8–10 NOVEMBER 2023, Cape Town, South Africa

SIHI Global Partners’ Meeting 2023

SIHI Global Partners’ Meeting 2023

Sustainability of social innovation and research initiatives toward universal health coverage.

Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

meeting purpose and outcomes

The Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) is a network of partner institutions and a community of stakeholders established in 2014 through a partnership between TDR, the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Cape Town, the Skoll Centre at Oxford University, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.  To celebrate its 10th anniversary and shape its next decade, SIHI hosted a Global Partners’ Meeting on 8-10 November 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. The event aimed to reflect on good practices and identify critical elements to enhance the sustainability of health-related social innovation and research initiatives.
DOWNLOAD MEETING REPORT & ACTION PLANS

RESOURCES and media

Play Video

Watch the SIHI 10-year celebration video

Listen to the keynote message from SIHI co-founder, Francois Bonnici

Play Video

Watch the Global Partner’s Meeting highlight video

Play Video

Listen to Dr. Margaly Blas’s Interview

DOWNLOAD SIHI BROCHURE
VISIT THE SIHI WEBSITE
TDR GENDER STRATEGY
TDR STRATEGY 2024-2029

Participants

Please click on the individual images below to view full bio information.

(* joined virtually for part of the event)

Allen, Elizabeth

Aribodor, Ogechukwu B.

Awor, Phyllis

Barcena, Jean Francis

Blas, Magaly

Bonnici, Francois*

Cuervo, Luis Gabriel

Cutiongco-de la Paz, Eva Maria

Del Pilar-Labarda, Meredith

De Villiers, Katusha

De Wet, Anniza

Echavarria,
Maria Isabel

Fourie, Tina

Halpaap,
Beatrice

Lansang,
Mary Ann

Leresche, Kay

Målqvist, Mats

Mathanga, Don

Mier-Alpaño,
Jana Deborah

Montoya, Jaime C.

Montoya, Pablo

Moodley, Gillian

Mueller, Dirk*

Nyström, Maria

Ong, Alberto Jr.

Ongkeko, Arturo Jr.

Otmani del Barrio, Mariam

Ramanjam, Vanessa

Razack, Bushra

Reeder, John

Rosa, Solange

Saravia, Nancy

Sixolo, Iviwe

Soop, Teresa*

Tucker, Joseph

Walker, Damilola

Meet our innovator participants

Pablo Montoya, The Song of the Toucan
(Colombia)

Magaly Blas, Mamas del Rio
(Peru)

Alberto Ong Jr., Culion Health
(Philippines)

PARTNER INSTITUTIONS

EVENT GALLERY

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socialinnovationinhealth.org © 2023. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Allen, Elizabeth

Strategic Partnerships Lead, The Global Health Network, Cape Town, South Africa

Elizabeth started her career in the UK and South African pharmaceutical industries, before moving to academic clinical research, ultimately leading operations for the University of Cape Town’s MRC Collaborating Centre for Optimising Antimalarial Therapy. 

Until recently she was Strategic Partnerships Lead for The Global Health Network, which enables equity in health research by improving methods, building careers and sharing knowledge. Still with The Global Health Network, she now manages Oxford University’s new Post Graduate Diploma in Global Health Research (its first fully online award-bearing qualification), and teaches and supervises post-graduate students in pharmacovigilance and research conduct at Oxford and Stellenbosch Universities.

Aribodor, Ogechukwu B.

SIHI fellow, SIHI Nigeria, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nigeria

Ogechukwu, Senior Lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nigeria, is dedicated to advancing sustainable Social Innovation and Research for Universal Health Coverage. Holding dual doctoral degrees in Public Health Parasitology and Parasitology, she is a SIHI Fellow affiliated with the Nigerian Hub. Her research interests include genital schistosomiasis, implementation research, health systems strengthening, community engagement, and bio-remediation. She seeks to create a lasting impact and promote equitable healthcare access through her extensive experience, collaborative efforts, and unwavering commitment to the field of Public Health Parasitology and Community Practice.

