Meet Tirana Hassan, new CEO of Doctors Without Borders USA

What you probably already know: Doctors Without Borders has a new CEO overseeing its operations in the United States: Tirana Hassan. She steps into the leadership role at a crucial time for the international medical humanitarian organization, which was founded 55 years ago. The nonprofit provides emergency aid to people roiled by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and poverty in more than 75 counties. Hassan, a social worker and lawyer with more than 20 years’ experience in Australia, the United Kingdom and crisis settings across Asia, was most previously executive director of Human Rights Watch for three years, where she led a workforce of more than 500 staff members across 90 countries. She also spent five years as director of crisis response at Amnesty International.

Why it matters: Doctors Without Borders (also known as “Medecins Sans Frontieres”) doesn’t accept funding from the United States government, but its work is more important than ever considering that, under the Trump administration, the country has made significant cuts in health care around the world. The organization says its medical teams have already noticed widespread confusion in countries directly affected by the freeze as “clinics and programs shut down amid escalating needs.” Doctors Without Borders receives about 97% of its funding from private donors — from foundations as well as individuals — including about $745 million from the U.S. in 2023.

What it means: The organization’s recent work includes helping displaced women in Ukraine due to war; efforts to improve health care for youth in Zimbabwe; and a campaign in war-torn Sudan aimed at Sudanese refugees and internally displaced people. “It’s an incredibly consequential time to work in the humanitarian space,” says Hassan, noting that she worked with Doctors Without Borders as a humanitarian officer in Somalia back in 2007. “We have seen a global regression not only in aid funding, but also in adherence to basic principles that allow humanitarians to do their work safely.”

What happens next: Hassan’s immediate plans are unsurprisingly straightforward: A focus on supporting Doctors Without Borders’ international teams working in countries around the around the globe. The U.S. section of Doctors Without Borders was established in 1990 and now raises a third of all funding for the organization worldwide, with roughly 250 employees in New York, Washington, D.C., and Oakland. Hassan notes that funding reductions have created a ripple effect in the humanitarian sector. “Right now, it’s so tempting to be overwhelmed and turn away from atrocities,” Hassan says. “But every time I look around, I see my colleagues doing the exact opposite.”