Dr. Lauren Walsh is the Managing Director of Journalist Safety Initiatives at the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation. She is also a professor at NYU, where she is the Founding Director of the Gallatin Photojournalism Intensive. Walsh is the Director of the national photography archive Lost Rolls America, and is a Fulbright Specialist in Photography and Ethics.
Walsh’s latest book is Through the Lens: The Pandemic and Black Lives Matter (2022). Her other titles include Conversations on Conflict Photography, Shadow of Memory, and Macondo: Memories of the Colombian Conflict. She has appeared as an expert commentator on CNN, BBC, and Al Jazeera, and serves on the boards of leading journalism organizations.
She has led global workshops on journalist safety, media literacy, and trauma-informed reportage; developed the first nationwide study on media worker mental health in an active war zone (Ukraine); and is co-leading the first regional initiative on psychological wellbeing for Arab-world photographers. Walsh served as judge for the 2025 Pulitzer Prizes and is a frequent public speaker, including at a NATO summit and as this year’s keynote for World Press Photo. She has been honored with NYU’s Excellence in Teaching Award.
