Scholars

Amanda Creary completed her graduate studies at Mercer University, gaining her Master of Public Health degree. She has been working for Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET), a program at The Task Force for Global Health, a non-profit subsidiary of Emory University. She previously worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention supporting grants, proposals, contracts, and the Office of Budget Services. At TEPHINET, Amanda provides project management, logistical and programmatic support for multiple projects and special initiatives. Most recently, she has worked with Polio Eradication efforts in Pakistan and supports the in-country Field Epidemiology Laboratory Training Program. She has a passion for healthcare, humanitarianism, and servitude and excitement to use knowledge, skills, and mentorship to continue a career in global health. During Amanda’s free time, she volunteers as a patient advocate, helping low-income families and individuals with medical debt forgiveness, which has also influenced her career in the public health sector.

Anna Rountree brings over a decade of experience in international affairs, women’s and children’s rights, and mental health. Anna’s expertise lies in developing large-scale programs and campaigns that create opportunities for underrepresented populations. As Director of Communications at Clubhouse International, Anna plays a crucial role in amplifying the organization’s impact on individuals living with mental illness and driving engagement by developing and overseeing campaign strategy and tactics. In her prior Development roles at Clubhouse International, Anna used her interpersonal and writing skills to develop initiatives that grew constituency, helped meet financial goals, and influenced stakeholders. Anna’s focus on a rights-based approach has been instrumental in strengthening the impact of the Clubhouse network. On the Advisory Board of ECHO, Anna helps to build global capacity for emergency medicine, and on the Clubhouse Racial Justice Committee, Anna addresses inequities experienced by people of color living with mental illness. Anna edited the Governance and Rights Framework for the International Rescue Committee; prepared analytical reports for the General Assembly and Security Council, helping to secure passage of resolutions; and scrutinized policing of poorer communities as Associate Producer at CBS. Anna earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, double minoring in French and International Affairs from Binghamton University, and a Master of Arts in International Affairs from The New School. Anna’s practicum, Bridging the Gaps: Implementation of Comprehensive Abortion Care in Ethiopia, inspired much of her subsequent focus on the voiceless. Anna loves to travel, read, and meet people. She is committed to promoting the voice of underrepresented populations.

Basimenye Nhlema is the Chief Operating Officer at Partners In Health, Malawi. In this capacity, she leads the operations department and heads seven sections including Supply Chain, Procurement, Distribution, Transport, IT, Infrastructure, Human Resources, and Administration. Prior to moving to Operations, Basimenye served as the Community Health Director for Partners In Health Malawi for four years. In that role, she managed the Community Health Worker (CHW) program, the Community Programs team, and the Program on Social and Economic Rights (POSER), interdisciplinary teams focusing on community health in a rural and impoverished population. The CHW program had 1200+ CHWs who focused on education and health screening at the household level; the Community Programs team runs an innovative integrated screening program for sexual and reproductive health and chronic conditions among adolescents, women of childbearing age, and the general population in remote areas; and the POSER team provided support to patients’ basic social and economic needs. Basimenye was also part of a team that worked on transitioning CHWs in two pilot sites of Neno district from a paper-based system to a digital platform called Medic Mobile. Basimenye holds a Bachelor of Arts-Humanities degree in Drama and Public Administration from the University of Malawi and a Master’s of Arts degree in Dramatic Arts from Witwatersrand University, South Africa.

Daniel Maweu is a midwife and a reproductive healthcare educator with nine years of cumulative professional experience working in clinical midwifery, perioperative nursing care, and nursing education. Daniel currently works with Partners In Health-Liberia as a midwifery coordinator/educator. He has been vital in improving maternal and neonatal care at JJ Dossen Memorial Hospital and Pleebo Health Center through continuous mentorship of midwives in Southeastern Liberia. Daniel also works as a visiting obstetrics faculty at the School of Nursing, V.S William Tubman University, where he played a key role in setting up the midwifery department. Daniel has worked in various institutions as a nurse-midwife, perioperative nurse, and educator in both Kenya and Liberia. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Kenyatta University and a Master of Science in Nursing (Midwifery) from Mount Kenya University, Kenya. Daniels’ biggest passion is building resilient maternal health systems and he is a strong advocate of respectful, dignified maternity care for all women of reproductive age.

