Public Health

Wanga Katimba has over six years of experience in operations and program management working for non-
profit organizations. In 2020, she was awarded a fully funded MBA scholarship by the Scottish government and Heriot-Watt University through their Gender Equality Initiative. She successfully graduated with a Master’s degree in Business Administration in December 2023, complementing her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Northrise University. Currently, Wanga is involved in the Strengthening Oxygen Utilization and Respiratory Ecosystem project with PATH Zambia. This initiative aims to provide all patients, regardless of place of birth, with access to the lifesaving medical oxygen they need and seeks to reduce maternal, child, and overall mortality from hypoxemia-related causes through improved access to high quality oxygen services. Wanga actively participates in technical working groups and civil society coalitions dedicated to implementing the Zambia National Medical Oxygen Strategic Plan (2022 to 2026). In her prior position, she dedicated four years to the Care and Treatment project with ICAP at Columbia University in Zambia. This initiative provided care for HIV-related illnesses and offered mentorship to healthcare workers and community volunteers. Wanga is particularly interested in gender and women’s issues, contributing to the achievement of sustainable development goals, and working for NGO’s that aim to accelerate health equity so all people and communities can thrive. She is passionate about raising awareness and advocating for improved services and management of chronic diseases such as endometriosis in her country of birth, Zambia.

Sunday Nyebe, a 36-year-old professional based in Nigeria, holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil and Water Resources Engineering from Modibbo Adama University of Technology, and is currently pursuing his Master of Engineering in Water Resources Engineering from the University of Maiduguri. He has demonstrated a successful career as a versatile Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and Environmental Health specialist with a strong track record in strategic program development, advocacy, team and financial management. Serving as the WASH/Environmental Health Coordinator for the International Rescue Committee Nigeria Country Program since June 2023, Sunday oversees seven concurrent WASH projects with funding from various institutional donors, including BHA, FCDO, GAC, SIDA, ECHO, UN-OCHA, New York Times, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. His responsibilities involve strategic program development, advocacy, partnership building, and effective monitoring and evaluation. Sunday has excelled in emergency response management, coordinating with various stakeholders, and demonstrating effective team management skills. His expertise extends to previous roles, such as Project officer for Water Security at Catholic Relief Service and WASH Program Manager at Action Against Hunger, where he managed multimillion-dollar budgets and led diverse teams in addressing water, sanitation, and hygiene needs in conflict-affected regions. Sunday has continuously expanded his skills through various trainings, and he is an active member of professional engineering organizations in Nigeria. Passionate about humanitarian programming and water-related issues, Sunday is committed to leveraging his skills and experiences contributing to sustainable solutions in the WASH sector and address the complex challenges faced by communities affected by conflict.

Tibebe Deribe is a Program Coordinator at the HelpAge International, Ethiopia country office having more than 10 years of experience in humanitarian response programs. He earned a Diploma in Nursing from Rehoboth Medical College, and a Bachelor of Applied Human Nutrition from Bahir Dar University in 2019. He is a candidate for a master’s degree in project planning and management at Gambela University. In his career, he has been working in different regions of Ethiopia including Amhara, Oromia, South Nation, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP) and Gambela. His first employment was as an Assistant Lecturer in a private nursing college. Later he joined a humanitarian organization, Plan International in the year 2011, in the capacity of CMAM supervisor where he worked for 3 years. After that, he joined Action Contre La Faim (ACF), MERLIN, International Medical Corps (IMC), and Save the Children International. He received a variety of training on key program/project management areas, including project management, budget management, staff management, humanitarian accountability, partnerships and report writing, which contributes to his achievement at a different level of his career. He is a well-experienced humanitarian aid working in both host communities and refugee setups, ranging from responding to immediate humanitarian emergencies like disease outbreaks, flood, conflict-affected areas, and other humanitarian programs including health, nutrition, WASH, livestock, agriculture, livelihood, and general protection programs.

