Karl Hofmann is the President and CEO of global health organization, PSI (www.psi.org). Mr. Hofmann is steering PSI on an ambitious plan to double its health impact in the areas of HIV, malaria, child survival, safe water and reproductive health, by 2012. Under his leadership, the organization is on target to achieve that goal.

Prior to joining PSI, Mr. Hofmann was a career American diplomat for 23 years. He served as United States Ambassador to the Republic of Togo, Executive Secretary of the Department of State, and Deputy Chief of Mission (senior career diplomat) at the American Embassy in Paris. Mr. Hofmann also served on President Clinton’s National Security Council staff. Mr. Hofmann is the recipient of the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award, Superior Honors Awards, and Meritorious Honor Awards.

Mr. Hofmann’s years of living and working in Africa and the Caribbean (he also served in Morocco, Rwanda and Jamaica) have given him a deep understanding of development issues, including public health, especially HIV/AIDS. Mr. Hofmann is a graduate of Georgetown University and the National Defense University and is fluent in French, Spanish and German.

About PSI


With programs in malaria, reproductive health, child survival and HIV prevention, PSI promotes products, services and healthy behaviors that enable low-income and vulnerable people to lead healthier lives. In 2007 alone, PSI helped prevent 19 million malaria episodes and 140,000 malaria deaths; 2.6 million unintended pregnancies; 3.8 million cases of diarrhea; and 156,000 new HIV infections.

In 2007, PSI was awarded an unprecedented second Social Capitalist Award by Fast Company magazine during his first year. The award recognizes non-profits who use the tools of business to solve the world’s most pressing social problems — ranging from substandard healthcare in developing nations to unequal education access, homelessness, unemployment and substance abuse in the United States — and who have demonstrated a consistent and unusually large impact on society.

PSI was also lauded in 2007 by Givewell (www.givewell.net) as the most efficient saver of lives in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Blog Entries by Karl Hofmann

Hope for Uganda's Women

Posted November 16, 2009 | 11:00 AM (EST)


I wanted to introduce you to one of my colleagues: Julius Lukwago, Director of Marketing and Communications at PSI's affiliate organization in Uganda, PACE. Julius has been working on PACE programs to improve maternal and child health since 2004 and he's currently leading our presence at the International Conference...

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Pneumonia: Why Do We Let It Get Away With This Much?

Posted November 1, 2009 | 10:43 PM (EST)


Did you know there was a "World Pneumonia Day"? It may not sound very exciting, but the toll this treatable disease takes on children around the world should make you sit up and take note. In the time it takes you to read this post, at least six more kids...

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Achieving Sustainable Impact at Scale

Posted June 25, 2009 | 02:19 PM (EST)


I was privileged to participate in the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town this month, along with the rest of the PSI (Population Services International) team. More than 800 leaders of business, government, civil society and the NGO world were in attendance, to talk specifically about meeting Africa's...

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Tackling Malaria: Making Headway Against a Killer

Posted May 1, 2009 | 02:36 PM (EST)


News about global health is often sobering. I'd like to highlight something the international community is increasingly getting right: tackling malaria.

We've been fighting mosquito-borne disease since 800 B.C. though - officially - the "global fight" started in 1955, when the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the first Global Malaria...

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Making Ripples This World Water Day

Posted March 25, 2009 | 06:48 PM (EST)


Dirty drinking water has always been a problem -- a big one. In the mid-1800s, water-related diseases killed hundreds of thousands of Americans -- including our eleventh president, James K. Polk.

These days we take safe drinking water for granted. But unsafe water continues to kill -- and the...

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