J. Stephen Morrison

Senior Vice President and Director, Global Health Policy Center
J. Stephen Morrison

J. Stephen Morrison, PhD, is a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and directs its Global Health Policy Center. Through several high-level commissions, he has shaped decisions in Congress and the administration on HIV/AIDS, reproductive health and gender equality, and health security, including pandemic preparedness. Currently, the CSIS Bipartisan Alliance for Global Health Security is addressing critical post-Covid challenges. Since 2018, Morrison has led global health security fora at the annual Munich Security Conference. He directed The New Barbarianism, an award-winning documentary on violence against the health sector. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, he has directed seven episodes of the CSIS video series Ukraine: The Human Price of War. He cohosts the weekly podcast series The CommonHealth. From 2021 to 2023, he served as the James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. He is a trustee of the China Medical Board, a member of the board of the Rostropovich Vishnevskaya Foundation, and a member of advisory boards to the International Division at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Humanitarian Health. He served in the Clinton administration on the secretary of state’s Policy Planning Staff and on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa. He taught for 12 years at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, holds a PhD in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is a magna cum laude graduate of Yale College.

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The CommonHealth

Rep. Adam Smith on Engaging China

Listen to the recent CSIS Bipartisan Alliance for Health Security discussion with Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, on his experience leading a Congressional delegation to China in late September 2025. 

Podcast Episode by J. Stephen Morrison — November 14, 2025

The CommonHealth

A New Landscape for Development: Examining Impacts, Capabilities, and Opportunities

Cuts to foreign assistance have been among the most sweeping changes of the second Trump administration. This compendium dives deep into the impacts on fields across the development ecosystem and potential opportunities within this new landscape.

Digital Report by Hadeil Ali, Andrew Friedman, Noam Unger, J. Stephen Morrison, Katherine E. Bliss, Romina Bandura, Caitlin Welsh, David Michel, Rose Parker, and Joely Virzi — November 13, 2025

The CommonHealth

Dr. Rick Brennan: “This is not good for the American soul.”

Dr. Rick Brennan, an acclaimed Australian humanitarian leader who led WHO and NGO crisis response in multiple conflicts over several decades, walks us through his personal story.

Podcast Episode by J. Stephen Morrison — November 7, 2025

The CommonHealth

Rep. Adam Smith on Engaging China

A discussion with Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) on his experience leading a Congressional delegation to China in late September 2025. 

Event — November 6, 2025

Three Steps to Protect the United States Against Extreme Heat

The CSIS Bipartisan Alliance for Global Health Security Working Group on Climate and Health recommends urgent action on extreme heat to protect Americans, strengthen preparedness against heat waves and extreme weather events, and ensure U.S. economic and national security.

Brief by J. Stephen Morrison, Katherine E. Bliss, and Christina E. Zielke — November 5, 2025

The CommonHealth

Peter Piot, LSHTM: “A brilliant coalition” essential to success

The renowned global health leader, Peter Piot, LSHTM, opens this conversation with reflections on what drove the historic global health successes, including “a brilliant coalition” and U.S. bipartisan leadership grounded in statecraft and strategic thinking.

Podcast Episode by J. Stephen Morrison — September 18, 2025

The CommonHealth