Awor, Phyllis

Lead, SIHI Uganda Hub, Lead SIHI hub consortium Uganda/Nigeria/Ghana, Makerere University, Uganda

Phyllis is a medical doctor and a public health specialist for over 10 years, conducting health systems and operational research. Her research has focused on improving both the public and private health sector in low income settings, quality of care for children in rural communities, maternal and child health policy analysis, and social innovation in health care. Phyllis led an innovative introduction of the WHO/UNICEF supported integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) of malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea strategy within drug shops in Uganda from 2010 to 2017, which earned her an award for professional performance in public health and sustainable development.

Barcena, Jean Francis

Communication Coordinator, SIHI Secretariat, University of the Philippines Manila

Jean joined SIHI Philippines in 2018 and has been part of the SIHI Secretariat since 2020 as its communications coordinator. She has a master’s degree in media studies and has training on health promotion and development communication. Her communication background includes health communication, online news media work, advocacy for non-government organizations, and teaching media and communication courses.

Blas, Magaly

SIHI Innovator

Magaly is the Director of Mamás del Río, a programme dedicated to improving maternal and newborn health in remote areas of the Peruvian and Colombian Amazon by training community health workers with technology. 

She holds a medical degree from Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, as well as an MPH and a PhD in epidemiology from the University of Washington. Magaly has received numerous awards for her work, including the Fogarty Global Research Initiative Program for New Foreign Investigators (GRIP) award from the NIH, the 2016 Elsevier Foundation Award for early-career women scientists in the developing world, the 2016 L’Oréal-UNESCO Concytec Award for Peruvian women scientists, the 2016 Award of Good Practices in Public Administration for the Mamás del Río project, and the Social Innovation in Health Award from the Pan American Health Organization. In 2023, Forbes magazine named Magaly one of the 50 most powerful women in Peru. Magaly is an Associate Professor at UPCH School of Public Health and an Affiliate Associate Professor at the Department of Global Health at UW.

Bonnici, Francois

SIHI co-founder, Director, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, Switzerland

Cuervo, Luis Gabriel

Senior Adviser, Department of Evidence and Intelligence for Action in Health (EIH) AMRO/PAHO, Washington DC

Luis Gabriel, a Colombian family physician, clinical epidemiologist, and Senior Advisor on Research for Health at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), is known for his pioneering work in advancing healthcare research. He spearheaded the establishment of the Cochrane Collaboration in Colombia. 

As a Clinical Editor at BMJ, he contributed to the growth and international expansion of BMJ’s Clinical Evidence. Additionally, he was pivotal in coordinating the development and monitoring of PAHO’s Policy on Research for Health, revamping PAHO’s Ethics Review Committee, and establishing WHO’s Evidence Informed Policy Network EVIPNet. 

With extensive experience in capacity development, integrated knowledge translation, preventive and community medicine, and addressing environmental and social determinants of health, he is pursuing his doctoral studies in Biomedical Research Methodology and Public Health at the Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona.

Cutiongco-de la Paz, Eva Maria

Executive Director, National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines Manila

Eva is a Research and Clinical Professor of the University of the Philippines Manila. She trained in Pediatrics and subspecialized in Clinical Genetics. Her research interests include genetics of monogenic and complex genetic conditions in the Filipino population such as birth defects, cancer, diabetes mellitus, and X-linked Dystonia Parkinsonism. As the current Executive Director of the National Institutes of Health, she leads the country’s premier institution for health research and development. The NIH through its 10 institutes and 5 centers develops outputs that serve as vital guideposts in shaping national health programs and policies. Eva also serves as the Director of the Health Program of the Philippine Genome Center. She has received various awards for her significant and sustained contributions in the field of genetics in the country, the most recent is the Presidential Merit Award – Order of Lapu-Lapu Rank of Magalong Medallion conferred by the President of the Philippines for extraordinary acts of service and exceptional contribution to the country.

