Director of Tropical Laboratory Initiative, Earth Institute, Columbia University, Tuberculosis Coordinator, Millennium Villages Project

Dr. Yanis Ben Amor is the director of the Tropical Laboratory Initiative, and the coordinator of tuberculosis control programs with the Millennium Villages Project, headed by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Amor is a molecular biologist and technical advisor responsible for developing effective tuberculosis control programs as well as designing and implementing comprehensive laboratory infrastructures and services.

He joined Professor Sachs’ team in 2004.

Yanis has close to a decade of research experience in tuberculosis. He was involved in conducting research on new diagnostic tests for tuberculosis as well as improving quality of care and access to tuberculosis treatment for patients in developing countries. Previously, he worked for several organizations such as the Pasteur Institute (Paris, France) and the Public Health Research Institute (Newark, New Jersey). Dr. Ben Amor has a PhD in Molecular Biology and a masters degree in the same discipline from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Rennes (Rennes, France). He has several papers and articles on tuberculosis diagnosis, global health, and tuberculosis prevention. He is also a regular speaker on behalf of Columbia University and the Earth Institute at conferences worldwide. Yanis is directly involved in overseeing the implementation of all tuberculosis and laboratory-related activities within the Millennium Villages Project, a project currently operating in 10 sub-Saharan African countries. The purpose of MVP is to work with villages to develop and implement plans for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in reducing poverty and hunger, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, child and maternal mortality, and improving access to essential medicines, primary education, water and sanitation, gender equality, and science and technology.