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• Botswana-UPenn Partnership 

  other Programs & Partnerships   Capacity-building | Academic Partnerships | Clinical Rotation   Botswana BWA other

• Vingroup-Penn Alliance 

  other Programs & Partnerships   Capacity-building | International Medical Education | Academic Partnerships | Medical Education | Development | Faculty Development | Global Nursing | Graduate Medical Education | Simulation Training   Vietnam VNM other

• Ahmed A. Abdi, MD 

  Ahmed A. Abdi, MD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Postdoctoral Fellow, Ophthalmology | University of Pennsylvania   International Medical Education | Medical Education | Ophthalmology | Glaucoma | Translational Research | Global Ophthalmology   Sweden SWE BIO STATEMENT: Dr Ahmed A. Abdi MD, is an Ophthalmologist at the Southern Älvsborg Hospital in Sweden undertaking a sabbatical as a Postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania to advance their research in glaucoma and broaden their engagement with global health. Their work focuses on understanding glaucoma phenotypes, advancing clinical and translational understanding of glaucoma. Building on this, Dr. Abdi seeks to explore the broader challenges facing ophthalmic care across diverse populations and healthcare settings. Through their research and cross-cultural collaboration at Penn, Dr. Abdi hopes to develop insights and partnerships that contribute to addressing disparities in eye health and alleviating the global burden of Ophthalmic disease. person

• Princess Ruhama Acheampong, PhD 

  Princess Ruhama Acheampong, PhD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Senior Lecturer, Health Promotion and Education, School of Public Health | Kwame Nkrumah University of Science of Technology (KNUST) | Kumasi, Ghana   Public Health | Maternal Child Health | Non-communicable disease | Nutrition | Informal settlements | M-health | Sepsis | Digital Health   Ghana GHA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Princess Ruhama Acheampong is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Health Promotion and Disability Studies, School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. She teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate students in Health Promotion, Public Health Nutrition, Community Health, and Social and Behavioural Change Communication. Her interest in global health is grounded in advancing equitable access to quality healthcare, strengthening health systems, and building a resilient and inclusive health workforce, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Her work spans maternal and child health, universal health coverage, public health nutrition, digital health, gender and health equity, and implementation science, along with research in malaria, epidemiology, health interventions for disadvantaged communities, community mobilization, research uptake, health education, and mHealth. She has expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research methods and is particularly interested in the use of theories and models to design and implement health interventions. For her PhD, she developed a theory-based nutrition intervention aimed at improving the nutritional status of children under five in rural communities, and her interest in this area deepened after receiving training in Implementation Science from the Implementation Science Institute during her summer fellowship with Penn's Center for Global Health. She currently holds a KNUST early career seed grant for a mixed-methods study assessing the feasibility of an implementation science tool in an urban slum in Kumasi. Through her roles in research, teaching, international partnerships, and health workforce development, Dr. Acheampong contributes to collaborative initiatives connecting African institutions with global partners to generate evidence, strengthen capacity, and translate research into practice and policy. She has coordinated several exchange programs in Ghana, including one between Penn Engineering and KNUST. She currently serves as the International Partnerships Lead for the Mastercard Foundation Africa Health Collaborative at KNUST and as the KNUST Lead for the Women in Global Health Leadership Fellowship. She is also an International Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Global Health, a role that has provided opportunities to foster meaningful partnerships, mentor emerging health leaders, support women's leadership in global health, and contribute to innovative approaches to addressing Africa's health challenges. She is passionate about collaborative research and mentoring young women from disadvantaged populations. person

• Maruf Adewole, PhD 

  Maruf Adewole, PhD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Postdoctoral Research Fellow | University of Pennsylvania   Informatics | Artificial Intelligence | Medical Physics | Medical Imaging   Nigeria NGA BIO STATEMENT: Maruf Adewole, PhD, is a Medical Physicist and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. He doubles as the Executive Director of the Medical Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MAI Lab) based in Lagos, Nigeria. His work focuses on advancing AI-driven medical imaging solutions for cancer diagnosis in resource-constrained settings. Through initiatives like BraTS-Africa, ABreast, and SPARK Academy, he promotes global health equity by curating inclusive datasets, developing ML models, and building local AI capacity. His research bridges radiomics, oncology, and open science, aiming to improve cancer care accessibility and outcomes across Africa. person

• Nahreen H. Ahmed, MD, MPH 

  Nahreen H. Ahmed, MD, MPH

  Scholar Scholar   Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care | University of Pennsylvania   Humanitarian assistance | Technology in Low Resource Settings | Critical care | Radiology | Humanitarian Response | Humanitarian Emergencies | Point of Care Ultrasound | Humanitarian Crises   Bangladesh | Yemen | Palestine, State of | Sudan BGD||YEM||PSE||SDN BIO STATEMENT: I am a second generation Bangladeshi-American, born in the US but with close ties in Dhaka, Bangladesh where I have paired with Dhaka Medical College and Hospital in a teaching endeavor in the area of Critical Care Ultrasound and curriculum development. My current role at HUP is not only in the area of clinical activities in Critical Care but also the role of faculty instructor in the area of Critical Care Ultrasound. person

• Davis Elias Amani, MD 

  Davis Elias Amani, MD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Assistant Lecture, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences | PhD Candidate, Queen's University   Disease Surveillance | Cancer epidemiology | Outbreaks | Road Traffic Injuries   Tanzania, United Republic of | Canada | Germany | Nigeria | Kenya TZA||CAN||DEU||NGA||KEN BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Davis Amani is a dedicated medical professional and epidemiologist with strong expertise in infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and health systems research. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) and an MSc in Epidemiology from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. He currently serves as a Research Fellow and Epidemiologist at MUHAS under the Directorate of Research, Publications, and Innovation and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, where he contributes to research coordination, training, and consultancy activities. Prior to this role, he worked as a Medical Doctor at the National Institute for Medical Research in Tanzania’s Southern Highlands. Dr. Amani has played a key role in implementation research addressing HIV and tuberculosis services, family planning, early childhood development, and national surveys on violence against women. His work has also focused on strengthening clinical care and outcomes, with particular emphasis on HIV data quality, HIV–syphilis co infection, and HIV drug resistance to support evidence-based decision making. He has extensive experience in project development, monitoring, and evaluation, as well as in coordinating surveys, disease surveillance, and emergency response systems. Currently pursuing a PhD in Translational Medicine at Queen’s University, Dr. Amani aims to advance research-driven health policies and guidelines, particularly in cancer, other NCDs, and the interlink between NCDs and infectious diseases. He is proficient in R, scientific writing and communication, and has contributed to the development of digital health strategies and governance frameworks at national and regional levels. person

• Marietta Ambrose, MD, MPH, MSEd 

  Marietta Ambrose, MD, MPH, MSEd

  Scholar Scholar   Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine | University of Pennsylvania   Global Cardiovascular Disease | Medical Education | Access to Medical Imaging | Cardiology | Global Cardiovascular Health   Jamaica | Kenya | India JAM||KEN||IND BIO STATEMENT: I am a cardiologist with additional training in advanced cardiovascular imaging and women’s health, and an interest in improving global cardiovascular health. I am the director of Penn Cardiology International (University of Pennsylvania Cardiology Division’s International Outreach Section), and I lead its effort to contribute to improving global cardiovascular health. We develop relationships with mutually aligned institutions, to create sustainable programs and infrastructure that are aimed at delivery of excellent cardiovascular care. Our active collaborations with our global community members occur through research, education, training and clinical activity. person

• Priya Arumuganathan, MD, MPH 

  Priya Arumuganathan, MD, MPH

  Research Affiliate Research Affiliate   Emergency & Global Medicine Faculty | Medical University of South Carolina   Telemedicine | Health Equity | Emergency Medicine | Women's health | Rual Health | Emergency Care Capacity Building | EM Education and Training | Emergency Medicine in LMICs | Emergency Medicine Training   Honduras | Nicaragua | Pakistan | Uganda HND||NIC||PAK||UGA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Priya Arumuganathan is an emergency physician and Global Emergency Medicine faculty member at the Medical University of South Carolina, where she also serves as the Global Director of Clinical Quality & Systems at OneWorld Health, a global health nonprofit. In that role, she partners with clinical teams across multiple countries to standardize key performance indicators, improve clinical quality, and build sustainable systems for care delivery in resource-limited settings. Originally from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, Dr. Arumuganathan completed her medical school and residency training at West Virginia University, where she took part in the Global Health Track, served as Chief Resident, and conducted telestroke research within rural critical access hospitals. Her rural background and training gave her a strong foundation for working in low-resource environments and sparked an early interest in global health that first took shape through clinical work abroad. She went on to complete her MPH and a Global Emergency Medicine fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, where her work focused on creating curricula and building capacity to advance the specialty of Emergency Medicine worldwide. During her time at Penn, she was honored with the Neal Nathanson Award for Excellence in Global Public Health. She is currently completing her MBA at the Duke University Fuqua School of Business, with a focus on Health Sector Management. Over time, Dr. Arumuganathan’s interests have evolved from direct clinical global health work toward a systems-based approach to improving access and quality of care. She is particularly focused on how data, operational structure, and local capacity-building can be leveraged to drive consistent, scalable improvements in healthcare delivery. Across her roles, her work sits at the intersection of clinical care, quality improvement, and systems design, and she plans to continue building toward the long-term goal of developing sustainable, locally driven solutions to global healthcare delivery challenges. person

• Stephen Avery, PhD 

  Stephen Avery, PhD

  Scholar Scholar   Professor of Radiation Oncology | Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania   Radiation oncology | Radiology | Quality Improvement | Artificial Intelligence | Medical Physics   Bangladesh | Ghana | Tanzania, United Republic of BGD||GHA||TZA BIO STATEMENT: My goal is to develop a USA/Africa Radiation Oncology Core (ROC) dedicated to Research Education/training in Radiation oncology in Africa and providing desperately needed quality assurance tools for patient safety and research collaborations for cancer control. The establishment of such an ROC will significantly increase research/education capacity and ensure radiation/patient safety. International collaboration is necessary for such a Core to build research/education capacity and address an ongoing silent crises which is undoubtedly causing significant loss of life and disability in Africa. A successful launch of this Core program will provide a hub for Radiation Oncology research/education in east Africa. person

• Michael F. Beers, MD 

  Michael F. Beers, MD

  Scholar Scholar   Mayock-Cooper Professor of Medicine | University of Pennsylvania   Healthcare Access | Immigrant health | Health Disparities | Healthcare Delivery   United States USA BIO STATEMENT: A native Philadelphian, Dr. Beers received BA and MD degrees from PENN with GME training in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. In 1993 he joined the PENN faculty as a physician scientist and received tenure in 2001. Since 2019, he has served as Faculty Moderator of United Community Clinic, a med student run clinic that has partnered with the African Family Health Organization to open a clinic site in Southwest Philadelphia to improve access to care for the West African immigrant community. person

• Edward M. Behrens, MD 

  Edward M. Behrens, MD

  Scholar Scholar   Professor of Pediatrics & Chief of Rheumatology | University of Pennsylvania   Dengue | Emerging Infectious Diseases | Rheumatology | Immunobiology   Dominican Republic DOM BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Behrens is a pediatric rheumatologist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania. His laboratory seeks to understand the immunobiology of "cytokine storm syndromes", runaway immune responses that lead to organ failure and death. Many emerging and re-emerging viral infections a common causes of cytokine storm across the globe and account for significant morbidity and mortality. The Behrens lab seeks to bring modern immune profiling technologies to the typically under resourced global regions where these diseases are common in order to characterize why these immune responses occur. This in turn has the potential to lead to better diagnostics, and most important interventional therapeutics to reduce the burden of viral induced cytokine storm syndrome world-wide. person

• Gregory P. Bisson, MD, MSCE 

  Gregory P. Bisson, MD, MSCE

    Scholar   Epidemiology | HIV/AIDS | Tuberculosis | Infectious disease | Infection Control & Prevention | Outbreaks | Respiratory Health   United States | Botswana | South Africa USA||BWA||ZAF Gregory P. Bisson, MD, MSCE is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Perelman School of Medicine, with a secondary appointment as Professor of Epidemiology, and serves as Medical Director of Tuberculosis Control for the City of Philadelphia. His interest in global health developed prior to and during his Infectious Diseases fellowship at Penn, when, in 2003, he became the first Penn investigator to establish clinical research infrastructure within the Botswana-UPenn Partnership Program. Caring for patients in Botswana, he saw firsthand the scope of tuberculosis as a driver of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa and dedicated his career to clinical and translational research aimed at improving outcomes for people with TB, particularly those coinfected with HIV. Dr. Bisson's research program, continuously NIH-funded since he joined the faculty, has produced internationally cited studies on antiretroviral therapy in under-resourced settings, on mechanisms of pathologic inflammation in pulmonary TB, and on immune recovery during TB treatment. His current portfolio, including two R01s, an R21, and a state-funded CURE grant, leverages partnerships in Botswana, South Africa, India, and elsewhere to investigate the pathogenesis of post-tuberculosis lung disease (PTLD), a neglected condition affecting an estimated 155 million TB survivors worldwide. He has helped reshape understanding of PTLD by demonstrating that pulmonary inflammation persists and evolves after treatment initiation and that inflammasome activity, matrix remodeling, and other host pathways may be therapeutically modifiable. He recently led the first international consensus research definition of PTLD (Bisson et al., Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2025). Globally, Dr. Bisson served or now serves on the Steering Committee for the 3rd and 4th International Post-TB Symposia. He also serves on the Steering Committee of TB Sequel, the largest multinational study of long-term TB complications, and is on data monitoring committees for ongoing trials of novel TB drugs. He has been an invited speaker at Johns Hopkins, McGill, NIH, the Union World Conference on Lung Health, and the upcoming 2027 Keystone Symposium on TB. Global health also defines his local work. As Medical Director of TB Control for Philadelphia, he personally cares for every patient diagnosed with TB in the city and has brought the first major translational research grants to the Flick Memorial Clinic. He mentors trainees pursuing TB-focused research and care at Penn and abroad; recent mentees have secured two K01 awards, a state-funded R01-equivalent, and a Thrasher Award, and moved into faculty and leadership roles at Penn, CHOP, Johns Hopkins, and the Gates Medical Research Institute. His overarching goal is to translate rigorous global observational science into interventions and policies that measurably reduce the worldwide burden of TB and its long-term consequences. person

• Akua Serwaa Boafo, MBChB 

  Akua Serwaa Boafo, MBChB

  International Scholar International Scholar   Clinical Research Physician, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology   Maternal Child Health | Infectious disease | Health Equity | Vaccines | Clinical Trials | Infection Control & Prevention | Vaccine Research & Development | Artificial Intelligence | Health Policy | Emerging Infectious Diseases | Global Health Policy | Digital Health Technologies | Health Financing | Research Capacity Strengthening   Ghana GHA person

