Larkin Callaghan

Larkin Callaghan

Head of Global Advocacy and Community Engagement, Virology - Gilead Sciences

Larkin is a global health and infectious disease expert specializing in advocacy, communications, policy, and diplomacy, with nearly 20 years' experience working and living in 20+ low- and lower-middle income countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia. With robust field operations, implementation, clinical trials, and policy experience, she launches multilateral global partnerships in resource limited settings, and executes health communication and engagement strategies for corporate, community, research, and advocacy teams. She is currently Global Head of Advocacy and Community Engagement, Virology, at Gilead Sciences.

Her research training built a foundation for programmatic, advisory, community building, and issues management work. She frequently partners with and has been funded by the United Nations, Unitaid, the NIH, CDC, Dept of State, PEPFAR, WHO, and city and state public health agencies. She has sole-authored and led teams securing competitive federal and private grants totaling, negotiated health policy initiatives in LLMICs while managing Ministry-level relationships, led PEPFAR sponsored trial implementation in 10+ countries, and overseen the disposition, transfer, and supply of goods across international borders.

Larkin previously served as a United Nations correspondent, working with country missions, ambassadors, press secretaries, and UN councils covering global health, diplomatic, and political issues in the global south. As a research reporter, she classified some of the earliest cases of sexual violence in Syria's civil war, presenting results to the UN Security Council over the course of the conflict while aiming to escalate public perception and understanding of the crisis. For elected and appointed officials at local, national, and global levels, she has led HIV and global health advocacy and access communications, advised press/media strategy, and prepared advance and field teams. She has served on three NIH global working groups. Larkin has taught graduate level courses at Columbia, UCSF, and Stanford, focused on development and implementation of early, investigative global health research in resource-limited settings.

A 6th generation San Franciscan, Larkin received her undergraduate degree from University of Southern California, and her master's, doctorate, and post-doctoral training from Columbia University. She serves on the Boards of Komera and the Ginetta Sagan Fund of Amnesty International, is a member of the Junior League, and a lifelong SF Giants fan. She co-chaired the AIDS2020 Local Planning Group, serving Bay Area communities represented at the 2020 International AIDS Conference.