Sir John Monash Scholar, a Master of Laws in international law from the Australian National University, and a dual Bachelor of Biomedical Science/Bachelor of Laws from Monash University. They also hold a Diploma of Languages in Mandarin Chinese. Prior to becoming a professor, she/they worked as a solicitor at one of the leading law firms in the Asia Pacific and was admitted to practice as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria and High Court of Australia.