About me
Elvis Garcia has dedicated his life to advancing global health through extensive work in humanitarian aid, research, and vaccine access. An alumnus of Harvard University, he holds a Doctorate in Public Health and Master’s degrees in Engineering, Architecture, Political Science, and Public Health.
With over a decade of experience with Doctors Without Borders, Elvis has worked in more than 20 countries, tackling critical health crises. As an advocate of sustainability and community integration, his interventions emphasize the use of vernacular architecture to achieve greater impact. He has had the chance to use this approach in designing health clinics, hospitals, temporary structures, laboratories, and cholera and Ebola centers around the world. This approach blends local traditional construction techniques with modern medical requirements, ensuring effective and culturally appropriate solutions.
Elvis joined the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2019, to address a void in design education and policymaking, by launching a pioneering course on the intersection of epidemics and urban design. This course aimed to bridge a dramatic gap that profoundly affects people’s lives, emphasizing the urgent need for integrated approaches in public health and urban planning.
Since joining Takeda’ pharmaceuticals in 2018, Elvis has focused on access to vaccines, particularly for dengue. His leadership in coalition building and innovative affordability initiatives has cemented Takeda’s dengue vaccine launch strategy as an industry benchmark.
Elvis continues to influence global health as a lecturer at IE University and as a speaker, featured by CNN, BBC, DW, France 24, El Pais, and others for his insights during the COVID-19 pandemic. His work exemplifies the critical intersection of urban planning, health, equity and access in improving global health outcomes.