• Yaone Bogatsu, MD, MMed(Fam Med) 

  Yaone Bogatsu, MD, MMed(Fam Med)

  International Scholar International Scholar   Family Physician, Faculty of Medicine | University of Botswana   Diabetes | Chronic Diseases | Adolescent health | Palliative Care | Hypertension   Botswana BWA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Yaone Bogatsu began her journey as a medical doctor with the strong conviction that this was the path laid out for her. It is this same conviction that continues to lead and guide her work to date, with over 10 years of experience as a doctor, nine of which were in public service. Her greatest reward lies in seeing people receiving the medical attention that they need so that through the care they receive, they may feel valued, and also be equipped to steward their health with a greater sense of awareness and education. Over the years, Dr. Yaone has been actively involved in activities both within the walls of medical facilities and outside, all in an endeavour to play her part in building a stronger health sector in the nation of Botswana and, ultimately, the world at large. Since officially beginning her journey as a medical doctor in 2013 after obtaining her professional degree in Medicine (MD) from the University of Tromsoe, Norway, Dr. Bogatsu has gone on to obtain a Master's Degree in Medicine in 2021 from the University of Botswana. Since 2021, Dr. Bogatsu has completed several Global Health courses at the University of Washington, USA. In December 2022, Dr. Yaone transitioned from Ngami DHMT in Maun to work as a Family Physician at Toro Clinic in Palapye, Botswana. In April 2023 she accepted a Family Physician and Lecturer position at the University of Botswana in the Faculty of Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health where she served in Mahalapye until July 2024, and transitioned back to Maun, still in the same role, in August 2024.In June 2024, she ttended the UPenn Implementation Science Institute Course and the Center for Global Health Summer Visiting Fellowship for Emerging Health Leaders in June 2024. Dr. Yaone is now a Center for Global Health International Scholar with University of Pennsylvania, USA. Sine 2020, she has been part of the team running the Community Oriented Primary Care Project in Ngami, a collaborative effort between the University of Botswana and the University of Pennsylvania. The project is aimed at bringing healthcare to the community and improving its socio-economic status. The project is currently running in Matsaudi and Phuduhudu. Dr Yaone is also engaged with the community of Family Physicians and is currently Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee of the Botswana Association of Family Physicians. She has also been part of the of the Organising Committee of the Botswana Family Medicine and Primary Health Care Conference since 2024, for this year’s conference she is playing the role of co-chairing the committee. person

• Jellis Bollens, MSc Eng 

  Jellis Bollens, MSc Eng

  International Scholar International Scholar   Biomedical Engineering Research & PhD Candidate, Ghent University   Cardiology | Aorta | Medical Technology | Population Variability   Belgium BEL BIO STATEMENT: Jellis Bollens is a PhD researcher in Biomedical Engineering. His research focuses on computational methods, both physics-based and data-driven, to study arterial and aortic aging. In close collaboration with Dr. Chirinos, he combines expertise from both the Belgian (Ghent University and KU Leuven) and US research groups to investigate population-level variability in aortic morphology, aiming to improve understanding of risk factors for aortic pathologies and to assess how individual characteristics influence aortic geometry. person

• Kent D. Bream, MD 

  Kent D. Bream, MD

  Scholar Scholar   Associate Professor of Clinical Family Medicine and Community Health | University of Pennsylvania   International Medical Education | Community health | Non-communicable disease | Health Disparities | Diabetes | Community Engagement | Global Primary Care | Family Medicine   Guatemala GTM BIO STATEMENT: Kent D. W. Bream, MD is an Associate Professor of Clinical Family Medicine and Community Health at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a family physician who works in collaborative research, education, and clinical projects locally and globally, with particular attention to underserved communities. He is known for productive and trusting professional relationships with political, organizational, and social leaders, building bridges between academia and communities. His approach focuses on inter-professional solutions and respect for dual autonomies in improving health. Since 2004, Dr. Bream has directed the Guatemala Health Initiative, which he started with students, and leads the related Guatemala Penn Partners program, developing long-term partnerships with universities, health systems, governments, and community organizations to strengthen primary care, health professions education, collaborative research, and community-engaged service. In addition to his work in Guatemala, he has consulted on health professions education and primary care development in Panama, Ecuador, and Venezuela. His international research has included maternal and child health, chronic disease, nutrition, and health professions education, including studies of newborn resuscitation training in Eswatini and Malawi. Clinically, he has focused on non-communicable diseases, especially diabetes, with great respect for the role of personal agency in changing outcomes. Dr. Bream's academic interests focus on developing sustainable academic-community partnerships that create mutual benefit for both universities and the communities they serve. His scholarship explores community-engaged education, health workforce development, primary care systems, and the ethics of global health partnerships. He has published and presented nationally and internationally on community-based education, bidirectional exchange, and the principle of dual autonomies, which recognizes that both communities and academic institutions possess legitimate expertise, responsibilities, and decision-making authority. His work emphasizes that successful global health partnerships are built through mutually beneficial inter-institutional relationships grounded in respect, trust, reciprocity, and shared purpose rather than one-directional models of engagement. His current scholarship examines the historical evolution of the concept of "Health Care for All," exploring how twentieth-century global health and humanitarian medical missionary movements, particularly in Tanzania, shaped modern approaches to primary care, community medicine, and health equity. As a family physician, Dr. Bream views global health as an extension of community medicine rather than a separate discipline. The same principles that guide his work internationally, long-term relationships, interdisciplinary collaboration, respect for dual autonomies, and mutually beneficial inter-institutional partnerships, also shape his work in rural and underserved communities throughout Pennsylvania. He directs and supports educational and workforce development initiatives that prepare physicians and other health professionals to serve communities with limited access to care. Whether working with a community health center in West Philadelphia, a rural health system in Pennsylvania, or academic and community partners in Guatemala, his goal is to strengthen institutions, foster reciprocal learning, and develop sustainable systems that improve health while preparing the next generation of clinicians, educators, researchers, and community leaders. person

• César Augusto Briceño, MD 

  César Augusto Briceño, MD

  Scholar Scholar   Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology | University of Pennsylvania   Medical Education | Surgical Instruction   Brazil | Chile BRA||CHL Bio statement: Dr. Briceño has set up educational collaborations with universities and professional societies in Chile, Colombia, Brazil and Peru. He has helped to train multiple students, residents and fellows from Latin America and has facilitated the formation of research collaborations. He is primarily interested in surgical education, and has been invited to speak and perform live surgery throughout Latin America. Dr. Briceño sits on the board of the Pan American Association of Ophthalmology and is interested in establishing and further strengthening educational collaborations between Penn and Latin America. person

• Merrian J. Brooks, DO, MS 

  Merrian J. Brooks, DO, MS

  Scholar Scholar   Director of Pediatrics and Research at Botswana UPenn Partnership; Attending Physician of Adolescent Medicine Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia   HIV/AIDS | Mental health | Health Equity | Health Disparities | Adolescent health | Implementation Science | global adolescent health | global health equity | professional research development | Reproductive Justice | Stigma   Botswana BWA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Merrian J. Brooks is a pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist whose work bridges clinical care, research, and global health. She is a graduate of the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and holds a master's in clinical research methods from the University of Pittsburgh. She completed a residency in pediatrics at Cooper University Hospital and a clinical fellowship in adolescent medicine at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, followed by an Advanced Fellowship in Pediatric Global Health at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Dr. Brooks is currently an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Adolescent Medicine) at CHOP and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, with a secondary appointment in Psychiatry. She serves as Research Director of the Botswana-UPenn Partnership and Co-Director of the International Core of the Penn Center for AIDS Research (CFAR). She has been based in Botswana at 75% time or more for over six years, where she works as Lead Pediatrician at Princess Marina Hospital, consults in adolescent clinics, trains and mentors University of Botswana MMed and medical students, and advises on adolescent health policy. She also serves as Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Health at the University of Botswana Faculty of Medicine and as Assistant Director (Botswana-based) of the CHOP David Pincus Global Health Fellowship. Her research focuses on strengthening adolescent mental health services in low- and middle-income country settings, with particular emphasis on the adaptation and implementation of evidence-based interventions for youth living with HIV. She leads the Safe Haven program — an adaptation of the Friendship Bench near-peer lay counselor model delivering problem-solving therapy to adolescents in Botswana — and investigates the intersection of HIV, mental health, stigma, and substance use in vulnerable youth. Her scholarship has been supported by the NIH, the International AIDS Society CIPHER program, the Charles Engelhard Foundation, and the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine's Neinstein Award, among others. Dr. Brooks has proved herself to be an outstanding clinician and educator, a disciplined and creative investigator, a devoted advocate for her patients, and a loyal partner to her Batswana colleagues. She is committed to supporting the development of the next generation of academicians in Botswana, expanding BUP research capacity, and advancing sub-specialty care for adolescents across the region. person

• Erwin H. Calgua Guerra, MD, MSCE 

  Erwin H. Calgua Guerra, MD, MSCE

  International Scholar International Scholar   Director of Research | University of San Carlos’s School of Medicine   Epidemiology | HIV/AIDS | International Medical Education | Malnutrition | Non-communicable disease | Medical ethics | Gender violence | Medical Education   Guatemala GTM BIO STATEMENT: Erwin’s collaborative research efforts cover a wide range of topics including non-communicable diseases (NCDs), violence, malnutrition, adolescent health, stem cells, HIV and medical ethics. He is a tenured research faculty member and Director of Research at the University of San Carlos’s School of Medicine (the largest Public University in Guatemala) and holds research management positions at Sanatorio El Pilar (the oldest Private Hospital in Guatamala) and Stem Care, a stem cell company in Guatemala. person

• Ricardo Castillo-Neyra, PhD, DVM, MSPH 

  Ricardo Castillo-Neyra, PhD, DVM, MSPH

  Scholar Scholar   Assistant Professor, Epidemiology | University of Pennsylvania   Epidemiology | Public Health | Tropical diseases | OneHealth | Infectious disease | Climate Change | Implementation Science | Migration | Zoonotic Diseases | Rabies   Peru PER BIO STATEMENT:I am an assistant professor in the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, & Informatics in Perelman School of Medicine, and the scientific director of the Zoonotic Disease Research Lab (Penn and Peruvian University Cayetano Heredia). I study the eco-epidemiology of tropical diseases and use canine rabies as a system model to understand how the social and spatial features of cities influence the emergence and persistence of infectious diseases. Dog rabies threatens human health in the Americas and is expanding. Why can’t we get rid of the oldest known zoonotic disease? I conduct community-based studies in Peru to answer this question. person

• Grace Chan, MD, MPH, PhD 

  Grace Chan, MD, MPH, PhD

  Scholar Scholar   Associate Professor, Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania   Infectious disease | Data Science Training in Health Care | Perinatal Epidemiology | Pediatric Epidemiology   Bangladesh | Switzerland | Ethiopia | Indonesia | India | Kenya | Pakistan | Tanzania, United Republic of BGD||CHE||ETH||IDN||IND||KEN||PAK||TZA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Chan is a pediatrician and epidemiologist, with expertise in maternal and child health. Her work focuses on the development of health and disease over the life course, using research to discover and implement sustainable clinical and public health interventions. As a perinatal and pediatric epidemiologist, Dr. Chan has led international collaborations with the World Health Organization and Save the Children. She has trained healthcare workers, researchers, and policy makers in India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Tanzania, and Ethiopia; and mentored many talented students and fellows. person

• Rosa Chemwey Ndiema, MB ChB, MMed 

  Rosa Chemwey Ndiema, MB ChB, MMed

  International Scholar International Scholar   Deputy Head, Maternal & Fetal Medicine Fellowship, University of Nairobi | Kenya   HIV/AIDS | Maternal Child Health | Neonatal and Maternal Mortality | International Medical Education | Reproductive health | Medical Education | Maternal Health | Graduate Medical Education | Genetics | Obstetrics and Gynecology | Fetal Genetics   Kenya KEN BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Rosa Chemwey Ndiema is a pioneer in East African fetal medicine, a leading Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) Specialist, and an academic leader dedicated to advancing high-risk obstetric care and fetal therapeutics across Kenya and the wider continent. She currently serves as Deputy Head of the Maternal and Fetal Medicine Fellowship Program and Honorary Lecturer at the University of Nairobi, while practicing as a Medical Specialist in Reproductive Health at Kenyatta National Teaching and Referral Hospital (KNH), Kenya's premier referral institution. She also chairs the Reproductive Health Quality Assurance Committee, overseeing the ongoing monitoring and strengthening of medical and non-medical processes that shape maternal health outcomes, as part of a broader mission to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality in the region. Dr. Ndiema holds a Clinical Fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine from Moi University, a Master of Medicine (MMed) in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) from the University of Nairobi, along with MRCOG Part 1 qualifications. At Kenyatta National Hospital, she established the dedicated High-Risk Pregnancy Clinic and Ward. In August 2023, she reached a landmark national medical milestone, leading the multidisciplinary team that performed Kenya's first successful in-utero fetal blood transfusion for severe fetal anemia, achieving a favorable outcome for a patient with a history of recurrent pregnancy losses. Her professional profile is further shaped by long-standing academic and research ties to the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). She served as an International Scholar with the UPenn College of Global Health from 2018 to 2021, managing the institutional MoU between UPenn and the University of Nairobi, and continues to serve as a research mentor for UPenn Capstone MPH students. She also took part in the Penn Summer Visiting Fellowship program. Earlier in her career, she completed coursework in Epidemiology, Research Methods, and Clinical Trials at UPenn in 2017, held a Yale University Global Health Equity Fellowship, and currently serves as Co-Principal Investigator for the PEARLS Clinical Trial evaluating intelligent ultrasound. Beyond her clinical and academic work, Dr. Ndiema sits on institutional ethics review boards and the Disciplinary Committee of the Kenya Medical and Dental Practitioners Council. person

• Julio Alonso Chirinos-Medina, MD, PhD 

  Julio Alonso Chirinos-Medina, MD, PhD

  Scholar Scholar   Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania   Epidemiology | Clinical Trials | Global Cardiovascular Disease | Aging | Cardiology | Global Cardiovascular Health   Argentina | Belgium | Brazil | Canada | Colombia | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Japan | South Korea | Mexico | Netherlands | New Zealand | Peru | Singapore ARG||BEL||BRA||CAN||COL||GBR||JPN||KOR||MEX||NLD||NZL||PER||SGP BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Chirinos is a Professor of Medicine and Co-Director of the Clinical Research T32 Training Program in Cardiovascular Biology and Medicine. He is the President of the North American Artery Society. He is also an adjunct Faculty member at the University of Ghent in Belgium. His research program is focused on the role of arterial stiffness and pulsatile hemodynamics in cardiovascular disease and mechanisms of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. He co-leads a Global Heart Failure biomarker consortium investigating proteomics in heart failure. He has multiple international collaborations and has led international randomized trials. person