Kevin Thor is a Nebraska, USA native dedicated to public service through international organizations. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and will be attending Columbia University for a Master of International Affairs. Kevin works for Operation Smile as a Regional Program Manager in Asia leading multi-year strategy and implementation for comprehensive care programs and health system strengthening initiatives in the Philippines. He is responsible for relationship engagement and multi-year center strategy with local teams, hospital leadership, government agencies, and key corporate partners to expand the collaborative impact of the organization’s work. Kevin resided in the Philippines with extensive experience across the country. Kevin previously led surgical and education programs across eight additional countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America with Operation Smile, including reestablishing OS presence in Mozambique, multi-site programs in Madagascar, and programming following political unrest in Nicaragua. Prior to Operation Smile, Kevin lived in Viet Nam on a Fulbright Fellowship teaching and working with local nonprofits to increase student engagement. Kevin is committed to community development through cross-cultural understanding with a keen interest in human rights and humanitarian policy focused on access to quality education and reducing barriers to care. Additionally, Kevin devotes time to student development through leadership conferences and various mentorship and coaching opportunities.

Marvin Ngosa is an IT Specialist with extensive experience in Information Technology and particularly within the Health Industry. He has over 10 years of experience within the IT field and of which 7 years have been spent working in a number of International NGOs holding various Technical positions. He is currently serving as Regional Systems Administrator – East & Southern Africa at PATH. His career started off just after graduating from college with his first appointment in the then prominent mining giant in Zambia (KCM). Marvin has an Associate’s degree in Information Systems from Northrise University and holds other professional certificates. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems from Atlantic International University. Marvin has always been passionate about promoting good health and a green environment through technology and is a champion for promoting the use of technology for health care workers to foster development and innovation in the health sector. He has been a key player in implementing robust health systems within Zambia’s ministry of Health. His interest mainly lies in developing cloud-based information systems that transform problems into innovative solutions or services.

Dr. Md. Shabab Hossain is a medical doctor, a clinician turned researcher, who is currently working as a Research Investigator in the Nutrition and Clinical Services Division of icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Upon receiving his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree and completing a year-long postgraduate training in Internal Medicine, Dr. Hossain joined icddr,b as a fellow, aspiring to contribute in the field of maternal and childhood malnutrition through clinical research. Dr. Hossain’s focus of interest is in gut health and enteropathy and its association with malnutrition and growth. His research work has been published in renowned international peer-reviewed medical journals, such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Scientific Reports, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Open, etc. He has presented his study findings in several international conferences and has received the Young Investigators Award in the Asian Society for Pediatric Research (ASPR) held in Manila, the Philippines. He is working as the Principal Investigator in several projects related to gut health and enteropathy.

Nerissa Taylor has nearly a decade of experience leading nonprofits to achieve their mission through strategic partnership building. She currently serves as Director of Corporate and Foundation Giving at Fountain House, a nonprofit based in NYC, focused on improving health, increasing opportunity, and reducing social & economic isolation for people living with serious mental illness. Previous to joining Fountain House, Nerissa was the lead philanthropy officer at the American Red Cross in New York. Nerissa spent several years working in Washington, DC. Nerissa joined the foundation arm of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) as Corporate Relations Officer. Nerissa spent nearly four years building a corporate engagement program from the ground up. Previous to this she spent three years at the National League of Cities, an organization focused on improving the lives of constituents by bringing together local elected officials. While on the Strategic Partnerships team she led strategic partnership building and multi-year partnerships between NLC, the private sector industry, and local government. Nerissa’s passion for public-private partnership building stems from her first role at the Clinton Global Initiative where she learned first-hand of the impact of bringing together the private and public sectors to create impactful social change. She is incredibly excited to be part of the Fountain House team during this critical time where the impacts of COVID-19, racial and social injustice, and social isolation have spurred national and global conversation around destigmatizing mental health. Nerissa is a graduate of Wellesley College.