David Hamburg

International Council Member, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Experience

David A. Hamburg is DeWitt Wallace Distinguished Scholar at Weill Cornell Medical College and Visiting Scholar at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is President Emeritus at Carnegie Corporation of New York, where he served as president from 1982 to 1997. A medical doctor, Hamburg has a long history of leadership in the research, medical, and psychiatric fields. He has been a professor at Stanford University and Harvard University, President of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

He was a member of the United States Defense Policy Board with Secretary of Defense William Perry and co-chair with former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance of the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict. The Commission published many books and monographs in its five-year life (1994-99), covering diplomatic, political, economic and military aspects of prevention.  Distinguished scholars and practitioners contributed on a worldwide basis. 

He was a member of President Clinton’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology.   Most recently, Dr. Hamburg chaired two parallel committees at the United Nations and European Union on the prevention of genocide – one reporting directly to the UN Secretary-General and the other to Javier Solana, Secretary General of the Council of the European Union.

Dr. Hamburg also serves on the Board of the Carter Center in Atlanta, the Advisory Board of the Center for Preventive Action of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Advisory Council of Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute of International Studies, the Harvard International Advisory Council and is Distinguished Presidential Adviser on International Affairs, National Academy of Sciences. He is the author of Today’s Children: Creating a Future for a Generation in Crisis (1992); No More Killing Fields: Preventing Deadly Conflict (2002); and Learning to Live Together: Preventing Hatred and Violence in Child and Adolescent Development (2004).  His current book, Preventing Genocide: Practical Steps toward Early Detection and Effective Action was published in spring 2008.  An educational documentary based on the book was completed in the spring of 2009 and an updated edition of the book was published in the fall.

Dr. Hamburg has received numerous awards including the Foreign Policy Association’s Medal; the Sarnat International Mental Health Award of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences; the John Stearns Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Medicine, New York Academy of Medicine; the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal (its highest award); and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the highest civilian award of the United States).