• Joseph D. Ciano, DO, MPH, MS 

  Joseph D. Ciano, DO, MPH, MS

  Research Affiliate Research Affiliate   Academic Emergency Physician | Northwell Health   International Medical Education | Emergency Medicine | Medical Education | Emergency Care Systems | Indigenous Health | Emergency Care Delivery | Emergency Care Capacity Building | Emergency Medicine in LMICs   Guyana | India | Pakistan | United States GUY||IND||PAK||USA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Joseph Ciano, DO, MPH, MS is an academic emergency physician at Northwell Health in New York City and at Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital in rural Montana (Indian Health Services).  In addition to his clinical work, he co-chairs a national committee on American Indian/Alaskan Native (AIAN) Health under the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM), he works as the Assistant Course Director of the Masters in emergency medicine certificate program in Durgapur, India, and works as a content contributor and author in the international emergency medicine education project, among other projects. Most of his work focuses on education and training initiatives in low-middle income countries, creating academic partnerships, and increasing interest and awareness of disparities in health affecting the AIAN community. person

• Susan Coffin, MD, MPH 

  Susan Coffin, MD, MPH

  Scholar Scholar   Professor of Pediatrics | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia   Pediatrics | Infectious disease | Infection control | Pandemic influenza   Botswana | Dominican Republic BWA||DOM BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Coffin has served as an international consultant and trainer for infection prevention and control programs, including pandemic influenza preparedness, in various developing countries, including Egypt, China, Ghana, Greece, Botswana, and Vietnam. Dr. Coffin’s research focuses on the epidemiology and prevention of healthcare-associated infections in international and domestic settings. Current international projects active in Greece, Zambia, Nigeria, and India. person

• Jennifer Elizabeth Cohn, MD, MPH 

  Jennifer Elizabeth Cohn, MD, MPH

  Scholar Scholar   Clinical Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases | Perlman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania   HIV/AIDS | Tuberculosis | Innovation | Access to health products | Market dynamics | Antimicrobial Resistance   India | Kenya | South Africa | Brazil | Switzerland IND||KEN||ZAF||BRA||CHE BIO STATEMENT - Dr. Jennifer Cohn is an infectious disease physician with a focus on improving access to and uptake of effective health products and models of care in low- and middle-income countries. She currently serves as the Global Access Leader for the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), and is a clinical associate professor of Infectious Diseases and Scholar at the Center for Global Health at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Before joining GARDP, Jennifer served as Senior Vice President for cardiovascular health at Resolve to Save Lives, Senior Director of Innovation at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and as the Medical Coordinator for the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Access Campaign. Jennifer has served on international advisory groups for TB, HIV, non-communicable diseases and viral hepatitis. She has published over 80 papers in peer-reviewed medical journals. Jennifer received her MD from University of Pennsylvania, is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases and earned her Masters in Public Health at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. person

• Corrado Cancedda MD, PhD 

  Corrado Cancedda MD, PhD

  Scholar Scholar   Former BUP Director   Capacity-building | Human Resources for Health | Health Systems Strengthening | Health Equity | Academic Partnerships | Sustainability | Antimicrobial Resistance   Botswana | Lesotho BWA||LSO BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Corrado Cancedda is the Former Director of the Botswana University of Pennsylvania Partnership and Strategic Advisor for Academic Partnerships at the Center for Global Health of the Perelman School of Medicine, at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to his current position, he was Associate Physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr Cancedda has over twelve years of experience as a clinician, educator, researcher, implementer, and scholar in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Lesotho. His academic interest lies in the implementation and evaluation of large-scale and multi-disciplinary Global Health Initiatives. person

• Kumarasen Cooper, MD, PhD. 

  Kumarasen Cooper, MD, PhD.

  Scholar Scholar   Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine   Medical Education | Teaching | Surgical Pathology   South Africa | Botswana ZAF||BWA BIO STATEMENT: I have spent two months/year since 2016 at University of Botswana (under umbrella of UB-Penn Partnership) teaching and training residents at UB. Since April 2017, seven Penn Pathology residents, one medical student and one pathology assistant, have accompanied me and teaching UB residents. In addition i have performed clinical work (signed out surgical pathology cases with residents) on a regular basis. My Penn residents have taught a broad range of subjects in surgical pathology with much enthusiasm. In return we have brought two Botswana residents (month each) to spend an elective at Penn Pathology. A third cancelled May 2020. person

• Torrey A. Creed, PhD 

  Torrey A. Creed, PhD

  Scholar Scholar   Associate Professor of Psychiatry | University of Pennsylvania   Evidence-based Practices | Mental health | Health Equity | Sustainability | cognitive behavioral therapy | fidelity | Implementation Science | Artificial Intelligence | Psychiatry | Machine Learning   Haiti | Rwanda | Germany HTI||RWA||DEU BIO STATEMENT: As founder of the Penn Collaborative for CBT & Implementation Science, I lead a team of experts in the development and evaluation of strategies to implement and sustain evidence-based mental health practices (particularly cognitive behavior therapy) in under-resourced communities. Domestically, we focus on Medicaid-funded community mental health systems. Globally, I serve as Health Policy Advisor to Partners in Health, leading the implementation of Cognitive Processing Therapy in Haiti and broadening access to CBT in Rwanda. I've also led briefer projects with providers in Canada (focused on Indigenous people) and Inner Mongolia / China (funded by the World Health Organization). person

• Farouk Dako, MD, MPH 

  Farouk Dako, MD, MPH

  Scholar Scholar   Associate Professor of Radiology | Director, Botswana UPenn Partnership | University of Pennsylvania   Artifical Inteligence | Radiology Education | Enterprise Advancement | Imaging   Nigeria NGA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Farouk Dako is an Associate Professor of Radiology at Penn and the new Director of the Botswana-Upenn Partnership as well as the Founding Director of Penn’s Center for Global and Population Health Research in Radiology. He is a highly respected global health researcher and clinician whose work in medical imaging, artificial intelligence, and health systems innovation has advanced clinical care and health equity in low-resource settings, particularly across sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Dako brings deep leadership experience and a strong track record of cross-sector collaboration to BUP. He currently directs RAD-AID International’s Nigeria program and co-founded a healthcare and education NGO that has served thousands of people in need of care. His multi-institutional programmatic work emphasizes sustainability, local ownership, and effective skills transfer, proving his functional and philosophic alignment with BUP’s overarching mission of regional healthcare capacity strengthening. Dr. Dako has also received international recognition for his public health expertise and work on artificial intelligence and medical informatics in underserved areas. As an example, he served on the Lancet Oncology Commission US Cancer Moonshot 2.0 as Chair of the Technology, Digital Health and AI section. Through his work as a researcher and program leader he has proven his ability to secure funding from diverse sources, including the Google Foundation, RSNA and NIH. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with colleagues across government, private, and academic sectors and institutions, and has worked in partnership with colleagues from over a dozen different nations. person

• Khue Kim Dang, MD 

  Khue Kim Dang, MD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Senior Clinical Lecturer, College of Health Sciences| VinUniversity   Global Surgery | Trauma | Medical Education   Vietnam VNM BIO STATEMENT: I have a profound interest in advancing medical education and healthcare systems in underserved regions. My affiliation with this esteemed program allows me to not only train the next generation of surgeons but also to contribute to the enhancement of surgical care in Vietnam. By fostering international collaboration, I aim to bridge gaps in medical education, promote best practices, and improve patient outcomes. My commitment to global health is an integral part of my mission as a medical educator. person

• Kassa Darge, MD, PhD 

  Kassa Darge, MD, PhD

  Scholar Scholar   Radiologist-in-Chief | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.   Pediatric Radiology | Medical Education   Argentina | Austria | Ethiopia | El Salvador ARG||AUT||ETH||SLV BIO STATEMENT: Since 1991, I have been involved in various international outreach activities. Initially, my focus was on tropical pediatrics, but later on I switched my work to pediatric radiology education. In 2008, I established the collaboration between the Departments of Radiology at CHOP and Addis Ababa University with the objective of supporting the radiology residency program in pediatric imaging education and conducting a pediatric radiology fellowship. In February 2017 the first 2 pediatric radiologists graduated from this 2-year fellowship program – the first ones in a country with a 100 million population with almost 60% in the pediatric age group. person

• Manuel de la Cruz Gutierrez, PhD, MLS 

  Manuel de la Cruz Gutierrez, PhD, MLS

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Director, Holman Biotech Commons | University of Pennsylvania Libraries   Libraries | Scholarly Communication | Information Literacy   Guatemala | Mexico GTM||MEX BIO STATEMENT:I am the director of the Holman Biotech Commons, the University of Pennsylvania Libraries’ branch supporting research, education, and patient care for the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), the Perelman School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, and life sciences’ programs in the School of Arts and Sciences. I am interested in supporting the health enterprise, and in particular health sciences research, in the countries were Penn has a presence. Examples of this support includes access to and discovery of scholarly research, data visualization and literature searching training, and capacity building in health sciences libraries abroad. I am also a member of Penn in Latin America and the Caribbean, a multidisciplinary group dedicated to promote Penn’s work in and for this region. person

• Vanessa C. Denny, MD, MS 

  Vanessa C. Denny, MD, MS

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology & Critical Care | University of Pennsylvania   Healthcare Access | Medical Education | Child Health | Implementation Science | Sepsis | Digital Health Technologies | Global Critical Care   Ghana | Nigeria | Botswana GHA||NGA||BWA BIO STATEMENT: Vanessa Denny, MD, MS is an Attending Physician in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Of Caribbean descent and a first-generation Canadian, Dr. Denny has lived and worked throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and Sub-Saharan Africa — experiences that continue to shape her commitment to equitable global health partnerships and sustainable capacity-building in low- and middle-income countries. Dr. Denny's academic work focuses on improving outcomes for critically ill children in resource-limited settings through innovations in telemedicine, simulation-based education, and implementation science. Her research centers on the development of scalable educational and telemedicine interventions for healthcare providers, with a particular emphasis on pediatric acute care systems. She recently led a prospective mixed-methods study evaluating a low-bandwidth telesimulation training program for the recognition and management of pediatric septic shock at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. Developed in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication Extended Reality Lab, the intervention used culturally adapted, case-based simulation in the emergency department setting. Following implementation, the study demonstrated significant improvements in time-critical sepsis interventions and was associated with a substantial reduction in pediatric septic shock mortality. Dr. Denny's work sits at the intersection of global critical care, medical education, and implementation science. She is dedicated to fostering sustainable, bidirectional partnerships that strengthen pediatric acute care capacity in underserved settings worldwide, with future scholarly directions targeting innovations in global health education and implementation science. person

• Tarig Sami Elhakim, MD, MPH 

  Tarig Sami Elhakim, MD, MPH

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Hospitalist, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania   Health Equity | Health Disparities | Education | global health diplomacy | Artificial Intelligence | Global Health Policy | Geospatial Mapping   Sudan | Tanzania, United Republic of SDN||TZA BIO STATEMENT: Growing up in Sudan, I volunteered in underserved communities lacking basic essentials like water & electricity, let alone healthcare. After immigrating & pursuing medical training in the US, I was struck by a different yet equally troubling dimension of health disparities. Even in high-resource settings, inequities persist & disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. These deepened my understanding to global health & fueled my determination to dismantling disparities & creating a future where health is fair, consistent, & equitable for all. Let's work toward a world where healthcare access is not dictated by geography, resources, or privilege but is a fundamental right. person

• In Memoriam Brian Samuel Englander, MD 

  In Memoriam Brian Samuel Englander, MD

  Scholar Scholar   Robert E. Campbell Professor, Clinical Radiology, University of Pennsylvania & Chairman, Department of Radiology, Pennsylvania Hospital   Radiology | Medical Education | Breast cancer | Women's health | Global Radiology | Radiotherapy   Israel | Mongolia | Rwanda | Vietnam ISR||MNG||RWA||VNM BIO STATEMENT:Brian S. Englander, M.D. is the Robert E. Campbell Professor of Clinical Radiology at the Perelman School of Medicine and serves as Chairman of the Department of Radiology at Pennsylvania Hospital, Penn Medicine. He is a board certified, fellowship-trained diagnostic radiologist, with sub-specialization in breast imaging and intervention. He has a particular interest in addressing women's health inequities regionally and globally. As a 2018 Eisenhower Fellow (USA), he visited Mongolia and Israel to understand cultural, religious, and ethnic barriers to health care, in particular breast cancer, and opportunities to address these barriers in the United States. He established an NGO, Benek Global Health Project, which focuses on these same issues, as well as the impact of conflict upon healthcare. He has worked in Port-au-Prince (Haiti) to intersect with the accompaniment model to reduce barriers to breast and cervical cancer screening. He works with local physicians in Mongolia, Rwanda, Vietnam, India, and Israel to optimize breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and management, and to establish standardized breast cancer services. He also is involved in applying new technology globally and an inexpensive pre-screening device for breast cancer in LMIC. He currently is establishing mobile cancer and community screening program through Penn Medicine to address health inequities and access issues in the Philadelphia region and beyond. person

• Sabahat Fatima, MBBS,FCPS 

  Sabahat Fatima, MBBS,FCPS

  International Scholar International Scholar   Department Head, Emergency Medicine, Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital | The Indus Hospital and Health Network   Disaster response | Emergency Care Systems | Emergency Care Delivery | Disaster Preparedness | Emergency Care Capacity Building | Emergency Medicine in LMICs   Pakistan PAK BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Sabahat Fatima completed her Emergency Medicine residency at Indus Hospital & Health Network, Karachi, where she served as Chief Resident and was honored with the Best Graduate Award. As a passionate Emergency Physician, she focuses on Emergency Care Quality Improvement, Trauma Care, and Emergency Medicine Capacity Building in LMICs. As a Basic Emergency Course Master Trainer (BEC - WHO/ICRC), she has facilitated numerous simulation-based courses in collaboration with Faculty from UPenn and Emory University. During her time at Penn as a Summer Visiting Fellow, she gained valuable experience in Implementation Science, further enhancing her expertise in Global Health. person

• Yevhen Filonenko, PhD 

  Yevhen Filonenko, PhD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Orthopedic & Trauma Surgeon - Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery Center, Vinnytsia   Ukraine UKR BIO STATEMENT: 16 years experience in orthopedy and trauma surgery, 2017 PhD degre in trauma surgery. Main interests are in spine, recon trauma, flap surgery, joint replacement. Trainings in Germany, Austria, Poland and other European countries From 2022 main time working in surgical treatment of victims of war. 1.5 years online consultations with expert surgeons from Penn team. Flap course online and live. It's improving our skills and way of patients care in new, high level. person

