We are pleased to announce that Sarah (Sally) Hanson, MD, has accepted the role of Director of Global Health Programs, effective January 1, 2026. Dr. Hanson succeeds Jennifer Scott, MD, MBA, MPH. We are incredibly grateful for Dr. Scott’s visionary leadership in helping shape our global health program over the past years and thank her for her service to the department.

Dr. Hanson brings more than 25 years of experience dedicated to clinical training and excellence in the care of women in rural, remote, and resource-limited settings in the United States and globally. Her international work includes collaborations with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), the World Health Organization, and JHPIEGO, with field experience in South Sudan, Thailand, and India, as well as projects in South Africa, Uganda, and Honduras.

In the U.S., Dr. Hanson spent a decade serving Indigenous communities through the Indian Health Service, working on the Navajo Nation and in Alaska with the Tribal Health Consortium. During her time in Alaska, she helped found the State Perinatal Quality Collaborative, established a referral hospitalist program, and served as State Medical Director for Planned Parenthood, expanding access to family planning services, particularly for patients in remote areas.

For the past three and a half years, she has served as the in-country Site Director for BIDMC’s Botswana Global Health Program, where she supervises visiting OB/GYN residents, coordinates fellows for research and subspecialty training, and collaborates with international academic and organizational partners to build sustainable capacity in women’s health. She also leads Botswana’s fully in-country OB/GYN residency training program and spearheads a nationwide OB/GYN outreach initiative.

In her new role, Dr. Hanson looks forward to bringing her diverse experience to BIDMC and to fostering engagement and collaboration that will continue to strengthen and enrich our bidirectional global health partnerships.