Ellen Carlin is a policy expert specializing in emerging infectious disease, zoonotic pathogens, and opportunities to prevent pandemics. Her work in public and animal health is deeply rooted in the science of the problems her work seeks to address. She has worked for the U.S. government, in clinical veterinary medicine, and in field settings in Africa on efforts to advance human and animal health for nearly two decades.
As a consultant, Ellen helps clients develop their policy priorities, execute advocacy plans, draft major proposals, and publish scientific and strategic communications pieces. She specializes in science writing for both technical and lay audiences and analysis of information critical to science policy development.
“At PPG, we tackle really hard science and policy problems together. Our team has been working with one another for decades and we understand and complement one other's strengths. And we choose to work with clients whose values we share: our clients' values are our values.”
Education and previous work
Ellen received her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine and her Bachelor of Science in biology from the College of Mount Saint Vincent and a.
Ellen began her policy career with the U.S. Congress working on national security threats. From 2007-2013, she staffed Peter King, the Ranking Member and then Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, where she covered a broad portfolio that included medical preparedness, biodefense, and science and technology. She advised Congressman King during the 2009 pandemic influenza outbreak, developed legislation to support federal efforts to counter weapons of mass destruction, and spearheaded hearings and oversight on medical countermeasure preparedness.
After leaving the Hill, Ellen completed an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education fellowship with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine, where she worked on antimicrobial resistance policy. In 2014, she became a founding staff member of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense and served for several years as co-director of the Commission. Ellen later worked as a senior health and policy specialist at EcoHealth Alliance and held a faculty appointment in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Georgetown University. Her research efforts at these organizations have explored the epidemiological underpinnings of infectious disease outbreaks and opportunities for policy interventions to prevent and manage them.
Ellen is a lecturer at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine; an advisor to the Veterinary Association for Farm Animal Welfare; and a member of the District of Columbia Medical Reserve Corps. Her writing can be found in numerous scientific and lay publications and, in 2023, she co-authored her first book, Catastrophic Incentives: Why Our Approaches to Disasters Keep Falling Short (Columbia University Press).
Ellen's top 5 StrengthsFinder themes are: Harmony, Intellection, Learner, Input, Relator