Talks & Media
Dr. Ruth Gibson • Stanford Postdoctoral Fellow
Research on the intersection of geopolitics, sanctions, and global health,
with a focus on maternal and child health in conflict zones.
The Impact of Aid Sanctions on Maternal-Child Mortality
Presented at the 2025 Global Health Research Convening at Stanford, Dr. Gibson shares findings from a 3-year interdisciplinary study on aid sanctions' effects on maternal and child mortality across 67 low- and middle-income countries from 1990–2019.
Key Findings
- 177% drop in health-specific official development assistance under sanctions
- Sanctions lasting 5+ years increase infant and under-5 mortality by ~30%
- 60% of maternal mortality progress erased
- Effects peak after 4–5 years
Sanctions as Chemotherapy: A Universal System of Monitoring
In this CISAC seminar at Stanford, Dr. Gibson analogizes sanctions to chemotherapy—requiring precise planning, titration, and evaluation to avoid devastating collateral damage. Drawing on 201 cases of aid sanctions (1990–2019), the study reveals critical impacts on global health.
Key Insights
- 40% reductions in overall aid, 21% in health aid
- 3–6% rises in child and maternal mortality
- Historical examples: Haiti (20,000 excess child deaths)
- Stanford-UN collaboration for universal monitoring framework
Sanctions and Security in a Changing Global Order
Hosted by Michael McFaul on Stanford's World Class series, this 45-minute dialogue examines sanctions' dual role in security and humanitarian crises. Informed by Dr. Gibson's fieldwork in Yemen and comprehensive research.
Discussion Topics
- 60% backsliding in maternal mortality from aid sanctions
- 14 million projected global deaths by 2030 from USAID cuts
- Rising terrorism risks from aid-to-defense shifts
- Future China-Taiwan scenarios and naval blockades' health tolls
Foreign Aid Sanctions Set Back Decades of Progress
This Stanford Health Policy video overviews Dr. Gibson's 2022-initiated landmark study—the first global assessment of aid sanctions' health impacts over three decades. Analyzing reductions in official development assistance across 67 countries.
Policy Implications
- 5+ year sanctions negate 64% of maternal mortality progress
- 29% setback for infant mortality rates
- 26% regression for under-5 child mortality
- Advocacy for waivers and targeted exemptions
Major Media Coverage & Expert Commentary
Co-authored with Professor Gary Darmstadt, this landmark review examines 40 years of evidence on sanctions' health tolls, advocating for child-focused humanitarian exemptions.
Analysis of the severe medical impacts of starvation in Gaza, examining the humanitarian crisis and its devastating health consequences on the population.
In-depth interview sharing data on aid cessation's impact on maternal mortality across Asia and Africa, with policy recommendations for the UN.
Profile highlighting research on geopolitics' effects on child health, including leadership of Lancet series on foreign aid.
Co-leading multi-paper series examining military aid, humanitarian assistance, and development in conflict zones, with focus on Sahel and Taiwan.
Coverage of groundbreaking research showing 5+ year sanctions negate 64% of maternal mortality progress in developing nations.
Read ArticleCross-national analysis examining factors influencing parental health investment decisions across sub-Saharan African countries.
"My mission is to translate rigorous research into accessible insights that can inform more humane policy design and protect vulnerable populations worldwide."