Scholars

Abiodun Emmanuel Ojo is a logistic manager and humanitarian worker with over four years of experience at Doctors Without Borders. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology and a Master’s degree in Economics from Belgorod State Technical University. Emmanuel has worked with Doctors Without Borders as Logistic Manager in Haydan, Yemen to run a state hospital and research the challenges of sourcing water and fuel in this remote region. The United Nations constructed a 80KW solar power system and dug a borehole of 380-meter depth for the hospital based on his work. He previously worked for the same organization in Aweil, South Sudan, where he facilitated construction of two hospital buildings and renovated many buildings to enhance the quality of care. Overall, Emmanuel is passionate about using his engineering skills to achieve global health equity.

Cynthia Changufu-Kalaluka has over fourteen years of experience in public health. Cynthia has a Master’s degree in Public Health and a Bachelor of Science Honors Degree in Pharmacology which she obtained from Leeds Beckett University and the University of the Witwatersrand respectively. She has worked for large international organizations such as Population Services International (PSI) and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI). She is currently working for PATH which she joined in 2016. Cynthia is particularly passionate about working with vulnerable populations that have been disadvantaged because of socio-economic status, gender, age, disability status, and those living with chronic conditions. Cynthia was born with Sickle Cell Disease (genotype: Haemoglobin SS), and she is passionate about raising awareness and advocating for improved services and management of the disease in her country of birth, Zambia.

Daniel Ng’andu is a tech enthusiast who is passionate about making a community impact. He graduated with a degree in Computer Science from the Copperbelt University in Zambia in 2018 and is driven by the potential of technology to revolutionize healthcare delivery and improve the well-being of underserved populations. He actively engages in global and national technical working groups, such as the Digital Square Digital Health & Interoperability Working Group, the Ministry of Health M&E and Digital Health Technical Working Groups, and the Health Data Collaborative Digital Health & Interoperability Working Group. With over five years of experience as a software engineer, he has contributed to three transformative national projects, particularly in the tax and healthcare sectors. Currently, as a project officer at PATH Zambia he leads the Zambia Digital Community Health Project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He seeks to bridge the gap between healthcare and technology, ensuring that communities benefit from digital tools and innovations.

Folashade Abimbola has over nine years of experience working with women, children, adolescents, girls, and other marginalized and vulnerable groups in society. Her expertise includes early childhood development, child protection and safeguarding, HIV/AIDS prevention, community and stakeholder engagement, and program monitoring and evaluation. Folashade has worked on various program teams who implemented projects and programs with Save the Children International, USAID, AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria (APIN), Positive Action for Children Fund (PACF), Mercy Corp, and Management Sciences for Health (MSH) among many others. Presently, she is on the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) team of Women for Women International (WfWI). Folashade is passionate about the rights of women, girls, and marginalized groups and continues to add her voice to ending biases, and long-seated social and cultural norms which impede these marginalized and vulnerable groups from living full and fulfilling lives.

Kelvin Kapuya is a professional with over two years of experience in both the private and nonprofit sectors. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Malawi. Currently, Kelvin works as an Health & Data Systems Specialist with Partners In Health in Neno, a remote district in Malawi. In his role, Kelvin focuses on Electronic Medical Records and mHealth Systems, working to digitize paper-based systems in clinical settings and operations. He has played a key role in improving data management by utilizing mobile health technology for data collection by Community Health Workers. Kelvin has also provided training to program teams on reporting visualization tools and online office tools, enhancing their productivity and efficiency. Prior to his work with Partners In Health, Kelvin served as an IT Specialist at Afrimax Ltd, a private internet service provider company. In addition to his professional experience, Kelvin has been actively involved in volunteer initiatives and youth and leadership development roles, which have further strengthened his leadership and management abilities. He is passionate about social justice and actively engages in discussions related to youth leadership, development, and personal and professional growth.

Kris Reinhardt is a digital health and data science specialist with experience in the humanitarian and international development fields. Kris holds a Master’s degree in Development Practice from Columbia University. Kris currently works for Médecins Sans Frontières or Doctors Without Borders (MSF). In her work with MSF, she has gained expertise in the field of digital health through supporting the development, implementation, and use of multiple digital health platforms. She has extensive technical and implementation knowledge of DHIS2, a health management information system for the collection, storage, and analysis of data. She also has worked on and supported projects to analyze data from Bahmni, an Electronic Medical Record platform. Prior to working for MSF, Kris worked for an inter-United Nations initiative focused on governance, policy, and planning for nutrition. She supported data projects for several countries with the objective to provide multi-sectoral and geographical data analysis around nutrition to impact policy and government planning for nutrition.

Linus Neufville is a public health and monitoring and evaluation professional with over nine years of experience in nonprofit programming and data systems management. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health from William V. S. Tubman University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation from the Development Dimensions Africa School of Distance Learning, and a Master’s degree in Healthcare Management from UNICAF University of Zambia. Linus is a champion of women’s rights and empowerment through sexual, reproductive health, and rights (SRHR) programming by showcasing evidence-based results for programmatic and policy change. His advocacy for continuous SRHR/family planning (FP) services contributed to an increase of 69.1% rate of FP needs met among married women and a decrease of 18.9% rate of teenage pregnancy among adolescents in Maryland County. Presently, the Reproductive Health and Monitoring and Evaluation Program Manager at Partners In Health. He facilitated advocacy and led the coordination, planning, and implementation of SRHR/FP programs that enhanced women’s services, increasing their confidence in social change. These advocacies have secured about $500,000.00 U. S. dollars to support ongoing SRHR/FP programs effort in 2023. He also implemented an integrated maternal and child health (MCH) outreach program that helps reach adolescents, pregnant women, and children in remote sites, increasing access to MCH services and has led to a 67% reduction in maternal mortality from 2018 to 2022. With these experiences gained and passion for promoting women’s rights and empowerment, Linus seeks to achieve social impact by reducing health inequality in marginalized communities.

Lolade (Lolly) Durotoye has over fifteen years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Health and Exercise Science from Wake Forest University, a Master’s of Science degree in Clinical Forensic Science from Drexel University, and a certificate in Global Health Delivery from Harvard University. In her current role as a Health Policy Advisor at Partners in Health (PIH) in Sierra Leone, Lolly provides technical guidance to the Ministry of Health (MOH) for the implementation of the National Health Sector Strategic Plan. She oversees program implementation, conducts policy analysis, and engages with stakeholders at a high level. Lolly also plays a leadership role as co-chair of MOHS’ Governance and Leadership group and the national representative body of health NGOs, serving as the liaison for the Ministry. Through her extensive experience, Lolly has acquired skills in scientific research, strategic planning, results-based project management, partnership development, and resource mobilization. Areas of particular interest to Lolly in the nonprofit sector include health policy development, program implementation, and partnership building for effective healthcare delivery.