About Klaus
What Sets Klaus Apart
Klaus Krøyer Madsen, MPH is a global access partnerships leader with 10+ years designing and scaling innovative diagnostic and therapeutic access programs across emerging markets and LMICs.
Since 2014, Klaus has led Cities for Better Health (formerly Cities Changing Diabetes) in Houston as Stakeholder Engagement Lead—building the award-winning coalition model that has been replicated in 50+ cities globally. When Houston joined as the third city in the international network (after Copenhagen and Mexico City), Klaus created the first broad stakeholder coalition governance model, establishing democratic decision-making structures and centering community voice in ways that became the template for the global network.
From 2018 to 2022, Klaus replicated and adapted the Houston model in Philadelphia, demonstrating the framework's scalability and inspiring multiple cities across the global network to adopt similar approaches. His coalition architecture and community co-creation intervention design has directly influenced implementation strategies in cities across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Currently serving as strategic advisor to Novo Nordisk Indonesia, Klaus is facilitating the Cities Changing Diabetes Jakarta launch with the Jakarta Provincial Government (Special Capital Region House of Representatives), navigating LMIC regulatory environments, health ministry partnerships, and multi-stakeholder coalition architecture at the national policy level—demonstrating his ability to adapt proven models to Southeast Asian emerging market contexts.
Klaus developed the original stakeholder engagement and innovation challenge methodology for Cities Changing Diabetes Philadelphia (2018) that Novo Nordisk subsequently adopted as their global template. This methodology was deployed across EAT Foundation Novo Nordisk Healthy Food Challenge (2021, 8 countries) and UNICEF Novo Nordisk Healthy Childhood Challenge (2022, 15 countries), attracting 200+ international entries across 23 countries on four continents.
With over 20 years of experience bridging pharmaceutical companies, diagnostics innovation, public health systems, and community engagement, Klaus designs and implements collaborative solutions that deliver measurable health outcomes while maintaining commercial sustainability in complex health systems. His work spans the entire care continuum—from prevention and screening to diagnosis, treatment access, and ongoing monitoring—recognizing that effective population health requires integration across diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
His approach is collaborative, data-driven, and grounded in the reality of communities. Whether working with global pharmaceutical companies, health ministries in LMIC markets, or grassroots organizations, Klaus creates the conditions for sustainable change through inclusive design, strategic partnerships, and rigorous evaluation.
Core Expertise
Pharmaceutical & Diagnostics Community Partnerships | Klaus has extensive experience designing and implementing partnerships between pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies and communities, integrating access strategies across the care continuum. His work spans diagnostic screening programs, therapeutic interventions, and monitoring systems. His work with Novo Nordisk spans US and global initiatives, including facilitating innovation challenges that attracted nearly 200 entries from Brazil, Cambodia, Germany, Ghana, Mexico, Mozambique, Portugal, and the United States. He has partnered with Roche Diagnostics on initiatives that produced policy frameworks adopted by 26 states.
Coalition Architecture Innovation | When Houston joined Cities Changing Diabetes as the third city globally (after Copenhagen and Mexico City), Klaus created the first broad stakeholder coalition governance model in the network. This innovation—establishing diverse coalition with formal governance structure, democratic decision-making, community voice, and equity-centered leadership—became the template subsequently adopted by other cities worldwide. His ability to take proven concepts and architect scalable governance frameworks demonstrates strategic innovation that transforms programs into movements.
Chronic Disease Prevention at Scale | Since 2014, Klaus has led Cities for Better Health (formerly Cities Changing Diabetes) in the United States, building coalition architectures that engage diverse stakeholders and generate sustainable intervention portfolios. His collaborative innovation design approach has been recognized by the World Economic Forum and other leading organizations. He pioneered the faith-based health access model, becoming the first city globally in the Cities Changing Diabetes network to engage houses of faith to reach minority and immigrant populations experiencing low health literacy and high health disparities—now being considered for LMIC adaptation by Asian affiliates.
