Professor Emerita, with Distinction
Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases
Emory University
Expert Consultant CDC/Division of Global Migration and Quarantine/Travelers’ Health/Emerita
Atlanta, GA
Phyllis Kozarsky is Professor Emerita in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Emory University. She founded Emory’s TravelWell center for pre-and post-travel health care in 1988 and began working as a consultant to the US CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine shortly thereafter, becoming chief of Travelers’ Health. There she assisted in the expansion and transformation the CDC text, Health Information for International Travel, also known as the “Yellow Book,” and became chief medical editor for many editions, bringing outside authors and editors to the text. Dr. Kozarsky was a co-founder of GeoSentinel, along with being one of the first site directors in the Network.
Dr. Kozarsky has also been a consultant to many organizations, including the Coca-Cola Company, Delta Airlines, CNN, and Habitat for Humanity International. During the recent pandemic, she became instrumental in helping organizations such as Major League Soccer and Norwegian Cruise Lines continue their activities. She is a consultant to Hollywood and Health, an organization bringing real-life medical issues to the forefront for television and movies. She is the author of many peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and is an editor of the textbook, Travel Medicine. She is a co-founder of the International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM), was chair of the professional education committee, the exam committee, and was secretary/treasurer of the Society. She remains an active member of the ISTM along with membership in the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH). She holds a Certificate in Tropical Medicine and Travelers’ Health from the ASTMH, a Certificate in Travelers’ Health from the ISTM, and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Glasg). She has received a number of awards from the US Department of Health and Human Services and from the US CDC for activities related to her work during outbreaks, including those due to anthrax, SARS, and H1N1, and others.