About | Asia Catalyst

mission

Asia Catalyst works with grassroots groups from marginalized communities in East and Southeast Asia that promote the right to health. We train our partners to meet high standards of effective and democratic governance, to establish a stable foundation for future growth, and to conduct rigorous human rights research and advocacy. We aim to help our partners become leading advocates at the local, national and global levels.

Who We Are

Sara L.M. Davis, PhD (Meg) | Founder and Executive Director

Meg is a writer and human rights advocate who has conducted research and advocacy on HIV/AIDS and human rights, police abuse, housing rights, environmental rights, and rule of law in China, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Indonesia. Meg also conducted research and advocacy for Human Rights Watch and Open Society Institute. She earned a PhD at the University of Pennsylvania and held postdoctoral fellowships at Yale University and UCLA, and is author of a book, Song and Silence: Ethnic Revival on Chinas Southwest Borders (Columbia University Press, 2005). Her articles have appeared in Wall Street Journal Asia, International Herald Tribune, South China Morning Post, HIV Law and Policy Review, Harm Reduction Journal and Modern China.

Gisa Hartmann | China Program Director

German native Gisa Hartmann received her MA in Sinology and Political Science from University of Cologne, Germany, in summer 2009. Her thesis discusses psychosocial impacts on children affected by HIV/AIDS and is based on field research in Anhui Province. At University of Cologne, she has organized symposia, panel discussions, and a Chinese documentary film festival, and she lived in Beijing for one and a half years. She began as a graduate intern for Asia Catalyst, then became administrative coordinator in September 2009, before taking responsibility for the China program in October 2010.