• Ram K. Ghimire, MD, DMRD, MSc 

  Ram K. Ghimire, MD, DMRD, MSc

  International Scholar International Scholar   Head, Department of Radiology | Nepal Mediciti Hospital, Lalitpur, Nepal   Capacity-building | International Medical Education | Radiology | Diagnostic Imaging | Medical Education | Radiology Education | Global Radiology   Nepal NPL BIO STATEMENT: Ram Kumar Ghimire, MD, DMRD, MSc Professor of Radiology (former), Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University Head of Department & Principal Consultant, Department of Radiology Nepal Mediciti Hospital, Lalitpur, Nepal, Coordinator, Diagnostic Subject Committee, National Board of Medical Specialty, Medical Education Commission, Government of Nepal Postgraduate NBMS Radiology Residency Training Program Coordinator, Nepal Mediciti, Hospital Dr. Ram Kumar Ghimire is a senior radiologist and academic leader with more than three decades of experience in medical education, clinical radiology, and research in Nepal. His career has been deeply rooted in strengthening diagnostic capacity in resource-constrained settings and advancing equitable access to quality imaging services—an essential yet often underrecognized pillar of global health. Dr. Ghimire completed his MD with Honors from L’vov State Medical Institute, Ukraine, followed by postgraduate specialization in Radiodiagnosis and a research-based MSc in Diagnostic Radiology from Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal. He served the Institute of Medicine, TU, for nearly four decades, rising from Assistant Instructor to Professor of Radiology and Head of Department (2011–2017). He currently leads the Department of Radiology at Nepal Mediciti Hospital as Head of Department and Principal Consultant. His interest in global health stems from the recognition that accurate and timely diagnosis is fundamental to reducing morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Nepal and similar low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), limited access to imaging contributes significantly to delayed diagnoses in maternal health, infectious diseases, oncology, cardiovascular disease, and trauma. Dr. Ghimire’s work has focused on addressing these gaps through training, research, guideline development, and international collaboration. He has contributed to capacity building by mentoring generations of radiologists, coordinating the MD Radiodiagnosis program, and serving on institutional academic councils and review boards. His research portfolio includes publications in obstetric imaging, pediatric pneumonia, encephalitis, high-altitude cerebral edema, breast cancer imaging, vascular interventions, and COVID-19 imaging—many addressing health challenges relevant to LMIC populations. His collaborative work with international investigators, including studies published in The Lancet Global Health and JACC Cardiovascular Imaging, reflects his commitment to cross-border partnerships in advancing diagnostic science. Dr. Ghimire has actively engaged in regional and international professional forums, including leadership roles in the Nepal Radiologists’ Association and chairmanship of the Nepalese Society of Vascular and Interventional Radiology. His lectures at global conferences have highlighted emergency radiology, interventional procedures in resource-constrained settings, and the status of radiology services in emerging countries. Through clinical leadership, research, policy engagement, and education, Dr. Ghimire continues to advocate for strengthening imaging systems as an integral component of universal health coverage. His work sits at the intersection of academic medicine, health systems development, and global collaboration—advancing the role of radiology in improving health outcomes both in Nepal and globally. person

• Gregory Ginsberg, MD 

  Gregory Ginsberg, MD

  Scholar Scholar   Professor of Medicine, Gastroenterology | University of Pennsylvania   Medical Education | Education | Global Endoscopy | Gastroenterology   Tanzania, United Republic of | Ukraine TZA||UKR BIO STATEMENT: Gregory G. Ginsberg, MD is Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine where he is a member of the Gastroenterology Division, and the Abramson Cancer Center and Executive Director of Endoscopic Services for Penn Medicine. His clinical practice and research focus on the development, evaluation, and implementation of new techniques and technologies as they apply to endoluminal diagnosis and management of digestive tract and related disorders. He engages in in-person and remote teaching, training, demonstration and proctoring gastrointestinal endoscopy for physicians in resource-challenged regions person

• Michael Glick, DMD 

  Michael Glick, DMD

  Scholar Scholar   Executive Director for the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health   Medical Education | Oral Health | Artificial Intelligence | Dentistry | Dental Education   Guinea | Morocco | United States | Zambia GIN||MAR||USA||ZMB BIO STATEMENT: Michael Glick is Professor and Executive Director, Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Glick has authored more than 300 publications, including original research articles, editorials, and book chapters, and has written, edited and co-edited 10 textbooks. Dr. Glick is the immediate past Dean, School of Dental Medicine, University at Buffalo, past-President of the American Board of Oral Medicine, served as Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of the American Dental Association from 2005 to 2020 and was the primary author of FDI/World Dental Federation’s Vision 2020 and, most recently, Vision 2030. person

• Ryan Greysen, MD, MHS 

  Ryan Greysen, MD, MHS

  Scholar Scholar   Professor and Chief, Division of Hospital Medicine | University of Pennsylvania   International Medical Education | Medical Education | Graduate Medical Education | Hospital Medicine | Workforce Development   Vietnam | United States VNM||USA BIO STATEMENT: I am Professor and Chief of the Division of Hospital of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. I have a longstanding interest in global health workforce and medical education. During residency training, I spent several months in West Africa (Togo) helping to establish a community clinic for HIV care and during my early faculty career, I was core faculty in the Gates Foundation Sub-Saharan Medical School Study. In recent years, I have been visiting professor at VinUniversity (Hanoi, Vietnam) as part of the Vingroup-Penn Alliance. I am currently working to establish a global health fellowship in the Department of Medicine for recent graduates of Internal Medicine residency programs. person

• Robert Gross, MD, MSCE 

  Robert Gross, MD, MSCE

  Scholar Scholar   Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology   HIV/AIDS | Tuberculosis | Delivery infrastructure | Infectious disease | STIs | substance use | smoking cessation | Delivery of Care   Botswana BWA Bio statement: Director, International Core, Penn CFAR. HIV clinical investigation and clinical research training. person

• Surbhi Grover, MD, MPH 

  Surbhi Grover, MD, MPH

  Scholar Scholar   Associate Professor, Radiation Oncology | Director of Penn Center for Global Oncology | Oncology Lead Botswana-UPenn Partnership | University of Pennsylvania   HIV/AIDS | Global Oncology | Capacity-building | HPV | Radiation oncology | Medical Education | Women's health | Oncology | Cervical Cancer | Diagnostics   Botswana | India | South Africa | Zambia | United States BWA||IND||ZAF||ZMB||USA BIO STATEMENT: Surbhi Grover, MD, MPH is an Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where she serves as Director of Global Radiation Oncology and Director of the Penn Center for Global Oncology. She also serves as Director of Oncology for the Botswana-UPenn Partnership and Center for Global Health, Director of the Program in Global Cancer Innovation at the Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation, and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the University of Botswana. Clinically, she serves as Oncology Consultant at Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana, where she also directs the hospital's Gynecological Multidisciplinary Care Clinic — the first multidisciplinary tumor board for gynecological cancers in Botswana. Dr. Grover holds an MD from Harvard University and an MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Grover's work is rooted in the belief that high-quality cancer care should not be determined by geography, infrastructure, or resource availability. Since 2011, she has collaborated with the Botswana-UPenn Partnership to strengthen oncology care in Botswana, where she has been based full-time since 2014. Her clinical and research focus encompasses cervical cancer, HIV-associated malignancies, radiation oncology capacity-building, multidisciplinary care, and implementation strategies that strengthen health systems over time. She has led an NIH-funded U54 study on cervical cancer outcomes, completed an NIH pilot study on HIV and cervical cancer, and currently leads a K08 study examining HPV viral load as a biomarker for treatment response in cervical cancer, as well as a U01 focused on improving timely treatment adoption for women presenting to the gynecological multidisciplinary clinic in Botswana. Mentorship and capacity-building are central to Dr. Grover's academic mission. She directs the UPenn Botswana Radiation Oncology Rotation and mentors Penn students, residents, fellows, faculty, and international trainees pursuing careers in global oncology, while also mentoring junior investigators at the University of Botswana. Her collaborative partnerships span Penn, the Botswana-UPenn Partnership, Princess Marina Hospital, the University of Cape Town, the University of the Witwatersrand, and international organizations including ASTRO, ASCO, AORTIC, IGCS, IAEA, WHO, UICC, and ICEC. Through these efforts, Dr. Grover works to translate global health principles into sustainable oncology programs that improve patient outcomes while building lasting clinical, research, and educational capacity across institutions. person

• Ha Minh Thuy, MD, MHPE 

  Ha Minh Thuy, MD, MHPE

  International Scholar International Scholar   Adjunct Faculty, College of Health Sciences, VinUniversity, Vietnam | PhD Candidate, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, New Zealand   Medical Education | health sciences | internal medicine | clinical medicine   Vietnam VNM BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Ha Minh Thuy, MD, MHPE, is a committed health professions educator with an experienced record in curriculum design and development, student engagement, program evaluation, and accreditation of undergraduate medical programs. She has served in key roles at VinUniversity, Hanoi, Vietnam where she contributed to the pioneer transformation in medical education and promoted international collaboration. A FAIMER International Fellow and graduate of the Master degree in Health Professions Education at Maastricht University, she has published in prestigious journals, presented at international conferences, and continues to make significant contributions to the advancement of medical education. Her research interests include curriculum design and innovation, student learning and development, program evaluation and accreditation, faculty development and interprofessional education. person

• Michelle L. Hermiston, MD, PhD 

  Michelle L. Hermiston, MD, PhD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Professor, Pediatrics & Dean, College of Health Sciences, VinUniversity   Global Oncology | Pediatrics | International Medical Education | Pediatric Oncology | Implementation Science | Translational Research | Workforce Development   Vietnam VNM BIO STATEMENT: Michelle Lynn Hermiston, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor and Dean of the College of Health Sciences at VinUniversity in Hanoi, Vietnam, and Chief Scientific Officer at the Center for Innovation in Health Sciences. She is also Professor Emeritus of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the University of California, San Francisco, where she continues to serve as Senior Advisor to the UCSF Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center Global Cancer Program. Her global health work focuses on strengthening research, education, and clinical-care capacity for children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer and serious hematologic disorders, particularly in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. She has led the development of Vietnam’s first Ministry of Health–approved pediatric hematology-oncology training program and helped establish the Vietnamese Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and Cell Therapy Consortium. At VinUniversity, her global health interests interface directly with her leadership role in building research infrastructure, mentoring clinician-scientists, developing international collaborations, and advancing equitable access to high-quality cancer care and translational research in low- and middle-income settings. person

• Lisa M. Hilmi, MPH, BSN-RN 

  Lisa M. Hilmi, MPH, BSN-RN

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Executive Director, CORE Group   Refugee health | Global Health Security | Community health | Disaster Preparedness BIO STATEMENT: Lisa Hilmi is the Executive Director of CORE Group, based in Washington DC. CORE Group convenes the International Community Health Network, a community of practice fueled by more than 200+ member organizations and individual associates that are champions for community health. Lisa Hilmi has three decades of global health experience in over 25+ countries, addressing health disparities for women, children, adolescents and communities. She has worked in Peace Corps, WHO, non-profits, refugee, disaster, and conflict settings, as well as outbreaks and epidemics in multiple countries. As a nurse, Lisa has worked clinically in pediatric hospitals, community, academic, and crisis settings. person

• Ari Ho-Foster, BSc, MSc 

  Ari Ho-Foster, BSc, MSc

  International Scholar International Scholar   Senior Research Fellow (Epidemiology) | University of Botswana Faculty of Medicine   HIV/AIDS | Tuberculosis | Healthcare Access | Mental health | Gender violence | Intimate Partner Violence Prevention   Botswana BWA BIO STATEMENT: My academic interests are in furthering the use epidemiological methods to improve the health of populations. This includes mentorship and practice in generating evidence to improve our understanding of risk factors for disease, access/linkage to diagnosis and care, program evaluation, and effective communication of evidence to improve program implementation. I have worked in 12 countries, supporting research on maternal child health, HIV prevention, TB-HIV diagnostics, cancer care, gender violence and mental health. I also managed a Data Acquisition Core team aimed at improving routine data collection for Non-Communicable Disease research, and served as Country Operations Officer for the Botswana-UPenn Partnership person

• John Holmes, PhD, FACE, FACMI 

  John Holmes, PhD, FACE, FACMI

  Scholar Scholar   Professor of Medical Informatics in Epidemiology | University of Pennsylvania   Epidemiology | Capacity-building | Informatics | Injury Prevention | Disease Surveillance   Botswana | Italy | United States BWA||ITA||USA BIO STATEMENT: John H. Holmes, PhD, is Professor of Medical Informatics in Epidemiology in the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics. He is Associate Director of the Penn Institute for Biomedical Informatics and chairs the Doctoral Program in Epidemiology. He has mentored pre- and post-doctoral students at Penn, University of Botswana, and Universities of Pavia and Verona, Italy. Dr. Holmes is engaged with the Botswana-UPenn Partnership, assisting in building informatics and epidemiologic research capacity in Botswana. He is an elected Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics, the American College of Epidemiology, and the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics. person

• Ukraine Initiatives 

  other Programs & Partnerships   Public Health | Humanitarian assistance | Disaster response | Global Surgery | Orthopedics | Partnerships | Capacity-building | International Medical Education | Quality Improvement | Trauma | Emergency Medicine | Patient Experience | Medical Education | Peace and Conflict | Surgical Pathology | Laparoscopic Surgery | Emergency Care Systems | Global Endoscopy | Neurorehabilitation | Standardization of care across different health systems | Neurological Surgery | Head Injury | Triage | Strategic Planning | Quality Use of Medicine | Humanitarian Response | Neurocritical Care | Pediatric Plastic Surgery | Humanitarian Emergencies | Surgical Instruction | Pediatric Hospital Medicine | Pediatric Critical Care | Humanitarian Crises | Craniofacial Surgery | Structural Competency | Gastroenterology | Osteoplasty | Microsurgery | Pediatric Orthopedics | Soft Tissue Reconstruction | Surgical Systems Strengthening | Surgical Education | Simulation Training   Ukraine | Poland | Germany UKR||POL||DEU other

• Mohammad Jalloul, MD 

  Mohammad Jalloul, MD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Radiology Research Scholar, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia   Health Equity | Radiology Education | Global Radiology   Ethiopia | Botswana | Vietnam ETH||BWA||VNM BIO STATEMENT: I am a research scholar in the Radiology department and a member of the Global Radiology Outreach and Education team at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. After obtaining my MD from the Lebanese University, I worked at the country's busiest public hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. This experience exposed me to the challenges faced by refugees in accessing adequate healthcare and influenced my interest in global health, motivating me to work towards equitable medical access worldwide. I want to leverage my experience at CHOP and the University of Pennsylvania to advance radiology services and education through international collaborations. person