Del Pilar-Labarda, Meredith

Lead, SIHI Secretariat, School of Health Sciences, University of the Philippines Manila

Meredith is the Lead for SIHI Secretariat, a health social scientist, medical doctor and a Professor at the University of the Philippines Manila School of Health Sciences. She is also a doctor of social development and the school’s Lead Coordinator for health leadership and governance programs in partnership with government and non-government organizations in providing capacity building training and coaching for local chief executives, municipal health officers and other important stakeholders in the local health system and community. Her advocacies, work engagements and research interests include health and social development, social innovations, transformative health leadership and governance, community partnerships and empowerment, local health systems strengthening, disaster and resilience, youth capacity building and transformative health professions education.

De Villiers, Katusha

Lead, SIHI South Africa Hub, Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Cape Town

Katusha is a Senior Project Manager at the Bertha Centre, leading health-focused initiatives and providing support in various areas, including education, youth development, systems innovation, and innovative finance. She also conducts master classes on health systems innovation at several universities and has contributed to the Centre’s work on health systems integration and the role of social innovators in health. Before joining the Bertha Centre, Katusha worked as a Management Consultant, specializing in healthcare projects within the American healthcare system, with a particular emphasis on peri-operative care. She holds a Masters in Health Systems Administration from Xavier University, a law degree from the University of Kentucky Law School, and additional qualifications in project management and Lean Six Sigma.

De Wet, Anniza

Chief Impact Officer, Valcare, South Africa

Anniza, as the Chief Impact Officer at Valcare NPC, brings more than a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, spanning both local and international contexts. Her commitment lies in passionately serving and living her purpose to activate and enable collective impact.

Echavarria, Maria Isabel

Lead, SIHI Latin America and Caribbean Hub, CIDEIM, Colombia

Maria Isabel is the current Coordinator of the SIHI LAC Hub at CIDEIM. She holds a master’s degree in global health from the University of Washington and has experience working with the private and public sector as trainer and consultant in public health programs, and more recently, in public health and community based research projects. She is leading efforts to strengthen capacity and advance implementation research and social innovation in health in the LAC region, involving researchers, implementers, policymakers as well as communities across different sectors.

Fourie, Tina

Creative Director, Storyteller Co-founder of Because Stories, South Africa

Tina is an experienced Creative Director and Co-founder of Because Stories, a storytelling agency that collaborates with local and international entities to create impactful narratives through advertising, marketing, and journalism. With over 6 years at Because Stories, she specializes in crafting compelling brand stories, while her background includes three years as the Digital Creative Director and Co-founder of Kindred, a creative agency focusing on strategic marketing.

Halpaap, Beatrice

SIHI Co-founder and Lead for TDR, South Africa

Beatrice is a Co-founder of and leads SIHI, the Social Innovation in Health Initiative, at TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases co-sponsored by UNDP, UNICEF, the World Bank and the World Health Organization. She is an expert advisor on global health, with more than 25 years of experience in international organizations, academia, and the private sector. She strives to make a difference in vulnerable populations’ life through better health care delivery. She believes in the power of community-led innovations and engagement of all health actors in order to reach Universal Health Coverage and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Lansang, Mary Ann

Professor at the University of the Philippines Manila (retired), Consultant Infectious Diseases, Philippines

Mary Ann is a Clinical Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of the Philippines Manila. She also advises SIHI Philippines, serves as a Consultant for USAID/Philippines, and continues her clinical practice as an Infectious Disease Specialist at The Medical City, a tertiary hospital in Metro Manila. Her career has spanned stints as a Scientist in WHO/TDR to foster linkages among field researchers across the globe; as Executive Director of the International Clinical Epidemiology Network; and the Director of Knowledge Management and Monitoring & Evaluation at the Global Fund in Geneva. But she claims that her boldest venture yet was to join out-of-the box thinkers in the co-creation of SIHI eight years ago here in Cape Town.

Leresche, Kay

Special Adviser, Regional University Forum, South Africa

Kay is a retired Professor of Natural Resource Economics who lives in South Africa and serves on the International Advisory Panel of RUFORUM (Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture), a network of 160 universities in Africa. Prior to that, she was Chair of their Technical Committee for 12 years. From 1970 to 1980, Kay worked in the private sector and was then teaching and researching at the University of Zimbabwe for 25 years. Since 2005, she has consulted for international agencies in sustainable rural development, education, biodiversity, gender, policy analysis and monitoring and evaluation while engaged in part-time online teaching.

