Blythe Adamson

Blythe Adamson, PhD, MPH, is a health economist and epidemiologist whose work focuses on the intersection of science, policy, and technology. Adamson assesses the value of new technologies, medicines, and policies, applying quantitative analysis to address challenges in global health. She holds degrees in microbiology, epidemiology, and pharmaceutical economics, with a focus on infectious disease prevention, and earned her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and her PhD in Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research and Policy at the University of Washington.

Adamson is the founder and CEO of Infectious Economics, an advisory firm serving government agencies, life sciences and technology companies, and consumer brands such as Disney and Warby Parker. The firm provides guidance to policymakers and industry leaders on cost-effective strategies for virus transmission prevention. Through Infectious Economics, Adamson has advised organizations including the NBA, Broadway theaters, and financial services firms on health strategy and economic sustainability. She also serves as SVP of Research at Doctronic, a healthcare artificial intelligence company.

Adamson served in The White House, advising the president on pandemic health and economic strategy and developing mathematical models to inform policy. She was a member of the White House COVID Task Force on Healthcare Resilience and led pandemic data science efforts in the West Wing. Adamson has also trained military strategists at the Pentagon on pandemic decision models, translating complex epidemiological data into actionable guidance for government and industry.

As a senior leader at Flatiron Health, Adamson's team developed deep learning language models for extracting clinical details from electronic health records. She co-invented a patented clinical decision-support tool powered by machine learning, which is used by cancer clinics. Her scientific leadership at Flatiron Health advanced artificial intelligence-powered EHR research in the United States, Europe, and Japan. Adamson has also evaluated biomedical strategies for HIV prevention to inform investments at the Gates Foundation and decisions at the HIV Vaccine Trials Network.

Business Insider recognized Adamson as one of the top 30 leaders transforming the future of healthcare. She is an affiliate professor at the University of Washington's Comparative Health Outcomes, Policy, and Economics Institute, where she lectures on cost-effectiveness analysis, health technology assessment, and real-world data analysis. Adamson is active in the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, contributing to the fields of health economics, epidemiology, and health technology assessment.