• James January, PhD, MSc 

  James January, PhD, MSc

  International Scholar International Scholar   Senior Lecturer and Clinical Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Malawi   Refugee health | Social determinants of health | Mental health | Non-communicable disease | Health Equity | Vaccines | Adolescent health | Women's health | Vaccine Research & Development | Humanitarian Crises | Migrant Health | Trauma Informed Care   Malawi | Namibia | Zimbabwe MWI||NAM||ZWE BIO STATEMENT: Dr. James January is a Malawian clinical psychologist and senior faculty with over 20 years of experience in mental health research and education in Zimbabwe and Malawi. With an interdisciplinary background in psychology, public health, epidemiology, and implementation science, he serves as faculty at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences. His research focuses on strengthening mental health care systems in low-resource settings, with expertise in adolescent and perinatal mental health, psychiatric epidemiology, and global mental health services research. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles and actively mentors early-career researchers, promoting mental health equity and informing health policies. person

• Saurabh Jha, MBBS, MRCS, MS 

  Saurabh Jha, MBBS, MRCS, MS

  Scholar Scholar   Professor, Radiology & Chief Cardiovascular Imaging | University of Pennsylvania   International Medical Education | Medical Education | Radiology Education | Point of Care Ultrasound | Global Radiology | Artificial Intelligence | Access to Medical Imaging | Health Policy | Cardiology   Nepal NPL BIO STATEMENT: Saurabh Jha,is a Professor of Radiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Chief of Cardiovascular Imaging at Penn Radiology. Originally trained in surgery in Britain, he gained early clinical experience at a remote outpost in Australia before transitioning to radiology and relocating to the United States. This breadth of training across disciplines and continents informs a uniquely global perspective on medicine and health systems. Dr. Jha's clinical expertise is in cardiothoracic radiology, with a focus on advanced cardiovascular CT and MRI, which he teaches to attending radiologists and trainees. His broader professional interests span medical imaging adoption, artificial intelligence, and health policy, with particular attention to expanding access to imaging in resource-limited and geographically challenging settings. He works with private industry and NGOs to bring medical imaging to remote and high-altitude communities, and collaborates directly with Nepalese physicians to improve access to point-of-care ultrasound in rural and mountainous Nepal through education, training, and strategic industry partnerships. He also conducts research on the adoption of artificial intelligence in low- and middle-income countries, examining how emerging technologies can be meaningfully integrated into health systems with limited infrastructure. Beyond his imaging work, Dr. Jha supports academic physicians in designing research studies and guides them through the process of academic writing. He has traveled extensively in the hills of India, Nepal, and Tibet, and maintains a longstanding interest in creative writing. person

• Michelle J. Johnson, PhD 

  Michelle J. Johnson, PhD

  Scholar Scholar   Associate Professor (PSOM) and Secondary Faculty Appointment - SEAS Bioengineering   Neurorehabilitation   Botswana BWA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Michelle J. Johnson, Associate professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania. She has secondary appointments as an Associate professor in Bioengineering and in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics. She has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. She directs the Rehabilitation Robotic Lab and has spent over twenty years applying technology solutions to aid in the understanding of disability and impairment after brain injury. She was Fulbright Scholar to Botswana and a IEEE distinguished lecturer. person

• Vinay M. Nadkarni, MD, MS 

  Vinay M. Nadkarni, MD, MS

  Scholar Scholar   Professor, Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pediatrics | University of Pennsylvanian   Pediatrics | Capacity-building | Critical care | Emergency Medicine | Pediatric Critical Care | Resuscitation Science | Emergency Care Capacity Building   Ghana | India | Nigeria | Rwanda GHA||IND||NGA||RWA BIO STATEMENT: Professor of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pediatrics; President Society of Critical Care Medicine 2023-2024; International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation; World Health Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies; Founding Director of CHOP Academy for Resuscitation of Children and Pediatric Global Resuscitation Alliance. Recognized with AAP Distinguished Lifetime Award and AHA International Impact Award. person

• Vanesa Karamanian, MD, MPH 

  Vanesa Karamanian, MD, MPH

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Director, Healthier Together | CHOP   Refugee health | Community health | Immigrant health | Child Health   Argentina | Dominican Republic ARG||DOM BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Karamanian trained at Universidad Favaloro in Argentina and holds a Master in Public and Global Health from the University of Pennsylvania. She integrates clinical, public health, and research expertise to improve the health of children both locally and globally. As Director of Healthier Together at CHOP, she leads the hospital's largest community health initiative, improving the social, economic, and environmental conditions for families in West Philadelphia. She serves as an Adjunct Faculty in the MPH program at the University of Pennsylvania and President of the Powelton Village Civic Association in West Philadelphia. person

• Megan Kassick, MD, MPH 

  Megan Kassick, MD, MPH

  Scholar Scholar   Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology | University of Pennsylvania   Radiation oncology | Women's health | Implementation Science | Oncology | Gynecologic Cancers | Cervical Cancer | Radiotherapy | Braachytherapy   Botswana BWA BIO STATEMENT: Megan Kassick, MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Perelman School of Medicine, with a dedicated focus in global oncology. She is a member of the Women's Health Service and primarily treats patients with gynecologic and breast malignancies, and specializes in brachytherapy. Her academic interests include addressing global disparities in cervical cancer treatment. She has collaborated with oncologists in Sub-Saharan Africa, and has completed an internship with the International Atomic Energy Agency. person

• Charles Kemmler, MD, PhD 

  Charles Kemmler, MD, PhD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Assistant Professor, Clinical Emergency Medicine   Emergency Medicine | Medical Education | Disaster Preparedness | Emergency Care Capacity Building | Disaster Medicine   Botswana | Pakistan | South Africa BWA||PAK||ZAF BIO STATEMENT: Charles Kemmler, MD, PhD, FACEP is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a Medical Officer in the U.S. National Disaster Medical System. His experience in global health has included Emergency Medicine training, clinical care, teaching and research in South Africa, Pakistan and Botswana. His current interests include Emergency and Disaster Medicine education and educational capacity building. person

• Chada Kgwarae, MD, MBBS, FCPAEDS 

  Chada Kgwarae, MD, MBBS, FCPAEDS

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Pincus Global Health Fellow, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia   Mental health | Quality Improvement | Patient advocacy | Disautonomia BIO STATEMENT: I am a global health Adolescent health fellow at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, affiliated with the Pincus Global health fellowship. My interests lie at the intersection of adolescent mental health and HIV prevention, with a focus on underserved populations in Botswana. Through research and advocacy, I am interested in exploring how global health systems can better address the mental health challenges and chronic disease burden faced by youth. I bring clinical experience in pediatrics and public health, aiming to influence global policy and practice. person

• Iliana V. Kohler, PhD 

  Iliana V. Kohler, PhD

  Scholar Scholar   Associate Practice Professor, Department of Sociology | University of Pennsylvania   Mental health | Aging | Cognition | ADRD | Biomarkers   Malawi | Ghana MWI||GHA BIO STATEMENT: I am social demographer interested in the demographic, health and social aspects of aging in low and middle income contexts. My approach to study global health, aging and mortality is based on the life-course perspective and in several projects and publications in collaboration with other researchers we have shown the long legacy of early childhood factors on health outcomes in late life in different contexts. I am leading a portfolio of research projects that critically evaluates social, demographic and epidemiological theories of aging outside the realm of the transitional aging studies that are focused on upper-middle-income and high-income contexts. person

• Hans-Peter Kohler, PhD 

  Hans-Peter Kohler, PhD

  Scholar Scholar   FJ Warren Professor of Demography, Department of Sociology | University of Pennsylvania   HIV/AIDS | Aging | Alzheimer's   Malawi | Norway MWI||NOR BIO STATEMENT: Hans-Peter Kohler is the FJ Warren Professor of Demography and Co-Director of the Population Aging and Research Center (PARC) at the University of Pennsylvania. He received is MA in Demography in 1994 and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley. He has widely published on topics related to global aging, health, fertility, social/sexual networks, HIV/AIDS and biodemography. His research has received extensive funding through the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and other institutions. person

• Carrie L. Kovarik, MD 

  Carrie L. Kovarik, MD

  Scholar Scholar   Professor of Dermatology | University of Pennsylvania   HIV/AIDS | Healthcare Access | Global Oncology | Telemedicine | Informatics | Health Informatics | Oncology | Artificial Intelligence | Digital Health Technologies | Dermatology   Botswana | Guatemala | Malawi | Peru | Tanzania, United Republic of | Vietnam BWA||GTM||MWI||PER||TZA||VNM BIO STATEMENT: Carrie Kovarik, MD is a Professor of Dermatology, Dermatopathology, and Infectious Diseases at the University of Pennsylvania. Her clinical and research interests span global and community health, infectious disease-related skin conditions — including HIV-related skin disease and human papillomavirus — and improving access to health care through innovation and technology. She is the founder of the Penn Dermatology Global Health program, through which she provides clinical care and education in underserved communities and for vulnerable populations both in the United States and globally. Dr. Kovarik has implemented numerous innovative programs aimed at improving access to care and patient outcomes, leveraging mobile phones, electronic medical records, open-source technology, accessory medical devices, and telemedicine platforms. She is actively engaged in developing, sustaining, and advocating for new models of quality health care that expand access through telemedicine and augmented intelligence. Her work reflects a sustained commitment to bridging gaps in care for underserved populations through clinical expertise, education, and technological innovation. person

• Catherine Kulick-Soper, MD 

  Catherine Kulick-Soper, MD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology | University of Pennsylvania   International Medical Education | Low-resource Settings | Medical Education | Neurology | Global Neurology | Epilepsy   Tanzania, United Republic of TZA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Catherine Kulick-Soper is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology and epileptologist specializing in epilepsy and neurophysiologic intraoperative monitoring. Her academic interests include critical care EEG, with a particular focus on neuroprognostication after cardiac arrest, as well as quality improvement, learning health system initiatives, and global health. Dr. Kulick-Soper has worked with the Foundation for African Medicine and Education (FAME) in Karatu, Tanzania, on the sustainable implementation of a low-cost, portable EEG system for the clinical care of patients with suspected seizures and epilepsy. She first traveled to FAME as a Penn neurology resident, collaborating closely with Dr. Michael Rubenstein and providing inpatient and outpatient care for patients with neurological disorders, delivering educational lectures on neurology topics, and gaining firsthand experience with the resources available to—and gaps in care for—patients with epilepsy. As an attending epileptologist, she has since returned to FAME and worked closely with local leadership and hospital staff to systematically identify and address system-level barriers to prior EEG implementation, provide educational lectures and tailored reference materials, and successfully implement a low-cost, portable EEG system. The system continues to be used at the main FAME campus and can be brought to mobile clinics in more remote regions of the country as needed. She continues to work closely with the FAME team to support the ongoing technical use and interpretation of EEG studies, expanding access to neurodiagnostic care in this resource-limited setting. person

• Kiran Kumbhar, MBBS, MPH, PhD 

  Kiran Kumbhar, MBBS, MPH, PhD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Center for The Advanced Study of India | University of Pennsylvania   Medical Education | Health Policy | Healthcare History | Caste and Privilege | Health Inequity   India IND BIO STATEMENT: Dr Kumbhar is a historian and former physician studying medicine and public health in India and the Global South. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow with the Center for the Advanced Study of India at Penn. His past research explored the histories of biomedicine and the biomedical profession in modern India, including their intersection with caste and privilege. Currently, he is working on a history of health policymaking and healthcare reform in 20th- and 21st-century India, particularly looking at how the originally ambitious postcolonial nation has failed to keep its early welfare promises in the healthcare domain. person

• Shaon Lahiri, PhD, MPH 

  Shaon Lahiri, PhD, MPH

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Assistant Professor, Public Health | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign   Family Planning | PrEP uptake | Sanitation behaviors | tobacco use | intimate partner violence   China | India CHN||IND BIO STATEMENT: I am an interdisciplinary social and behavioral scientist working on several global health issues. I approach the field from the lens of the social determinants of health, health behavior theory, and a focus on understanding common social processes across multiple health outcomes related to sanitation, mental health, tobacco use, family planning use, intimate partner violence, and HIV risk reduction. My expertise is on the influence of social norms on behavior. I am currently a Postdoctoral Researcher in the PPE program at Penn, and a PPE Postdoctoral Fellow in the Penn Center for Social Norms and Behavioral Dynamics. person

• Priti Lal, MD 

  Priti Lal, MD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Director of GU Pathology, Associate Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine | University of Pennsylvania   Global Oncology | Medical Education | Prostate Cancer | Bladder and Kidney Cancer   Botswana BWA BIO STATEMENT: As part of the CGH community, my primary interest is teaching and mentoring students from countries in Africa who have an interest in gaining a deeper understanding of the current diagnostic and molecular tools as applied to prostate, kidney, and bladder cancer. Dr. Lal is the Director of GU Pathology, Associate Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine | University of Pennsylvania. She is the lead pathologist in applying the latest technology of 3D visualization of prostate cancer, focusing on men of African descent. She is also the lead pathologist from the USA for the MADCAP consortium, a collaboration between Harvard, Moffit, Penn, and ten countries in Africa. person

• Krzysztof Laudanski, MD, PhD, MA, FCCM 

  Krzysztof Laudanski, MD, PhD, MA, FCCM

  Research Affiliate Research Affiliate   Professor, Anesthesiology | Mayo Clinic   Technology in Low Resource Settings | Brain drain | Protocol development | Telemedicine | Critical care | Anesthesiology and Critical Care | Medical Education | Resource Mobilization | Artificial Intelligence | Workforce Development | Global Critical Care | Decision Making   Poland | Ukraine POL||UKR BIO STATEMENT: I have been interested in global health for several years. I participated on several clinical, research and supportive appointments in Brazil, South Africa, Vietnam, People Republic of China, Tanzania and Croatia. My research focus on the mechanism preventing "brain drain" from the low-income countries. I specifically study mechanisms how the transfer of knowledge occur and what are the barriers. I worked with several organization but most recently I collaborate with the Health Volunteers Overseas. person

• Linh Cu Le, MD, PhD 

  Linh Cu Le, MD, PhD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Executive Vice Dean - College of Health Sciences, VinUniversity   Reproductive health | Injury Prevention | Cancer epidemiology | Adolescent health   China | India | Vietnam CHN||IND||VNM BIO STATEMENT: Dr Linh worked almost 17 years at Hanoi University of Public Health and dedicatedly contributed to the delivery of the very first Master and Doctoral program of Public Health in Vietnam as well as capacity building and health sciences education reform at national scale. Dr Linh joined Vinmec – the leading private healthcare system in Vietnam in 2014, and played an instrumental role to establish VinUniversity and its College of Health Sciences in 2019. Both Vinmec and VinUniversity are not-for-profit members of Vingroup - the largest private corproration in Vietnam. Dr Linh’s research and policy advocacy focused on road traffic safety, injury prevention, adolescent and population health. As a scholar, he provided technical support to numerous projects for EU, WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF, etc. in Vietnam, China, the Philippines, and India. person

