Linda Bartlett is a medical doctor and epidemiologist with more than 25 years of experience in clinical and public health practice. She has 18 years of experience in maternal and perinatal health epidemiology, public health and program implementation both in developed and developing country settings, including in refugee and conflict/post-conflict settings. 

Currently an Associate Scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Dr. Bartlett's career has included Health Canada, the US centers for Disease Control and Prevention and UNICEF. She has designed and implemented programs to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and built technical capacity on assessment of maternal and neonatal health, and has spent much of the last 10 years working on maternal health issues among Afghans.

Using her measurement skills and knowledge of public health and clinical practice, Dr. Bartlett’s interests encompass two main areas: assessing and improving the quality of obstetric care in facilities; and developing and testing interventions that can be used in community settings. 

As UNICEF's Senior Specialist for Maternal and Child Health, Dr. Bartlett designed, implemented and managed a program to assist the Government of Afghanistan to reduce maternal and newborn deaths. Her study of maternal mortality among Afghan women has been called a “landmark study” due to the application of rigorous methodology in a very large scale study in an extremely challenging setting. It was recognized by USAID as key in guiding their commitment -- as well as that of other donors -- to maternal health in Afghanistan, and was also a leading reason for the decision of the Afghan Ministry of Public Health to rank maternal mortality as its number one health priority