In the wake of the pandemic, a new era emerges—marked by fresh discoveries, novel treatments, and global victories over disease. These are the most influential people in health in 2024.
How We Chose the List
Innovators
Hadiza Shehu Galadanci
A simple aid for maternal mortality
Hadiza Shehu Galadanci
A simple aid for maternal mortality
Raluca Cohen
A better pregnancy test
Scott O’Neill
Mosquito engineer
Rory Collins
Democratized health data
Alex Oshmyansky
Cost cutting
Daniel Skovronsky
Prescient scientist
John Leonard
Genetic editor
Charles Gore
Medicine for all
Dima Gazda
Lending a hand
Dora Chomiak
Supporting Ukraine
Mike Curtis
Organmaker
Stephanie Sober
Breaking access barriers
Venkat Shastri
Catching Alzheimer’s early
Dale Whelehan
Finding balance
Bobby Gaspar
A genetic miracle
Peter Lee
Smarter medical records
Paolo De Coppi
In utero medicine
Alka Dwivedi
Lowering cancer costs
Avindra Nath
Demystifying exhaustion
Andrea Cercek
Fighting cancer
Peter Marks
Safe innovation
Pam Cheng
Earth-friendly pharma
Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen
Weight-loss pioneer
David Ricks
Innovation, at cost
Dan Doctoroff
Against ALS
Trent Green
Rethinking primary care
Khaled Kabil
Tackling hepatitis C
Brenda Waning
Making medicines affordable
Zahid Maleque
Disease fighter
Michael Regan
A healthier environment
Jeremy Farrar
Pandemic protector
Emmanuel Macron
A powerful message
Mandy Cohen
Key communicator
Greg Adams
Pushing prevention
Sumbul Desai
Reaching the masses
Jimmy Carter
Determined health hero
Ivan Cheung
A calculated risk
Albert Bourla
Leading pharma equality
Mike DeWine
A positive influence
Pioneers
Joel Habener, Dan Drucker, Svetlana Mojsov and Jens Juul Holst
Paving the way for weight-loss drugs
Joel Habener, Dan Drucker, Svetlana Mojsov and Jens Juul Holst
Paving the way for weight-loss drugs
Barney Graham
Laying a foundation
Amy Kirby
Finding data everywhere
Katsuhiko Hayashi
Defying biology
Stuart Orkin
Taking aim at sickle cell
Adrian Hill
Targeting malaria
Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman
Proving RNA’s power
Ziyad Al-Aly
Advocating with research
Jerry Mendell
Intervening early
Tulio de Oliveira
Hunting viruses in Africa and beyond
Thomas Powles
Stretching cancer’s clock
Jocelyne Bloch and Grégoire Courtine
Restoring severed links
Kim Nolte
Caring for asylum seekers
Georg Schett
Autoimmunity breakthrough
David Baker
Designing the future
Akiko Iwasaki
A better booster
Eric Topol
Scientific translator
Linda Griffith
Engineering organs
Uché Blackstock
Cutting racial bias
Tigress Osborn
Fighting weight discrimination
Halle Berry
A voice for menopause
Mulikat Okanlawon and Fidel Strub
Noma heroes
Alaa Murabit
Closing the gender gap
John Fetterman
Destigmatizing disability
Sean Mayberry
Prioritizing mental health
Jaime Seltzer
Postviral patient advocate
Shahzad Baig
Eradicating polio
Ruth Gottesman
Debt-free doctors
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure
Controlling cost
Melanie Ward
A powerful presence
Jaha Dukureh
Protecting women
Stefan Friedrichsdorf
No-fear needles
Carlotta Pianigiani
Mobile crisis care
Catalysts
Michael J. Fox
Chasing Parkinson’s treatments
Michael J. Fox
Chasing Parkinson’s treatments
Peter Attia
Wellness trendsetter
Richard Thompson
Microplastic revolutionary
Bessel van der Kolk
Validating trauma
Katelyn Jetelina
Speaking up for science
Rick Doblin
Redefining psychedelics
Ronnie Levin
Leading on lead
Marlena Fejzo
Making pregnancy safer
Peter Hotez
Science warrior
Nedra Glover Tawwab
Sharing hope for healing
Sholto David
Patrolling publishing
Francesca Dominici
Fighting pollution
Rebeca Ramos
Securing reproductive rights
Carolee Lee
Demanding more for women
Jenna Forsyth
Shoring up food safety
Olivia Munn
Raising awareness
Neil Powe and Cynthia Delgado
Fighting transplant bias
Jonathan Haidt
Putting down the screen
Alua Arthur
Demystifying death
Project credits
Project editors: Emma Barker Bonomo, Mandy Oaklander, Lily Rothman, Karl Vick
Editor-in-chief: Sam Jacobs
Executive editor: Dan Macsai
Art and design: Chelsea Kardokus and Lon Tweeten
Audience: Samantha Cooney, Annabel Gutterman, Kitty Ruskin, Kari Sonde, and Meg Zukin
Contributors: Charlie Campbell, Leslie Dickstein, Jamie Ducharme, Philip Elliott, Anna Gordon, Angela Haupt, Will Henshall, Jeffrey Kluger, Tara Law, Belinda Luscombe, Sanya Mansoor, Erin McMullen, Kelly Mickle, Alice Park, Nik Popli, Astha Rajvanshi, Dayana Sarkisova, Simmone Shah, Justin Worland, and Julia Zorthian
Copy editors: Mark Hokoda and Jennifer Schiavone
Digital: Juwayriah Wright
Photo: Sylvia Kang
Video: Alexandra Robson