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Dr Ruth Gibson

Dr Ruth Gibson

Stanford University

I am an academic whose research focuses on the interplay between geopolitics and human health. I believe that wars and political decisions between nations are the most powerful forces shaping people's lives. To conduct this complex research, I lead large multidisciplinary teams spanning the globe. I am based at Stanford University at the Center for Innovation in Global Health (CIGH) and the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC). My research is informed by more than a decade of living in the countries I now study. My work is not abstract: I examine war, sanctions, blockades, and war crimes, and their direct consequences for human lives especially the lives of children.
25+
Publications
1,115+
Citations
50k+
Video Views

Current Research

Leading two international research initiatives: (1) The Lancet Series on Foreign Engagement and Global Health, and (2) A project designing sanctions against Russian Companies involved with Forcibly Transferred Ukrainian Children.

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Latest Publication

The impact of aid sanctions on maternal and child mortality (The Lancet Global Health, 2025) - First global study quantifying health impacts of aid restrictions.

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Media & Talks

Featured in TIME, the New Yorker, Al Jazeera, and as a speaker at international conferences - focused on topics such as starvation in war, sanctions, and global child health.

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Research Impact & Recognition

Stanford University News Coverage

"Study finds foreign aid sanctions linked to maternal and child mortality" - Research showing aid sanctions can reverse decades of health progress.

Policy Influence

Research informing the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights on humanitarian exemptions in sanctions regimes, with recommendations for real-time health monitoring.

International Collaboration

Co-leading The Lancet Series on Foreign Engagement and Global Health with Stanford University Professor Gary Darmstadt, with experts from academia, the military, and government.

Connect & Explore

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