This story is part of the 2025 Future Perfect 25

Every year, the Future Perfect team curates the undersung activists, organizers, and thinkers who are making the world a better place. This year’s honorees are all keeping progress on global health and development alive. Read more about the project here, and check out the other categories: • On the Ground • Innovators • Movers and Shakers

Have ideas for who should be on next year’s list? Email us at futureperfect@vox.com.

The roots of the world’s most stubborn global health problems don’t yield to vibes-based solutions. They surrender to data, rigor, and the surprisingly radical idea of actually trying to figure out what works.

Governments and nonprofit organizations depend on the economists, activists, policymakers, and writers wh

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