Multi-Sector Coalition Building | Klaus co-founded the Partnership for a Healthy Texas, a childhood obesity policy coalition now in its 18th year, and has designed coalition governance structures that center equity and amplify community voices. He excels at creating alignment among healthcare systems, government agencies, philanthropies, community organizations, and private sector partners. He has engaged 600+ stakeholders across Houston and Philadelphia initiatives.
Research Translation & Evaluation | As primary consultant to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded Healthy Cities Research Hub at UTHealth Houston, Klaus synthesized findings from major North American initiatives and translated them into actionable strategies for cities nationwide.
Diagnostic Access & Screening Programs | Klaus integrates community-based diagnostic screening as the gateway to disease prevention and management. His initiatives include HbA1c and glucose testing programs in underserved communities, point-of-care diagnostic partnerships, and care pathway development that connects screening to treatment—recognizing diagnostics as both a clinical and commercial enabler in resource-constrained settings.
Global Methodology Creator | Klaus developed the original stakeholder engagement and innovation challenge methodology for Cities Changing Diabetes Philadelphia (2018) that Novo Nordisk adopted as their global template. Subsequently deployed across EAT Foundation Novo Nordisk Healthy Food Challenge (2021, 8 countries) and UNICEF Healthy Childhood Challenge (2022, 15 countries), attracting 200+ international entries across 23 countries on four continents.
Thought Leadership & Case Study Development | Klaus has developed case studies featured in World Economic Forum publications demonstrating innovation in stakeholder engagement of patients, faith communities, and public health. He created the Faith and Diabetes Process Blueprint and coalition-building case study shared across the 50-city global network in collaboration with the Cities for Better Health global team. He has presented to the World Health Organization, National Governors Association, Israel Ministry of Health/Commonwealth Fund, and National Institute of Public Health (INSP) Mexico.
Background
Prior to launching his consulting practice, Klaus spent fifteen years at Texas Health Institute, where he built the organization's chronic disease portfolio and served as Vice President for Programs. He led research and policy initiatives funded by Novo Nordisk, Roche Diagnostics, and Methodist Healthcare Ministries that produced the first state-level Diabetes Action Plan concept—subsequently adopted and adapted by 26 states, demonstrating scalable policy innovation with diagnostics and therapeutic industry alignment.
He has developed health equity solutions across diverse communities—from families of incarcerated individuals at Dallas County Jail to underserved rural residents, immigrant communities, and families affected by childhood obesity.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Klaus led a large-scale vaccine outreach and education program for the Houston Health Department, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, demonstrating his capacity for rapid response and community mobilization in crisis situations. This work required building trust rapidly with communities experiencing legitimate skepticism about vaccine safety and government intentions—skills directly applicable to pharmaceutical and diagnostics partnerships in LMIC contexts.
Klaus has coached 20 international teams across Brazil, Cambodia, Germany, Ghana, Mexico, Mozambique, Portugal, and the United States, providing strategic guidance on partnership development and sustainable financing in resource-constrained environments.
Education & Leadership
Klaus received his Bachelor of Science in Business, Language, and Culture from Copenhagen Business School and was an exchange student in the MBA program at The University of Texas at Austin. He holds a Master of Public Health degree in Health Policy and Management from the National Executive Masters program at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. He is a native Danish speaker and fluent in English.
Current Advisory & Board Roles:
Advocacy & Outreach Committee Co-Chair, Texas Diabetes Council
Board Member, BikeTexas
Advisor, American Heart Association
Advisor, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Steering Committee Member, Partnership for a Healthy Texas (Co-founder)
SouthWest Houston FaithHealth Collaborative (Co-founder)
Member, Houston Area Interfaith Network
Strategic Collaborators:
Novo Nordisk (US, Indonesia & Global) | Institute for Spiritiality and Health at the Texas Medical Center | Roche Diagnostics | CDC Foundation | Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | EAT Foundation | UNICEF | WHO | National Institute of Public Health of Mexico | Jakarta Provincial Government | UTHealth | The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
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