• Joseph Leanza, MD, MPH 

  Joseph Leanza, MD, MPH

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine & Director of Global Health, Boston University School of Medicine   Emergency Medicine | Medical Education | Humanitarian Response | Climate Change   Pakistan | Iraq | Ukraine | Mexico PAK||IRQ||UKR||MEX BIO STATEMENT: Joseph Leanza is an Assistant Professor ofEmergency Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine; with interest in emergency medicine systems, disaster and humanitarian response, education, and environmental health. Within the NGO Global Response Management, he is the project lead for emergency medicine specialty and EMS systems development in Federal Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan. He also works in research and education with the Certification Program in Emergency Medicine in Pakistan and Bangladesh and with the Penn Center for Global Health developing simulation curricula at Vin University in Vietnam. He has previously worked in a clinical and research capacity with Global Emergency Care in Masaka, Uganda. person

• Daniel Lee, MD, MS 

  Daniel Lee, MD, MS

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Assistant Professor, Urologic Oncology | University of Pennsylvania   Global Surgery | Global Oncology | Medical Education | Oncology | Cancer Screening | Urology   Liberia | Saint Lucia | Senegal | Vietnam LBR||LCA||SEN||VNM BIO STATEMENT:Dr. Daniel Lee is an Assistant Professor of Urologic Oncology in the Department of Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and an Innovation Faculty Member at the Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation (PC3I). As a urologic oncologist, Dr. Lee specializes in the surgical management of genitourinary malignancies, including prostate, bladder, kidney, testis, and penile cancers. Dr. Lee’s research lies at the intersection of communication, behavioral economics, informatics, and global cancer equity. His work focuses on designing and testing innovative strategies to improve the quality and delivery of cancer and surgical care. Current efforts include: Leveraging behavioral economics and “nudge” interventions to influence patient and provider behavior to promote healthy habits, improve medication adherence, and reduce long-term opioid dependence. Utilizing population health data, patient-reported outcomes, and clinical decision support tools to personalize screening, enhance risk stratification, and improve outcomes. Strengthening cancer screening, research, and genetic testing infrastructure in resource-limited settings while training local surgeons and urologists to expand access to high-quality urologic care globally. Dr. Lee received his Master of Science in Clinical Informatics from Vanderbilt University, where he focused on the use of mHealth applications and digital platforms to enhance health education and patient engagement. He also completed his fellowship in Urologic Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Lee’s overarching goal is to bridge the gap between evidence-based practice and real-world care delivery—using data, technology, and behavioral insights to make cancer care more equitable, efficient, and patient-centered. person

• Thabo Lenneiye, MBA, MSc, MArch 

  Thabo Lenneiye, MBA, MSc, MArch

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Managing Director, Sustainable Agriculture Fund, Kleinman Center for Energy Policy - Weitzman School of Design | University of Pennsylvania   OneHealth | Implementation research | Evidence-based Practices | Sustainability | Policy | Informal settlements | Health Policy | Urban Planning | Climate and Health | Sustainable Agriculture   Kenya | Zimbabwe | Ethiopia | India | Colombia KEN||ZWE||ETH||IND||COL BIO STATEMENT: Thabo Lenneiye is the inaugural Managing Director of the Carl H. Goldsmith Sustainable Agriculture Fund at the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy in the University of Pennsylvania's Weitzman School of Design, where she leads a research and policy agenda on the energy-agriculture nexus. In this capacity, she is responsible for setting the research agenda, operationalizing the fund, and launching initiatives focused on sustainable and regenerative agriculture strategies and practices. Her interest in global health is an institutional one: the systems that determine whether people are fed, and whether what is grown reaches them intact, are the same systems that move energy, including fertiliser supply chains, irrigation, cold storage, and household cooking fuel. These systems are planned and governed regionally, yet planning frameworks have not adequately theorised how climate risk transmits across interdependent infrastructure, or what knowledge systems are accounted for within them. Prior to this role, Thabo was Managing Director of PennPraxis, where she oversaw operations, fundraising, business development, communications, and strategic planning for the organization. Before that, she spent 12 years at Gensler in various design, project management, and leadership roles, working alongside the firm's leadership team to shape initiatives promoting justice, inclusion, and social impact, including the conceptualization and strategic planning of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) studio in 2020. She played a crucial role in establishing Gensler's Africa practice, working directly for CEO Diane Hoskins, and led the launch of the firm's Africa Committee. She also served as support staff for the Obama Administration's Presidential Advisory Committee for Doing Business in Africa. Thabo's commitment to societal impact extends beyond her professional roles. She served as the inaugural secretary of the board for the African Union Pan-African Diaspora Women's Association from 2017 to 2018. An entrepreneur at heart, she has founded a number of social ventures, and her multidisciplinary background includes co-teaching design studios at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Maryland. She is an Associate Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Global Health, and holds an MBA from the University of Cambridge, where she was the recipient of the Africa Regional Scholarship. person

• Michael Z. Levy, PhD 

  Michael Z. Levy, PhD

  Scholar Scholar   Professor of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Epidemiology | University of Pennsylvania   Infectious disease | Chagas disease | Disease ecology | Zoonotic Diseases   Peru PER I study the interface of insects, pathogens & people. I founded the UPenn/UPCH Zoonotic Disease Laboratory in Arequipa, Peru in 2004 and have led a number of studies on Chagas disease in that city. Recently I've begun studying bugs closer to home--bed bugs. person

• Christina Slaw Cheok Liew, MBChB, MSc, PGDip, PhD Canidate 

  Christina Slaw Cheok Liew, MBChB, MSc, PGDip, PhD Canidate

  International Scholar International Scholar   Assistant Professor, Assessments | College of Health Sciences, VinUniversity   International Medical Education | Telemedicine | Medical Education | Sleep Medicine   Vietnam | Malaysia VNM||MYS BIO STATEMENT: Dr Christina Liew, MBChB (UK), MSc (Mal), PGDip (Ire), PhD candidate (Med Education) is a medical simulationist with 15 years of teaching experience in clinical skills. Dr Liew is a Fellow of the International FAIMER Fellowship. She believes that medical simulation plays a vital role in addressing global health topics by offering a safe environment to train healthcare professionals for encounters in diverse global settings. She has initiated the development of a virtual consultation (telemedicine) training in Malaysia which addresses the pressing need for remote healthcare delivery. She supervises medical students in health education initiatives targeted for community-based research. person

• Renyu Liu, MD, PhD 

  Renyu Liu, MD, PhD

  Research Affiliate Research Affiliate   Professor, Vice Chair for Academic Affairs, Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine | Rutgers   Stroke | Anesthesiology and Critical Care | Community Engagement | Medical Education | Scholarly Communication   China | Nigeria | Mexico | Kenya CHN||NGA||MEX||KEN BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Renyu Liu is Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine and Vice Chair for Academic Affairs at Rutgers University. He is Emeritus Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care and Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also serves as a Penn Global Health Center Scholar and continues his work as a physician scientist in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine. One of Dr. Liu's primary interests is reducing prehospital delays for stroke victims worldwide through collaboration with a global, multi-disciplinary team. He is the creator of the internationally recognized Stroke 1-2-0, Stroke 1-2-0 Special Taskforce, and Stroke 112 (Stroke 911) stroke awareness programs. After successfully implementing his novel stroke education strategy, Stroke 120, in China, Dr. Liu partnered with Dr. Jing Zhao, a neurologist at Fudan University in Shanghai, to develop Stroke 112 for non-English-speaking countries and regions. Both strategies build on the English-language FAST (Face, Arm, Speech, Time) model for rapid stroke recognition and are now being implemented in multiple countries and regions where English is not the primary language. Dr. Liu was appointed Director of the Stroke 120 Special Task Force by the Chinese Stroke Association in 2017, and he is a founding member and the inaugural Secretary General of the Coalition of Special Taskforces for Stroke (CSTS). He is currently a recipient of the China Research Engagement Fund ($100K) to promote and study Stroke 120 in China. Dr. Liu serves on the Executive Committee of the World Stroke Organization (WSO) and is the founding Co-Chair of the WSO Prehospital Care Taskforce. He is also a member of the WHO–Lancet Neurology Commission on Stroke Rehabilitation, where he serves as founding Chair of the Commission's Integrative Medicine for Neurorehabilitation Working Group, and he sits on the Advisory Committee for the John Scott Award, one of the world's oldest and most prestigious awards recognizing scientific and technological innovation. Dr. Liu has conceived and produced more than ten medical educational short videos and films. His one-minute Stroke 1-2-0 educational video has been broadcast by China Central Television (CCTV), the National Health Commission of China Television, and numerous regional networks, and has been translated into more than 30 Chinese dialects, earning widespread international recognition. Several of his films have won awards at international film festivals and have twice been nominated for the WHO Health for All Film Festival (2022 and 2024). His 2025 short film "Dragon Boat Reboot" received the Best Public Welfare Value Award at the 11th Shanghai Public Welfare Short Film Festival and won Best Documentary Short at the 2026 New York City International Film Festival. In 2025, Dr. Liu was honored with the World Stroke Organization Stroke Service Award for his outstanding contributions to global stroke awareness, education, and prevention. Beyond his stroke-related work, Dr. Liu has collaborated with Rosemary Polomano, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Joshua Atkins, MD, PhD, on a joint Penn Nursing and Medicine initiative to improve post-surgical pain management in China, supported by Penn Global funding. He also runs an active basic research lab, funded by an NIH R01 grant, studying novel compounds as opioid receptor ligands for clinical use, informed by an understanding of the structural-functional relationships of opioid and opioid receptors. person

• Bogadi Loabile, MD, MPH, MSCE 

  Bogadi Loabile, MD, MPH, MSCE

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Instructor, Medicine (Infectious Diseases) | University of Pennsylvania   HIV/AIDS | STIs | substance use | smoking cessation | Delivery of Care   Botswana BWA Dr. Bogadi Loabile is an early-career investigator and Instructor of Medicine within the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Pennsylvania, where she completed a clinical infectious diseases fellowship and a Master of Science in Epidemiology. As a native of Botswana, she has leveraged Penn's affiliation with the country through the Botswana-UPenn Partnership, along with her training, to build a global health research career in sub-Saharan Africa. During her MSCE and post-doctoral training, Bogadi lived in Botswana to develop her research skills, leading multiple projects across the HIV care continuum. This work included studies on barriers to HIV care in the era of same-day ART initiation, along with formative implementation investigations assessing the feasibility of integrating adjunctive health services, such as smoking cessation, into TB care. With guidance from Dr. Robert Gross and Robbie Schnoll, she also helped lead implementation-focused research tracking clinical trial modifications during a randomized clinical trial testing smoking cessation interventions for people with HIV in Botswana, work aimed at identifying potential implementation strategies for that setting. Bogadi's research interests center on using implementation science to enhance care delivery for people living with and at risk of HIV, particularly by improving the integration of health services. She recently published a retrospective chart review finding that women with HIV in Botswana were more likely to develop infectious complications from abortion. Building on this work, she plans to develop implementation strategies that improve the integration of sexual and reproductive healthcare for adolescent girls and women in this setting, including investigating how HIV prevention services like PrEP might be integrated into abortion care in Botswana, an approach that could be applicable to other global settings. As part of her commitment to building local research capacity, Bogadi manages a research consultancy service called Sedibeng, supported by Penn CFAR, which provides technical advice to early-career researchers and students in Botswana. person

• Elizabeth Dawn Lowenthal, MD,MSCE 

  Elizabeth Dawn Lowenthal, MD,MSCE

    Associate Professor of Pediatrics & Epidemiology | University of Pennsylvania   HIV/AIDS | Pediatrics   Botswana | Dominican Republic BWA||DOM BIO STATEMENT: After living in Botswana from 2004-2008 and serving as the Clinic Director of the Botswana-Baylor Children's Clinical Centre of Excellence at that time, I came to Penn for Epidemiology training and stayed here as faculty of the medical school. I am now Research Director for Global Health at CHOP and I have active research in Botswana and the Dominican Republic. I mentor numerous students, faculty and in-country partners whose work is focused on the health of children in resource-limited settings. person

• Kevin Ma, DDS, FRSPH, FRSM 

  Kevin Ma, DDS, FRSPH, FRSM

  International Scholar International Scholar   Lecturer, National Taiwan University   Epidemiology | Infectious disease | Environmental health | Diabetes | Immunology | Cancer epidemiology | Adverse drug reactions | Endocrine Disorders   India | Taiwan, Province of China IND||TWN BIO STATEMENT:Dr. Ma leads clinical studies at National Taiwan University, Taiwan, utilizing global networks of observational data and clinical trials. His research focuses on illustrating the global burden of endocrine disorders, allergic diseases, and malignancies and evaluating the safety and efficacy of medications for these diseases, with the goal of translating evidence into practical guidelines that improve patient outcomes worldwide. As a former Penn scholar, Dr. Ma collaborates closely with faculty at Penn. Dr. Ma's work on the global burden of disease and real-world evidence of treatment modalities contributes to disease burden mitigation and promoting global medication safety. person

• Sarah MacLean, MD 

  Sarah MacLean, MD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Assistant Professor, Clinical Pediatrics | University of Pennsylvania   HIV/AIDS | Pediatrics | Capacity-building | Neonatal and Maternal Mortality | International Medical Education | Quality Improvement | Medical Education | Pediatric Hospital Medicine | Hospital Medicine | Neonatal Mortality   Botswana | Ghana | Dominican Republic BWA||GHA||DOM BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Sarah MacLean is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania and an attending pediatric hospitalist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). After receiving her BA in Global Studies from UNC Chapel Hill, she worked for UNC Project in Lilongwe, Malawi, conducting public health research on HIV transmission. While in medical school at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, she conducted research on the mental health of children seeking asylum at the US-Mexico border, the results of which received national media attention. She completed her pediatrics residency at CHOP in the Global Health track and completed clinical rotations in Botswana, the Dominican Republic, and Ghana. She continues to be involved in research efforts at these three CHOP partner sites. She has a particular interest in capacity building in global medical education and mentoring in-country trainees in academic research and publishing. Her primary research focuses on quality improvement measures to address neonatal mortality in Botswana. person

