Mark Canavera

Mark Canavera is the co-director of the Care and Protection of Children (CPC) Learning Network at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, where he coordinates global research and advocacy efforts on children's protection, care, health, and development in complex settings. He co-chairs the INSPIRE Working Group with the World Health Organization and co-leads the Assessment, Measurement, and Evidence Working Group of the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Settings. Canavera's extensive field experience includes humanitarian aid work in over 20 countries, particularly in West Africa, with organizations like Save the Children, UNHCR, and Oxfam. His work has encompassed supporting former child soldiers, promoting girls' education, and reforming child welfare systems across multiple African countries. With Master's degrees in Peace Studies from Notre Dame and Public Policy from Harvard, Canavera brings a wealth of academic and practical expertise to his role. At Columbia, he teaches courses on "Protecting Children in Humanitarian Settings" and "INSPIRE: Seven Strategies for Ending Violence Against Children," contributing significantly to the education of future child protection specialists and the development of evidence-based strategies for child welfare in humanitarian contexts.