Eric Ottesen, MD, is the director of the Neglected Tropical Diseases Support Center (NTD-SC), a program of The Task Force for Global Health. In this role, Dr. Ottesen oversees The Task Force’s operational research on tools and techniques to improve NTD control and elimination programs.

Prior to joining The Task Force, Dr. Ottesen served as project leader of the Filariasis Elimination Programme at the World Health Organization and led the Clinical Parasitology Section of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes for Health. Dr. Ottesen’s research interests have focused principally on host responsiveness to parasitic helminth infections (primarily filariasis, onchocerciasis and schistosomiasis) and on the relationship between allergic and parasitic diseases. He now works on the control/elimination of lymphatic filariasis worldwide (especially program monitoring and evaluation), integrated control of tropical diseases, and the clinical and immunological aspects of filarial disease.

Dr. Ottesen earned his medical degree from Harvard University and bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University. He is board certified in pediatrics.