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77th Tobacco Science Research Conference
September 8-11, 2024Atlanta, Georgia USA
Derek Yach
Derek Yach is driven by a deep and abiding desire to make a positive difference to the world. With a career spanning over four decades, Dr. Yach has dedicated his professional life to improving global health, tackling complex health challenges, and holding leadership roles in both the private and public sectors. 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 to address global challenges like obesity and smoking.
Dr. Yach's journey began at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, where he completed his undergraduate medical degree in 1979. He then pursued epidemiology at Stellenbosch University, graduating with honors in 1982, followed by a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 1985. His early career was marked by his role as founder and director of the Centre for Epidemiological Research, where he developed a national infrastructure for epidemiological research across South African universities from 1985 to 1995.
In the mid-1990s, Dr. Yach's expertise led him to the World Health Organization (WHO), where he served as the Executive Director for Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health. During his tenure, he spearheaded initiatives to develop global dietary guidelines and established WHO’s first treaty on tobacco control, which has been widely adopted by governments worldwide.
After a decade at WHO, Dr. Yach moved to the United States to join Yale University as a professor of global health. Dr. Yach's career also includes significant roles in the private sector. He was the Director of Global Health at The Rockefeller Foundation, followed by a pivotal role as Senior Vice President of Global Health and Agricultural Policies at PepsiCo from 2007 to 2012. His work at PepsiCo was particularly notable as he was one of the first to be recruited specifically for his expertise in public health.
Following his tenure at PepsiCo, Dr. Yach led the Vitality Institute, a New York-based organization funded by Discovery, South Africa. The institute focuses on promoting positive behavior change through incentives for health behaviors across life and health insurance companies globally.
In 2017, he founded the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, an independent nonprofit organization funded by PMI, with the ambitious goal of ending smoking worldwide.
After departing from the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World in 2021, Dr. Yach has continued his work as a global health advocate through his independent consultancy, Global Health Strategies LLC. In this role, he integrates his experience to improve structural health outcomes by fostering behavioral modifications and incentivizing corporations to promote healthier lifestyles.
Dr. Yach's scholarly contributions include over 250 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals such as Science, Nature, The BMJ, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and Lancet. His work has been widely recognized and cited by major media outlets like the BBC, NPR, the Guardian, and the New York Times.
He has also served on the boards of several influential health organizations, including the Clinton Global Initiative and the National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Center.
In recognition of his significant contributions to public health and policy, Dr. 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.
He is also an enthusiastic mentor of the future generation of leaders and an avid open water swimmer, reflecting his commitment to maintaining his own health and wellbeing.
Dr. Yach is excited about the potential of combining artificial intelligence with biotechnology to accelerate global health improvements, driven by his conviction that innovative technologies can significantly enhance public health outcomes worldwide.