Målqvist, Mats

Lead, SIHI Sweden Hub, Uppsala University, Sweden

Mats is the Director of Swedesd, where he conducts research on implementing interventions to enhance maternal, newborn, and child health with an emphasis on equity and empowerment. In addition, he serves as Deputy Dean of Education at the medical faculty and actively promotes internationalization of higher education.

Mathanga, Don

Lead, SIHI Malawi Hub and SIHI Malawi/Rwanda Consortium, Kamuzu University, Malawi

Don is an infectious disease epidemiologist and a Professor in the School of Global and Public Health at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), Malawi. He is the Executive Director of the Malaria Alert Centre, a research institute within KUHeS that works with the Malawi Ministry of Health and international partners to design, evaluate, implement and monitor public health interventions to control malaria and other communicable diseases. Over the past 14 years, he has been Principal Investigator on the NIH-funded Malawi International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR), one of the 10 global centers of excellence established to understand the determinants of malaria in the region and why the disease remains intransigent. He leads several multidisciplinary teams whilst also providing on-the-job mentorship to graduate, postdoctoral students and young researchers, both from Malawi and abroad. He has widely published in malaria with well over 120 peer reviewed articles. In 2017, he became interested in social innovation after one of his interventions was mentioned as a worthwhile innovation in the fight against malaria. Since then, he has led the Malawi Social Innovation in Health hub in Malawi – with the goal of turning the hub into a Center for Innovation that will support the KUHeS community.

Mier-Alpaño, Jana Deborah

SIHI Philippines Manager, Lead SIHI hub consortium Philippines/Indonesia/India consortium, University of the Philippines Manila

Jana is the Hub Manager of SIHI Philippines. She also does consultancy work on health system planning and health program design activities. She graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine in 2014 and served as the Municipal Health Officer of a rural island municipality in the Philippines for four years, under the Doctors to the Barrios program of the Department of Health. In 2016, she finished her Master in Public Management – Major in Health Systems and Development from the Development Academy of the Philippines. In 2018, she was chosen to be part of the WHO Primary Health Care Young Leaders Network.

Montoya, Jaime C.

Executive Director, Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, Department of Science and Technology, Philippines

Jaime is a highly distinguished and multi-awarded infectious disease specialist. He completed his medical education in the University of the Philippines College of Medicine and pursued his residency training in Internal Medicine and fellowship training in Infectious Diseases in the Philippine General Hospital. He completed his MSc and Diploma in Clinical Tropical Medicine from the University of London in UK, his MSc in Bioethics from the University of the Philippines Manila College of Medicine and PhD in Clinical Medicine from the Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. He is a Life Fellow of the Philippine College of Physicians and the Philippine Society of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and Fellow of the American College of Physicians. He is also an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. He is currently a Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, Honorary Professor in Research by the De LaSalle Medical and Health Sciences Institute, Academician and Chair of the Health Sciences Division and President of the National Academy of Science and Technology, and the Executive Director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, Department of Science and Technology.

Montoya, Pablo

SIHI Innovator, El Canto del Tucán: Radio, health, and pedagogy in the Colombian Amazon, Colombia

Pablo Montoya, a medical doctor with a master’s degree in public health from the University of Washington, is the founder and director of Sinergias, a Colombian NGO dedicated to public health and social development. He commenced his medical career in 1997, providing intercultural health services and coordinating public health programs for indigenous communities in the Amazon region of Colombia. From 2003 onwards, he devoted over six years to supporting the expansion of integrated HIV care services within the public health system in Mozambique while working with Health Alliance International, an NGO affiliated with the University of Washington. Pablo’s primary areas of expertise and research focus on primary health care, cross-cultural health care delivery models, and health system strengthening.

Moodley, Gillian

Senior Project Manager, Bertha Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation, University of Cape Town

Gillian, with a background in health and social sciences from Wits University, has built a career in the non-profit sector, providing vital insights to facilitate impactful interventions. After completing her MBA and relocating to Cape Town, she now holds the role of Senior Project Manager within the Bertha Centre Health Financing Team, focusing on innovative solutions for equitable, accessible, and affordable healthcare.