• Raffaele Angelo Macri, MD, MPH 

  Raffaele Angelo Macri, MD, MPH

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine | University of Pennsylvania   Community health | Emergency Medicine | Medical Education | Point of Care Ultrasound | Emergency Medicine Training | Global Health Education | Health Literacy   Botswana BWA BIO STATEMENT: Raffaele Macri, MD, MPH is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Penn Medicine. He works both in the Emergency Department and the ED Observation Unit at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He completed a combined residency of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine at Jefferson Health Northeast in Philadelphia. His global experience started when he was a Peace Corps health volunteer in Madagascar for 3 years; working with local communities in hygiene, nutrition, fetal and maternal health, sanitation and vaccinations. He worked closely with USAID and the President's Malaria Initiative. This expanded to global health outreach trips to Peru, El Salvador, Uganda and Italy during residency. He also completed his MPH at Thomas Jefferson University during his resident program. His interest includes health education and literacy, healthcare access and vaccination education and distribution. person

• Onalenna Junior Makhura, PhD 

  Onalenna Junior Makhura, PhD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Researcher, Data Science | Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation (BITRI)   Tuberculosis | Infectious disease | Radiology | Global Radiology | Artificial Intelligence | Access to Medical Imaging | Digital Health | Digital Health Technologies   Botswana BWA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Onalenna Junior Makhura is a Researcher in Data Science at the Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation (BITRI), with a background in computer engineering, artificial intelligence, computer vision, cybersecurity, and software development. He holds a PhD in Computing and Electronic Systems from the University of Essex and an MEng in Computer Engineering from the University of Southampton. His interest in global health lies at the intersection of digital transformation, artificial intelligence, data science, and health systems. He is particularly interested in how emerging technologies and data-driven approaches can strengthen health information systems, improve access to quality healthcare, support clinical and public-health decision-making, and enable more efficient and equitable delivery of health services, particularly in resource-constrained settings. His current research and technical activities involve the design and development of data-intensive and AI-enabled systems, including work relevant to healthcare imaging, digital health infrastructure, interoperability, and secure information management. Through this work, he is interested in exploring how technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, interoperable health information systems, and secure digital platforms can contribute to addressing global health challenges. His broader goal is to contribute to the development of locally appropriate, scalable, and sustainable digital health solutions, particularly within African health systems, while supporting collaboration between researchers, technologists, healthcare professionals, governments, and other stakeholders. He sees global health as an inherently interdisciplinary field in which advances in computing and data science can play an important role in improving health outcomes and strengthening health systems. person

• Susan Mandel, MD, MPH 

  Susan Mandel, MD, MPH

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania   Diabetes | Cancer epidemiology | Thyroid Cancer | Endocrinology   South Africa ZAF BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Susan J. Mandel, MD, MPH—Sylvan H Eisman Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Her clinical practice focuses on thyroid neoplasia. Her research interests include sonography in the evaluation of patients with thyroid nodules and cancer. Dr. Mandel was on the writing groups for the 3 previous versions of the ATA Management Guidelines for Patients with Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer and is co-chairing the 2024 ATA Guidelines for Patients with Thyroid nodules. She also was on the writing group for the ATA and Endocrine Society guidelines on the Management of Thyroid Disorders during Pregnancy. Dr. Mandel initiated and directed the Ultrasound workshops for the ATA and Endocrine Society. Dr. Mandel has received the Endocrine Society's Distinguished Educator Award, the 2019 ATA WIT Woman of the Year award, and the AACE H. Jack Baskin Endocrine Teaching Award. She also received the Louis Duhring Outstanding Clinical Specialist Award from Penn Medicine. Dr. Mandel is past President of the Endocrine Society (2018-19) and of the Association of Program Directors in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism (2009-2011). She currently serves as Secretary of the International Society of Endocrinology. During her 21 year tenure as Program Director of the Fellowship program at Penn, she trained over 70 fellows, 8 of whom now serve as Endocrine Fellowship Program Directors. She has over 100 peer reviewed publications in journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA and the Annals of Internal Medicine. She has also authored chapters on thyroid disorders in Harrison’s Textbook of Medicine and thyroid nodules in Werner and Ingbar’s The Thyroid. person

• Yehoda Martei, MD, MSCE 

  Yehoda Martei, MD, MSCE

  Scholar Scholar   Assistant Professor of Medicine | University of Pennsylvania   Global Oncology | Breast cancer | Oncology   Botswana | Ghana BWA||GHA BIO STATEMENT: I am an attending physician in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at Penn. My research focuses on evaluating and improving access to cancer medicines and treatment outcomes in breast cancer patients in sub Saharan Africa, and assessing the impact of access to essential medicines for cancer treatment in low- and middle- income countries, on clinical outcomes among cancer patients. I have also worked on the WHO Steering Committee/ Union for International Cancer Control Task Team for updating the Model List of Essential Medicines for Cancer and the Steering Committee for the Medicine Patent Policy: “Feasibility of expanding the Medicines Patent Pool’s scope to include all patented essential medicines.” person

• Audrey Naledi Masizana, PhD 

  Audrey Naledi Masizana, PhD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Senior Scholar, Computer Science | University of Botswana   Telemedicine | Informatics | Health Informatics | Artifical Inteligence | Data Science Training in Health Care | Information Literacy | Machine Learning | Health Data Analytics | Health Literacy   Botswana BWA BIO STATEMENT: Dr Masizana has successfully led Global Health Research projects at the University of Botswana including those under Microsoft-sponsored Digital Inclusion call of 2006 and 2008. She has fostered wide-reaching collaboration within and beyond, NGO’s such as Botswana UPENN, Botswana Harvard Partnerships, CHOP and also with the Government through the Ministry of Health She is also spearheading a number of health-related research projects providing digital solutions for the country including the latest being leading a collaboration with University of California San Francisco (UCSF) funded by CDC in 2024 which successfully developed Botswana eHealth Architecture. person

• Nelson Enos Masota, PhD 

  Nelson Enos Masota, PhD

  International Scholar International Scholar   PharmRx Discovery Lab, School of Pharmacy, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences   Quality Use of Medicine | Antimicrobial Resistance | Antimicrobial Resistance Mitigation | Novel Antibiotics | Microbiomes | Regulatory Frameworks | Translational Research   Tanzania, United Republic of TZA BIO STATEMENT: I am a pharmacist-scientist specializing in antimicrobial products discovery, pharmaceutical chemistry, and regulatory sciences, dedicated to combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and improving access to quality medicines in low-resource crisis settings. My research isolates novel antibiotic-producing microbes from under-explored African soils and hospital environments using tools like the Isolation Chip. Concurrently, I develop and validate analytical methods and establish frameworks to ensure the quality of essential medicines in humanitarian contexts. As Head of the University’s Innovation Center, I coordinate translation of discoveries into practical products and services. Fluent in English, Swahili, and German, I collaborate effectively with global teams. person

• Paul J. Mather, MD 

  Paul J. Mather, MD

  Scholar Scholar   Professor of Clinical Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine   Community Engagement | Medical Education | Cardiology   Botswana | Vietnam | United Arab Emirates BWA||VNM||ARE BIO STATEMENT: Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the Physician Leader for Heart Failure Disease Management for the University of Pennsylvania Health System and the Director, Faculty Development, Division of Cardiology. He received the American Heart Association Lynn Smaha Award fo Excellence in 2019 and was named the American Heart Association Physician of the Year in 2020. He also received the Edward S. Cooper Award from the Philadelphia AHA in 2023. He has worked with Italian, British, Vietnamese and Botwanian Universities to help them expand their bandwidth of medical education person

• Monica Matsumoto, MD 

  Monica Matsumoto, MD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Resident Physician | University of Pennsylvania   Refugee health | Radiology Education | Interventional Radiology | Supply Chain Development   Jordan | Peru JOR||PER BIO STATEMENT: I am an interventional radiology resident and part of the Radiology Health Equity Track. I started working in international health as an undergraduate at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, followed by a Fulbright Fellowship in Jordan, and then decided to pursue medicine as a tool to make a positive impact on people around the world. I want to build upon my experiences working with refugee populations both in Chicago and Jordan, as well as collaborating with RAD-AID International, to foster the development of critical radiology services, education, and in under-resourced settings. person

• Kabelo Leonard Mauco, PhD, MSc 

  Kabelo Leonard Mauco, PhD, MSc

  International Scholar International Scholar   Digital Health Scholar   Global Health Security | Implementation research | Health Informatics | Bioethics | Digital Epidemiology | Artificial Intelligence | Digital Health Technologies   Botswana | United Arab Emirates BWA||ARE BIO STATEMENT: I have a PhD in digital health. My current research interests are on digital epidemiology and global health security. I am a Fulbright visiting scholar currently hosted by CHOP for the next 5 months. As a digital health researcher, my research interests focused on creating evidence and policies to guide the sustainable implementation of digital health in developing countries. Reviewer for the following academic journals; Journal of Medical Internet Research, Digital Health (SAGE journals) AND Frontiers in Digital Health. Senior lecturer and research fellow, department of Health Information Management, Botho University, Gaborone Botswana. person

• Jeffrey Mayne, MD 

  Jeffrey Mayne, MD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Director of Admissions, VinUniversity College of Health Sciences MD Program   International Medical Education | Medical Education | Faculty Development | Global Health Education | Hospital Medicine   Vietnam VNM BIO STATEMENT: As part of the VinUniversity-UPenn alliance, Dr. Mayne is the director of admissions for the MD program at VinUniversity in Hanoi, Vietnam, co-chair of the 4th year medical student class, and an instructor for the Internal Medicine residency program. Dr. Mayne graduated from New York University School of Medicine, where he also completed his residency in Internal Medicine. He worked as a clinical instructor at UCLA School of Medicine in Los Angeles following residency. His clinical experience is in hospital medicine, community-based medicine, and in medical education. He has previously worked internationally in Guatemala. person

• Ryan J. McAuley, MD, MPH, FACP, FAAP 

  Ryan J. McAuley, MD, MPH, FACP, FAAP

  Scholar Scholar   Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine | University of Pennsylvania   Humanitarian assistance | Refugee health | Disaster response | Health and human rights | International Medical Education | Medical Education | Palliative Care | Graduate Medical Education   Vietnam | United Arab Emirates VNM||ARE BIO STATEMENT: Ryan's global health interests focus on vulnerable populations, refugee and migrant health, disaster response, and medical education in developing settings. From 2014-2018, Ryan completed several missions with Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders in South Sudan and Egypt. From 2019-2021, Ryan was based in Hanoi, Vietnam as part of the Vingroup-Penn Partnership and served as the first Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at VinUniversity. Ryan works clinically as an adult Oncology Hospitalist and serves as the Director of Operations for Global Graduate Medical Education with the Penn Center for Global Health. person

• Rmaah Memon, MD 

  Rmaah Memon, MD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Global Emergency Medicine Fellow, Emergency Medicine | University of Pennsylvania   Emergency Medicine | Medical Education | Digital Health | Emergency Medicine Training   Pakistan PAK BIO STATEMENT: Rmaah Memon, MD is a Global EM Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. She graduated from the 6-Year BA/MD Program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where she worked with refugee populations and piloted health fairs for resource- denied populations. While completing her emergency medicine residency at the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, she was involved with emergency medicine capacity building in Pakistan and Iraq. She has an interest in digital health and technology in the realm of global emergency medicine and is piloting a telemedicine initiative in Pakistan. person

• Suyash Mohan, MD 

  Suyash Mohan, MD

  Scholar Scholar   Professor of Radiology & Neurosurgery | University of Pennsylvania   International Medical Education | Radiology | Health Equity | Health Disparities | Diagnostic Imaging | Radiology Education | Global Radiology   South Africa ZAF BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Mohan is a physician-scientist with a research focus on clinical and translational applications of advanced neuroimaging techniques in the development of noninvasive imaging-based biomarkers for assessing brain tumor metabolism and response to therapy. His current National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute funded clinical trial (R01 CA262584-01) is utilizing synergy of advanced metabolic imaging, computational modelling, with interdisciplinary collaborations and industrial partnership to transform the treatment of patients with brain tumors. Dr. Mohan is the recipient of numerous awards and honors and has been the brand ambassador for societies like the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) and the American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR). He was awarded the 2018 Anne G. Osborn ASNR Outreach Professorship to South Africa and was awarded the esteemed RSNA International Visiting Professorship (IVP) to Kazakhstan in 2022. Dr. Mohan is a passionate educator and was the recipient of the Wallace T. Miller Teaching Award for Teaching Excellence in 2013, and then the ‘2015 Teaching Award’, for ‘Excellence in Teaching’ at the University of Pennsylvania. Most recently, he was awarded the Association of University Radiologists (AUR), 2019 Outstanding Teacher Award. Dr. Mohan has made important scientific contributions and has published over 135 peer-reviewed articles, numerous book chapters, 3 books, presented over 250 abstracts in national and international meetings, and has delivered over 300 lectures locally, nationally, and internationally. Dr. Mohan has had a number of roles in national organizations, American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR) and the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), and has been recently been appointed as the Assistant Editor for Radiographics. He has focused interest in advancing neuro-oncologic imaging and research, teaching and education, organizing CMEs, academic mentoring of trainees and junior faculty, as well as in multidisciplinary collaborations.. person

• Mooketsi Molefi, MB ChB, MSCE 

  Mooketsi Molefi, MB ChB, MSCE

  International Scholar International Scholar   Senior Lecturer | University of Botswana Faculty of Medicine   Epidemiology | Health Informatics | Biostatistics   Botswana BWA BIO STATEMENT: As a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Family Medicine & Public Health at the University of Botswana's Faculty of Medicine, my responsibilities are related to research, mentorship, and service. I have extensive research experience, including guiding students in research projects, serving as a Principal Investigator for NIH-funded trials, and conducting observational, quasi-experimental, and experimental studies. I contribute to shaping the research agenda through coordinating graduate specialist research training, mentor trainees pursuing various degrees, and co-lead an Injury and Trauma Research Training Program. I have developed keen interest in health-related outcome measurements, road traffic accidents, suicide Epidemiology in Botswana person

• Billy Morara Tsima, MD 

  Billy Morara Tsima, MD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Acting Dean, Faculty of Medicine & Associate Professor, Family Medicine and Public Health | University of Botswana   HIV/AIDS | Mental health | Maternal Child Health | Leadership | Basic Life Support/Resuscitation | smoking cessation   Botswana BWA BIO STATEMENT: As a family physician, my practice of medicine involves providing medical care to a wide variety of people. Serving in primary care settings provides a unique opportunity to interact with undifferentiated patients from different backgrounds. It became evident early in my exposure to this situation that equity in health is important and addressing it is an ongoing effort requiring a strong understanding of the context in which diseases occur as well as collaboration with others with different experiences.As a medical educator and researcher, my work brings me in contact with many others in the global health space. person

