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Richard Reithinger RTI Expert Headshot
Experts

Richard Reithinger

Distinguished Fellow, Global Health

Education

PhD, Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Postgraduate Diploma, Economics, University of Sussex

MSc, Medical Entomology and Diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

BSc (with honors), Biology and Psychology, University of Sussex

Richard Reithinger, MSc, PhD, is a practical, innovative leader and extensively published author in the field of malaria and other vector-borne disease epidemiology, case management, prevention, and control. He is an epidemiologist with extensive field-based experience managing infectious disease programs in Africa, Central Asia, and Latin America, as well as managing multi-country programs and developing standards-based country policies and strategies, relying on a collaborative and participatory approach to management to work effectively with global health stakeholders at all levels.

Prior to his position at RTI, Dr. Reithinger worked for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) | Ethiopia as the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) Team Leader and Malaria Advisor, establishing and then leading the implementation as well as the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of the PMI program portfolio in Ethiopia. In addition, Dr. Reithinger worked as a Senior Study Director with Westat in Rockville, MD, and as a Technical Coordinator with HealthNet TPO in Afghanistan, Kenya, Pakistan, South Sudan, and Sudan.

Dr. Reithinger has been the Malaria Focal Person of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Technical Review Panel; is an Honorary Reader at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; and a member of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Program and Travel Award committees. He is on the editorial boards of PLos Neglected Tropical Diseases, BMC Infectious Diseases, and the Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers in international medical or scientific journals, including reports on original research and operational project data, systematic reviews, or commentaries. Dr. Reithinger is fluent in English, French, Spanish, and German, and is proficient in Portuguese.

Expertise
  • Malaria programs
  • Neglected tropical disease programs
  • Infectious disease program management
  • Zika virus
Press Info

For media inquiries or to request an interview, contact our Media Relations team.

Get To Know Richard Reithinger

Dr. Reithinger describe what sparked his passion and drew him to the field of epidemiology, his first job, and the best thing about working at RTI. Learn more about Dr. Reithinger's commitment and wild ride to tackling global diseases.

My spark for the field of infectious disease prevention and control began in high school, where I was drawn to the natural sciences. It was only when conducting field research on cutaneous leishmaniasis in the coffee plantations around Cali, Colombia, that I truly felt I had found a home. This was during my time as a graduate student at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and my passion for what I have been doing ever since was ignited: infectious disease prevention, surveillance, control, and elimination, and more broadly, the nexus between public health, anthropology, education, and economic livelihood.

Besides my love for the natural sciences, my love for different cultures, foods, the outdoors, and travel also drew me to my field. If you like all of these, a career in global health certainly will get you to places across the globe, many of which are not necessarily high on the list of your typical tourist destination.

My first paid job was manning information booths at various trade shows in Cologne, Germany. Essentially, I directed trade show visitors to the various exhibits. My first “science” job was dissecting fruit flies to assess for the presence or absence of certain genes that are important in the fly’s development life cycle. It’s been a long, long journey since and quite the wild ride!

The richness and depth of professional talent at RTI is truly astonishing. Even after 10 years at RTI, I still meet people conducting fascinating research and projects that I had no idea about. Also, given that RTI is not only an organization that works in health, but works on a myriad of other priority societal issues, the possibilities of working on multidisciplinary teams across subject matters are endless.

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Outside the Office

When Dr. Reithinger is not working at RTI, he loves exploring the myriad of hiking trails across Virginia and West Virginia with his two dogs. He is also the father of twin daughters, who have now gone off to college.

More From Richard Reithinger

Get in Touch

To speak to this expert or inquire about RTI services, you can reach us at +1 919 541 6000 or use the contact form below. For media inquiries, please reach out to our Media Relations team at news@rti.org.

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