Mueller, Dirk

Senior Health Adviser for Health Research, Health Research Team Research and Evidence Division, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, United Kingdom

Nyström, Maria

Coordinator, SIHI Sweden, Uppsala University, Sweden

Maria is a Coordinator at SWEDESD, a center for health equity, sustainability and transformation at Uppsala University. She is primarily responsible for centre coordination, communication, and the centre’s partnership with the SIHI network. She is coordinating the local SIHI Hub – SIHI Sweden. She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Communication and Management from SLU, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

Ong, Alberto Jr.

SIHI Innovator, Culion Health, Philippines

JR is a medical doctor, public health professional, and former Executive Director of Alliance for Improving Health Outcomes, a public health consultancy firm and nongovernment organization in the Philippines. He is experienced in project implementation and management especially at the community level, and interested in project management, program monitoring and evaluation, and organization management. He is an advocate of universal health coverage and health policy and systems research and presently exploring policy implementation, social entrepreneurship, and social innovation. He recently initiated Damiana Social Ventures, a company that will serve as a sandbox and platform of ideas on social entrepreneurship and innovation in public health.

AOngkeko, Arturo Jr.

Co-Lead, SIHI Secretariat and SIHI Philippines Hub, Research Associate, National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines Manila

Art is the Co-lead of the SIHI Secretariat and the Philippines Hub. He is a registered nurse and a Health Informatics Specialist at the National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines Manila with over 10 years’ experience in a fast-paced, team-based environment. He has an established track record of project managing and implementing small to large-scale digital health solutions nationwide, and is skilled in systems analysis and design and processes re-engineering.

Otmani del Barrio, Mariam

TDR Scientist, Switzerland

With more than 15 years of experience in gender research, social and environmental determinants of health and infectious disease research and capacity strengthening, Mariam is leading TDR’s efforts to implement its recent intersectional gender research strategy. She is a social scientist, an economist specializing in development studies, health and behavioural science, and an expert on gender, intersectionality and infectious disease research committed to advancing implementation research, generating evidence, and leveraging social science to inform the public health research agenda with a gender and intersectional lens. Mariam is also a human rights lawyer with expertise in women’s human rights and gender equality, and an expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Ramanjam, Vanessa

Programme Manager, Solution Space, University of Cape Town

Vanessa is a seasoned business consultant with leadership experience across various organisational contexts, from start-ups to board positions, including Ogilvy and Wafunda.  After a successful career in corporate advertising, she established a 360° strategic consultancy in 2013. She works with start-ups and SME’s, helping them reframe their strategies for growth and also provides strategic and business development support to non-profit organisations and social enterprises with a focus on enhancing their sustainability. She is a UCT GSB alumnus (EMBA) and currently spends a significant amount of her time working with start-up founders and aspiring entrepreneurs at the UCT GSB Solution Space.

Razack, Bushra

CEO, Stakeholder Engagement, Philippi Village, Philippi, Cape Town

South African-born community development specialist Bushra is the CEO of Phillippi Village, a business and community hub located in Phillippi, Cape Town. A professional consultant with extensive international experience including in Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon and South Africa, she has worked with organisations such as Standard Chartered Bank, CBM, Seeing is Believing, UNOCHA and Right to Sight International. In 2017, she was one of 100 young South African leaders selected to the prestigious Mail & Guardian Mzanzi Top 100 list and in 2018, she won the Power Woman of the Year award in Innovation. In 2023, she won the Forty Under Forty award under the category of Community Development for the work done at Philippi Village.

Reeder, John

Director TDR, Switzerland

John is the Director of TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, since 2012, and the Director of the Research for Health Department at the World Health Organization in Geneva since 2019. His extensive career includes leadership roles in international research organizations, such as Director of the Centre for Population Health and Head of the Office of International Health Research at the Burnet Institute in Australia, and Director of the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research. With a background in medical microbiology and a strong focus on malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, and other global health issues, he has published numerous scientific papers and received the Mitchell Humanitarian Award in 2020 for his contributions to ending onchocerciasis.

