Kelly Callahan is the Director of the Trachoma Control Program at The Carter Center Health Programs.

Callahan served as a Water and Sanitation volunteer in Cote d’Ivoire from 1996-1998. During this time she specifically focused on Guinea worm disease. From this experience she transitioned to Sudan for The Carter Center until 2004, where she headed up the Center’s southern Sudan office and targeted Guinea worm eradication, trachoma control, and river blindness control. Before accepting her current position as director of the Center’s Trachoma Control Program, Callahan was assistant director of program support for the Carter Center Health Programs from 2004-2014. 

Callahan acquired extensive field experience from frequent trips in and out of Sudan and served as an elected representative on the U.N.’s umbrella organization, Operation Lifeline Sudan. During this time, Callahan’s accomplishments included leading the Carter Center’s effort to distribute more than 9 million pipe filters in the fight against Guinea worm disease and the implementation of the Carter Center-assisted Trachoma Control Program. 

Callahan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Public Health degree from Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.