Erika Elvander

Erika Elvander retired from federal service in April 2025, after more than two decades of work on health policy for the United States government. Most recently, she served as Bureau Chief for East Asia and the Pacific at the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Global Health Center. Immediately prior to this role, she was the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Attaché at the United States Embassy in Beijing from May 2021 to December 2024, serving as senior advisor to mission leadership on United States–China health cooperation and working with allies and partners to strengthen health networks. Before her posting in China, she was Director for Asia and the Pacific at HHS’s Office of Global Affairs for more than nine years, where she led global health diplomacy efforts to contribute to a safer, healthier world. In this role, she supervised senior officials in Beijing, New Delhi, Washington, D.C., and at the United States Indo-Pacific Command and worked closely with HHS country representatives across the region. She began her career at HHS supporting bilateral health cooperation with Russia, Ukraine, China, and East Asia on issues including pandemic influenza, SARS, chronic disease, tobacco control, and HIV/AIDS. Earlier in her career, she developed government partnerships for the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, coordinated research on women’s health at the National Institutes of Health, and worked at nonprofits including World Learning, Inc., and Planned Parenthood. She holds a BA from Williams College and an MA from George Mason University.