Karim Vandi Coker is a 31-year-old sociology graduate from Njala University in Sierra Leone. He is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Humanitarian Practice at the University of Manchester UK. Karim works as a Health Promoter Supervisor for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Belgium and has over 5 years of experience in Health Promotion, Behavior Change Communication, Child Protection, and Community-based Programming as well as Sexual and Gender-Based Violence. He has worked with Doctors Without Borders (MSF OCA & OCB) and Action Aid International in various capacities, managing Community Health initiatives and educational programs with diverse teams. Karim is an experienced Community Health Advocate with a proven track record in promoting people-centred healthcare and managing integrated community case management, risk communication, and access to healthcare for sexual violence survivors. He is an asset to the MSF-OCB Kenema Hospital Project, where he facilitates community acceptance and participation in health service delivery in collaboration with Community health workers, voluntary blood donors, traditional birth attendants, traditional healers and health development committees. Karim is passionate about empowering communities and women to increase control over their health and improve their well-being. He believes in harnessing community inputs and fostering collective actions to improve the resilience of marginalized groups, pregnant women, girls, and people living with disabilities, especially in health emergencies. Karim has a critical interest in mental health promotion targeting youths to abstain from drug abuse. He believes that the socioeconomic impacts of mental health can be devastating for youth empowerment and national development.

Jacqueline Anena is a public health specialist and a technical advisor for vaccines and immunization at PATH, leading efforts to improve immunization coverage and vaccines supply chain and logistics. For the last six years Jacqueline has supported the Uganda National Expanded Program on Immunization (UNEPI) with providing technical assistance in program work planning and coordination, development of implementation strategies such as the National Immunization Strategy, the immunization supply chain strategy, Human Papilloma Virus vaccine coverage improvement plan among others. She is passionate about use of human centered design in designing approaches and strategies that focus on improving user’s experience. Outside her job description, she is a mental health enthusiast and taking on initiatives to improve mental health in workplaces and among the cooperate community. Jacqueline holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health and has over 12 years of experience in implementing Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Programs. She was previously a Global Health Corps (GHC) Fellow and a staff at World Vision in Uganda.

Isabel Ruiz is a 36-year-old passionate professional living in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico. In 2011, she obtained a degree in Environmental Systems Engineering from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN, by its acronym in Spanish). Her commitment to making a positive impact on both environmental and social fronts led her to study a double-degree master’s in Environmental Sciences, Natural Resources Management and Development. For the last year and a half, she has collaborated with Heifer Mexico as manager for the social capital and women empowerment department; in her role, she has the mission to guarantee that projects include actions to impulse social cohesion, women and youths opportunities, and caring for the earth. Additionally, Isabel provides guidance and support to staff members, aiding them in implementing projects focusing on gender equality, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Denis Afunwi is a civil engineer and project management professional with over seven years of progressive experience in managing projects in the development and humanitarian sectors. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in civil engineering from the Catholic University of Cameroon (CATUC), Bamenda and a certificate in project management and evaluation from the Pan-African Institute for Development (PAID-WA). Upon completion of studies, he was integrated in a team of technicians of the Bambui Water Authority (BAWA); a user managed water supply scheme in Bambui Village where he served as a research engineer evaluating the water supply system and recommending both managerial and technical solutions to improve water supply to a growing community of over 20,000 inhabitants. Denis further served as an individual consultant with the national community driven development program where he conducted feasibility studies for the rehabilitation, construction and extension 4 gravity water supply schemes in the North West regions of Cameroon and later held multiple roles with INGOs in the North West and South West regions including WASH Officer with Plan International, Environmental Health Manager with the International Rescue Committee and WASH/Shelter Coordinator with the Norwegian Refugee Council. His most recent achievement is related to tackling the issue of sustainability in user managed water supply systems where he initiated and piloted the establishment of a water governance network in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon where through workshops, strategies are being developed to tackle the problem of unsustainable water systems.

Bupe Mulenga Kabamba holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Lusaka, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in demography with economics from the University of Zambia. She has ten years of experience in research and evaluation. She currently works as Research and Learning specialist on a malaria project helping to generate data for decision making to end malaria. Previously, while working as a Research Associate at the American Institutes for Research she contributed to understanding how making data easier for communities to understand can empower them to participate in decision making. Before this she had worked in the agriculture sector contributing to research aimed at improving post-harvest practices among small scale farmers and getting them the right seed varieties for food security. Her career started out at the Zambian chapter of a global standard called the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative advocating for disclosure of remittances of mining companies to the government and receipts of the government from mining companies. Given her experience in diverse sectors Bupe believes in and is passionate about the application of data-driven and evidence based, sector wide approaches in any intervention as a holistic remedy if people’s lives are to be improved. A feminist, she believes in including women’s and local voices and lived experiences in every space and at all levels.

