Varnee Murugan
- Executive Director, Global Initiative on Health and the Economy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Varnee Murugan joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as senior director of the Global Initiative on Health and the Economy (GIHE). The GIHE champions public health, health financing, and regulatory policies that enable companies in the health care sector to deliver solutions that benefit people around the world. Murugan highlights the unique value of the private sector to drive sustainable public health outcomes at scale and employers that value a healthy workforce and its positive impact on productivity and economic growth.
Murugan’s career spans well over a decade across both U.S. and global health systems. Before joining the Chamber, she was a principal consultant at Kaiser Permanente’s (KP’s) national headquarters in California. There she led the development of enterprise-wide strategies to improve care delivery, access, and public health, working closely with the C-suite and other senior leaders across the organization.
Prior to KP, Murugan directed the Global Health Practice at Development Finance International where she managed a team across the U.S., India, and the Philippines. She supported leading health care companies in accelerating growth and gaining market access through policy advocacy and collaborative partnerships with government leaders, NGOs, and donors in international markets.
Earlier, Murugan worked at Avalere Health, a consultancy focused at the intersection of U.S. health policy and business strategy; the World Health Organization in Geneva; and Cetero Research in clinical data management. She has co-authored publications on health systems strengthening and care coordination outcomes.
Murugan holds a Master of Public Health from Yale University and a Bachelor of Science from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. She resides in Bethesda, Maryland, with her husband and young daughter.