Rosa, Solange

Director, Bertha Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation, University of Cape Town

Solange, currently the Director of Bertha Centre, has been associated with the organization since 2016 and is also responsible for the Solution Space at the GSB. With a doctorate in constitutional law from the University of Stellenbosch and a master’s degree in law from the University of Cape Town, her expertise encompasses various areas, including public policy, strategy development, and social innovation. Her extensive experience includes independent consulting for international organizations, government departments, and academic institutions, and she was previously Head of Policy and Strategy for the Premier of the Western Cape Government.
Saravia, Nancy

Director, CIDEIM, Colombia

Nancy is the Director of CIDEIM (Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas) in Cali, Colombia and the Founder of the SIHI LAC Hub.  She leads the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Training Center (RTC) within the global network of RTCs supported by the Special TDR program hosted by WHO, and the CIDEIM WHO Collaborating Center on leishmaniasis control.  Her research has been largely devoted to understanding the host-Leishmania relationship in the endemic context. This interdisciplinary research has documented host and parasite factors involved in the outcome of infection and treatment, and the epidemiologic importance of asymptomatic infection, reactivation of disease, and re-infection in endemic foci. Research capacity building has been a constant throughout her research career in tropical infectious disease. She has promoted and taken a multidisciplinary approach to research questions, and in the training of multiple generations of Colombian investigators and the institutional development of CIDEIM.

Sixolo, Iviwe

Event Coordinator, Bertha Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation, University of Cape Town

Iviwe, as the Events Coordinator at Bertha Centre, brings over a decade of experience in projects and events management, coupled with more than four years of youth development training. Her educational background includes a degree in commerce in economics and finance, as well as a post-graduate diploma in management practice. Iviwe has a strong track record of creating educational programs for underprivileged youth, offering them valuable tools and skills to navigate the broader world, and has also facilitated accredited training programs to upskill individuals who lacked access to higher education post-matric. In her role at Bertha Centre, she is committed to leveraging her expertise to advance the organization’s goals of driving social and economic change.

Soop, Teresa

Senior Research Adviser, Swedish International Development Cooperation, Sweden

Teresa is Senior Research Advisor at the Unit for Research Cooperation within the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Her extensive expertise lies in capacity building in research and innovation in resource-limited contexts, with a strong focus on research for sustainable development and poverty alleviation, primarily within international health research programs. Her role also encompasses leadership of Sida’s research-coupled innovations group and previous oversight of Sweden’s bilateral research collaboration with Bolivia. Prior to her tenure at Sida, she spent seven years as the Director of Analysis and Development at the Stockholm Science City Foundation, where she contributed to the development of tools aimed at improving environments conducive to life science research and innovation in Europe. She presently represents Sweden in several boards of health research programmes such as TDR, HRP (presently as Chair) and the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research.

Tucker, Joseph

Lead, SIHI China Hub, SESH, United Kingdom

Joe is a tenured Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Professor of Global Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Working Group Member of TDR Global, and Chair of the SESH Advisory Committee. He is the Principal Investigator on United States National Institutes of Health grants that total 29M USD. Joe has published 501 manuscripts and organized 134 crowdsourcing open calls. He has a special interest in mentorship and has helped to enhance mentorship within the SIHI network.

Walker, Damilola

Senior Advisor and Global Lead, Adolescent HIV, UNICEF, USA

‘Lola is a Senior Advisor and Global Lead for Adolescent HIV at UNICEF, with over 15 years of expertise in global health. Her current work in social impact explores how the meaningful agency and leadership of young people could serve as a transformative force to usher in the future of health and healthcare. She has a

proven track record of successfully developing strategic health initiatives, building new technical practices, and leading rapid startups for complex, multi-country projects, primarily in the African sub-region. Prior to her role at UNICEF, she was a Senior Advisor for PMTCT and Pediatric HIV at USAID’s Office of HIV/AIDS in Washington DC, and has worked in various capacities within the public and private not-for-profit spheres. A microbiologist with graduate training in vaccine epidemiology, ‘Lola is an avid consumer of literature of all forms. She still aspires to find the time to write the next great African novel.