Lisa Graham is a medical doctor with over a decade of professional experience working in healthcare systems across several countries on the African continent. She earned her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBCh) from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. She is currently working at Partners in Health Sierra Leone as the District Advisor for the Quality Essential Health Services and Systems Support Project, a $60 million project funded by the World Bank which aims to increase utilization and improve quality of maternal and child health services in rural and hard to reach areas in five districts in Sierra Leone. Her focus has been in health systems strengthening, reproductive health, including maternal and child health, breast and cervical cancer programs, aviation and emergency medicine, and clinical health education. She is passionate about the delivery of accessible, affordable, sustainable healthcare in Africa and the development of effective health systems and programmes. Lisa has served on national technical working groups drafting national cancer policies and on the roll-out of the HPV vaccine. She is also a supervisory board member and Trustee of the AdAmi project a UK-registered charity organization based in Sierra Leone that empowers expectant and young mothers to return to education or employment.

Marta Skierkowska is a psychologist and a dedicated manager committed to developing outreach programs. With over 15 years of involvement in aiding children who have suffered from violence or sexual abuse, she co-manages one of Poland’s largest NGOs, the Empowering Children Foundation, affiliated with ECPAT International in the country. Since 2022, Marta has extended her efforts to humanitarian work, supporting the Ukrainian community seeking refuge in Poland, collaborating with organizations such as UNICEF and UNHCR. Having ascended through the ranks of the organization from assistant to board member, Marta is the architect of numerous child abuse prevention programs. Collaborating with her teams, she focuses on scaling these solutions and integrating them into Poland’s systemic activities, encompassing direct interventions, research, education, and advocacy. Marta recognizes the importance of addressing both child abuse and the well-being of staff who confront child trauma daily. She fosters personal development among her team members, ensuring they find roles that resonate with them, and cultivates a supportive environment that mitigates professional burnout. For Marta, combating child abuse is a calling—an honor she pursues with unwavering dedication, believing that well-executed actions can save countless children’s lives. It is this commitment that drives her to refine and standardize her management practices, drawing inspiration from others and striving for continuous improvement in her service to the cause.

Mónica Llaguno, an accomplished program evaluation and research practitioner from Ecuador, brings over eight years of experience in international children and youth-focused programming. Serving as the Associate Vice-President of Research, Evaluation, and Learning at Covenant House International (Casa Alianza) she has spearheaded the development of a regional monitoring and evaluation framework in Latin America, impacting over 7,000 children annually. Mónica oversees the outcomes of programs addressing diverse socioeconomic issues, including homelessness, food insecurity, human trafficking, and gender-based violence. Fluent in Spanish, she has played a pivotal role in facilitating efficient communication strategies and knowledge management efforts, fostering a shared understanding of effective program models. Beyond Covenant House (Casa Alianza), Mónica has contributed to global initiatives at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), influenced legislation as a Public Policy Consultant for a former New York City Council, and secured funding to expand a school feeding program in Ethiopia. Mónica holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from The New School and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Augustana University, both with notable scholarships.

Dr. Siddharth Narendran is a distinguished medical professional and researcher currently serving as a Medical Officer at Aravind Eye Hospital, Coimbatore, and a Faculty member at Aravind Medical Research Foundation. His educational journey began with earning an MBBS and MS in Ophthalmology from Dr. MGR University and Aravind Eye Hospital. Driven by a passion for advanced research, Dr. Siddharth pursued a postdoctoral fellowship in Ocular Immunology and Genetics under the guidance of Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati at the University of Virginia. Dr. Siddharth’s exceptional work has been acknowledged through numerous awards, including the AIOS-HOYA Young Researcher Award, the JM Pahwa award from VRSI, the Col Rangachari Award from AIOS, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology Best Paper Award in 2023. Notably, he was the first Indian recipient of the Resident and Fellow Research Award by the Association of University Professors in Ophthalmology. In addition to his academic achievements, Dr. Siddharth holds patents related to the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and CRISPR-based diagnostics, showcasing his innovative approach to tackling complex medical challenges. Dr. Siddharth’s primary aim is to develop and strengthen the research capacity and capabilities in India, enabling the country to effectively study and address its own unique problems in the field of ophthalmology. By fostering a robust research ecosystem, he hopes to empower Indian scientists and medical professionals to find solutions tailored to the needs of the Indian population, ultimately improving eye care and overall health outcomes in the country.