FXB Senior Fellow Dr. Susan Bissell Appointed to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors

BOSTON, MA, March 30, 2026

The FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University is proud to announce that Dr. Susan Bissell, FXB Senior Fellow and longstanding global leader in child protection, has been appointed by Pope Leon XIV to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

Dr. Bissell is an internationally recognized expert in child protection with more than three decades of experience spanning international development, public health, and human rights. She is currently a Senior Fellow at the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University and serves as a senior consultant to public and private institutions focused on preventing and responding to violence against children.

Previously, Dr. Bissell served as Chief of Child Protection and Associate Director of Programmes at UNICEF, where she helped lead global strategies implemented in more than 150 countries. She also served as the founding Director of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children and has held roles at UNICEF’s Innocenti Research Centre in Florence, as well as country-based positions in South Asia, including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. 

Her appointment to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors underscores the global importance of safeguarding children and preventing abuse in all settings. It also reflects the Vatican’s recognition of the essential role that public health and human rights expertise play in advancing this mission.

The FXB Center warmly congratulates Dr. Bissell on this significant honor and remains committed to supporting efforts that center children’s protection, dignity, and rights in policy and practice worldwide.

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Press contact:  fxbcenter_info@hsph.harvard.edu