• Ahmed Moustafa, BPharm, PhD 

  Ahmed Moustafa, BPharm, PhD

  Scholar Scholar   Assistant Professor, Pediatric Gastroenterology | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia   Infectious disease | Antimicrobial Resistance | Infection Control & Prevention | Biomarkers | Genetics | Antimicrobial Resistance Mitigation | Microbiomes | Bioinformatics   Egypt | Botswana | Ghana EGY||BWA||GHA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Ahmed Moustafa is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He is Director of the CHOP Microbiome Sequencing Core under the PennCHOP Microbiome Program, Co-Director of the Center for Microbial Medicine, and co-director of microbialARC, a pediatric pathogen biorepository that links cryopreserved isolates to whole-genome assemblies, phenotypic resistance data, and clinical metadata. He also co-leads the Biospecimen Analysis Core of the NIH-funded Penn-CHOP Virome Characterization Center. Dr. Moustafa came to global health through his own path into science. He trained as a pharmacist in Egypt, earned his PhD at Murdoch University in Australia with field work in Pakistan, and taught himself programming during his postdoctoral training at CHOP, making him both a wet and dry lab scientist. That route convinced him of something specific: genomics can now answer the questions that matter most in hospital-acquired infections, such as who transmits to whom, which strain causes disease, and when an outbreak actually began, along with cryptic transmissions. But nearly all the tooling assumes infrastructure that most neonatal units in the world do not have. His research program centers on evolutionary microbiology, microbial genomics, and infectious diseases, and the Moustafa laboratory pursues three overarching goals: building a highly curated strain library of pathogenic and commensal microbes to fuel microbial genomics research and microbiome mechanistic studies; pinpointing the molecular determinants of infectious diseases using large-scale genomics data and novel bioinformatics tools; and bringing the tools of next-generation sequencing and microbial genomics to biologists and clinicians through innovative educational approaches. In practice, this plays out as two lines of work that feed each other. First, Dr. Moustafa applies genomic epidemiology to hospital-acquired infections and antimicrobial resistance, and served as senior author on a whole-genome-guided investigation of Klebsiella pneumoniae transmission in a Botswana neonatal unit. Second, he builds open-source tools that cut the cost of doing this work, including CURED, which converts genomic data into inexpensive PCR-based assays so teams can keep tracking lineages where sequencing every isolate is impossible. Dr. Moustafa also founded and leads the Microbial Genomics Journey Workshop, a hands-on microbial bioinformatics training program with recent sessions in Ghana, Botswana, and Egypt. Disease identified through an active case-finding program in Vietnam. person

• Sununguko Wata Mpoloka, PhD 

  Sununguko Wata Mpoloka, PhD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Executive Dean & Faculty, natural and Applied Sciences | University of Botswana   Vaccines | Disease Surveillance | Infection Control & Prevention | Genomics | Vaccine Research & Development | One Health | Genetics   Botswana BWA BIO STATEMENT: I am currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Botswana, where I am involved in the teaching of both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as conducting research. My research is centered around Population Genetics, Vaccinology, and Molecular Genetics. I am currently the principal investigator in the H3Africa consortium under the auspices of CAfGEN (Collaborative African Genomics Network), which is an NIH-funded project looking at understanding the host genomic factors that determine the progression of HIV and TB in pediatrics. person

• Emmanuel Abraham Mpolya, PhD 

  Emmanuel Abraham Mpolya, PhD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Associate Professor, Biostatistics & Epidemiology | Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology, Tanzania   Epidemiology | HIV/AIDS | Tuberculosis | Global Oncology | Environmental health | Nutrition | Biostatistics | Cancer epidemiology | Oncology | Global Burden of Disease | Leprosy   Tanzania, United Republic of TZA BIO STATEMENT:Professor Emmanuel Abraham Mpolya is an Associate Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology in the Department of Health and Biomedical Sciences at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha, Tanzania, and a Research Affiliate at Kibong’oto Infectious Diseases Hospital (soon to-be: The Tanzania Infectious Diseases Institute). His interest in global health is rooted in using rigorous quantitative evidence to understand disease burden, reduce health inequities, and guide effective policy and practice, particularly in resource-limited settings. In his current roles, Professor Mpolya integrates global health into research, postgraduate teaching, mentorship, clinical trials, and institutional leadership. His work spans health metrics, infectious-disease epidemiology, statistical computing, health economics, tuberculosis, HIV, One Health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, and artificial intelligence for public health. He has taught biostatistics and epidemiology for more than a decade and has supervised numerous doctoral and master’s researchers, strengthening Africa’s capacity to generate and apply locally relevant evidence. His international experience includes postdoctoral research at the Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa (2019-2021), where he worked on large-scale longitudinal HIV data, and an Afya Bora Fellowship in Global Health Leadership coordinated by the University of Washington (2017-2018). As a 2023–2024 Fulbright Senior African Research Scholar and Visiting Scholar at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, he contributed to Global Burden of Disease analyses, including research on HIV and causes of death. Through these activities, he links local research priorities with regional and global evidence, advancing data-driven decisions that improve population health and inform national and international policy and health investments. person

• Victoria Mui, MD 

  Victoria Mui, MD

  Scholar Scholar   Assistant Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology   Global Surgery | Capacity-building | International Medical Education | Bioethics | Medical Education | Maternal Health | Graduate Medical Education | Surgical Training | Obstetrics and Gynecology   Vietnam | Tanzania, United Republic of | Botswana | Guatemala VNM||TZA||BWA||GTM BIO STATEMENT: Victoria Mui, MD is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania. Her international experience includes midwifery collaborations in Guatemala, surgical projects in Guyana, and a year-long faculty appointment at Gulu University in northern Uganda. She is a former MGH Global Health Clinical Fellow through Seed Global Health-Peace Corps. She is currently the OB/GYN Curriculum Lead for the VinUni-UPenn partnership. She is interested in international projects that focus on medical education and advanced training in women's health and global surgery and excited to be a champion in the department. person

• Michelle Munyikwa, MD, PhD 

  Michelle Munyikwa, MD, PhD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Resident Physician, Internal Medicine-Pediatrics | University of Pennsylvania   Refugee health | Mental health | Infectious disease | Health Equity   Ghana GHA BIO STATEMENT: Michelle Munyikwa is a current resident in Internal Medicine/Pediatrics in the global health track. She earned her PhD in cultural and medical anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania in 2019 through the MSTP program. After graduating in 2021 with her MD, she continued on to Med-Peds residency, where she focuses on domestic and global health equity. In addition to existing work on social science in medical education, migrant health, and the use of race in medicine, she has an evolving research program on the lived experience of adolescents and young adults living with HIV/AIDS. person

• Harrieth Peter Ndumwa, MD, MPhill 

  Harrieth Peter Ndumwa, MD, MPhill

  International Scholar International Scholar   Research Scientist, Directorate of Research, Publication and Innovation | Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)   Non-communicable disease | Emerging Infectious Diseases | Re-emerging Infectious Diseases | Health Care Financing   Tanzania, United Republic of TZA BIO STATEMENT: I am a scientist with a Doctor of Medicine degree from Muhimbili University (MUHAS), Tanzania, and a Masters of Philosophy (MPhi)l in Global Health from the University of Bergen, Norway. I have also completed a summer visiting fellowship on Implementation Science and Leadership training from the Centre for Global Health at the University of Pennsylvania, United States. As a researcher and academic in Global Health, my focus is particularly on Non-Communicable Diseases, Emerging Infectious Diseases, and health economics. Affiliated with MUHAS and Tanzania Health promotion Support (THPS), I am actively engaged in different research projects, with over 30 publications and four grants. My work integrates clinical practice, epidemiology, and biostatistics, aiming to advance global health knowledge and improve health outcomes through innovative research and collaborative initiatives. person

• Jackline E. Ngowi, MD 

  Jackline E. Ngowi, MD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Physician Scientist, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences   Tuberculosis | Non-communicable disease | Health economics | Sexual reproductive health   Tanzania, United Republic of TZA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Jackline Ngowi, a researcher at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), has interests in implementation science and health economics in Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and NCDs. She received the 2022 Early Career Research grant from the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine. Dr. Ngowi serves as the program manager for the GROWNUTII/EPRENUT consortium at MUHAS and coordinates collaborative studies, including Tuberculosis case-finding, intrauterine hormonal device feasibility, and COVID-19 seroprevalence in pregnant women. Jackline attended the summer visiting fellowship in 2023 and received training in the Implementation Science course at the Penn Implementation Science Institute. person

• Huyen Thi Hoa Nguyen, PhD, RN 

  Huyen Thi Hoa Nguyen, PhD, RN

  International Scholar International Scholar   Associate Professor | VinUniversity College of Health Sciences, Nursing   Mental health | Chronic Diseases | Women's health | Oncology | Digital Health | Smart Health   Australia | Vietnam AUS||VNM BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Huyen T. H. Nguyen currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the Nursing Program at VinUniversity, Vietnam, where she oversees curriculum development and contributes to teaching and research activities. She also holds an appointment as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia, and is a scholar at the Global Health Center, University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on women's health, cancer care and mental health, with a particular emphasis on the application of smart technologies. With over 20 years of experience as a nurse researcher and lecturer, she seamlessly integrates her teaching responsibilities with active research. She has successfully secured several internal and external research grants to support vulnerable populations in the community. person

• Quan Khoi Nguyen, MD, MPH 

  Quan Khoi Nguyen, MD, MPH

  International Scholar International Scholar   Research Fellow, College of Health Sciences & Center of Innovation | VinUniversity   Epidemiology | Infectious disease | Antimicrobial Resistance | Arboviruses | global health equity | One Health | Emerging Infectious Diseases | Re-emerging Infectious Diseases | Global Burden of Disease | Health Data Analytics | Infectious Disease Modeling | Climate and Health | Spatial Epidemiology | Determinants of Health | Dengue Epidemiology   Vietnam | United States VNM||USA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Quan is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the College of Health Sciences, VinUniversity (Vietnam), trained as a physician (MD) with an MPH in epidemiology and biostatistics from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is interested in using rigorous data analytics and epidemiologic methods to address infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance and global health challenges, particularly in resource-limited settings. In his current role, he works across EMR-based cohorts, Global Burden of Disease analyses, and evidence synthesis to generate policy-relevant insights and peer-reviewed research that informs health systems and decision-making in Vietnam and globally. person

• Abass M. Noor, MD 

  Abass M. Noor, MD

  Scholar Scholar   Director, of Global Radiology Outreach & Education, CHOP | Director, Health Equity Leadership Track Radiology Residency, University of Pennsylvania   International Medical Education | Health Equity | Health Disparities | Diagnostic Imaging | Medical Education   Botswana | Ethiopia | Nepal BWA||ETH||NPL BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Noor is an attending physician in the Departments of Radiology at the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He completed his undergraduate education at Macalester College (St. Paul, MN) and received his medical degree from the Alpert Medical School of Brown University (Providence, RI). Given his experiences as a refugee from Somalia, Dr. Noor has long held a passion for working toward a more equitable future for low and middle income countries (LMICs). His current interests are primarily in medical education and in implementing sustainable radiology services in resource-limited areas of the world. person

• Joseph Nwadiuko, MD, PhD, MPH, MSHP 

  Joseph Nwadiuko, MD, PhD, MPH, MSHP

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Assistant Professor, Medicine | University of Pennsylvania   Refugee health | HIV/AIDS | Non-communicable disease | Health Systems Strengthening | Health Workforce | Migration   Botswana BWA BIO STATEMENT: I am an internal medicine physician, health economist, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. My focus involves global health and health systems with a focus on immigration and incarceration. I have been published in JAMA, JAMA Network Open, The Lancet, and Health Affairs. I have spoken at the State Department, USAID, the Department of Homeland Security, and have been a consultant for the World Bank. person

• Obadia Venance Nyongole, MD, PhD 

  Obadia Venance Nyongole, MD, PhD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Instructor of Medicine - Infectious Disease | University of Pennsylvania   Global Surgery | Health Systems Strengthening | Medical Education | Prostate Cancer | Genitourinary Oncology | Oncology | Health Care Delivery   Tanzania, United Republic of TZA BIO STATEMENT: Obadia Nyongole is a medical doctor and Professor in the Department of Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine. His PhD thesis focused on improving health systems care delivery. He has served as Director of Quality Assurance since 2019, and is a former Head of the Department of Surgery at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), as well as a past president of the Medical Association of Tanzania (MAT). For the past fifteen years, his research has centered on the dynamics of health systems, medical education, and surgical and urological conditions, along with the development of evidence-based guidelines for improving the quality, prevention, and control strategies of health services. This work has resulted in more than 60 published scientific reports, including peer-reviewed research articles and technical and consultant reports, many of which he has presented at international conferences across Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. He has also provided technical expertise and leadership across various programs and projects in Tanzania, helping to strengthen governance and implementation frameworks, and has served on numerous boards and councils charged with deliberating sensitive issues in national development. At MUHAS, Professor Nyongole established the MMed and MSc programs in Urology, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Pediatric Surgery. He also co-led the review and development of MUHAS curricula for undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs in the health sciences, and has led teams in developing guidelines for clinical teaching. As Director of Quality Assurance, he oversees the university's quality assurance portfolio under the Office of the Vice Chancellor, working through committees such as the Senate Quality Assurance Committee and the MUHAS Curricula Committee. These bodies are responsible for overseeing the conduct, integrity, and implementation of curricula in student teaching and assessment, as well as the identification, promotion, and marketing of MUHAS's academic programs. He currently serves as focal person for updating the curriculum and introducing innovative pedagogical methods and capacity-building initiatives under the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) Project at MUHAS, sponsored by the World Bank through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. He was also appointed quality assurance and curriculum focal person for the implementation team of the East African Centre of Excellence in Cardiovascular Sciences, Phase II, sponsored by the African Development Bank, with MUHAS serving as the implementing institution. Through this work, he has actively contributed to strategies advancing Tanzania's Universal Health Coverage agenda. Before joining MUHAS, Professor Nyongole worked as a clinician and intern at Mbeya Zonal Referral Hospital under the Ministry of Health. person

• Kelsie H. Okamura, PhD 

  Kelsie H. Okamura, PhD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Instructor of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine | University of Pennsylvania   Community Engagement | substance abuse | Implementation Science | substance use | Global Mental Health | Psychiatry | Youth Substance Use   United States Minor Outlying Islands | United States UMI||USA BIO STATEMENT: I am a female, Okinawan-Japanese American, clinical psychologist, and Instructor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine Center for Mental Health. My long-term professional goals include improving the health and well-being and ameliorating the suffering of people with substance use, emotional, and behavioral concerns in diverse community settings through identifying effective methods of translating research to practice (i.e., implementation science). My focus is understanding health inequities through community-engaged research with underserved and underrepresented populations. My experience in youth substance use and mental health implementation science has been in the contexts of large public-sector behavioral health organizations and rural community-based organizations. I have conducted empirical research in these diverse contexts such as the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division, Department of Education, the City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, the Boston Public Health Commission, and Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. Specifically, within Hawaiʻi, I have studied the implementation of a culturally grounded substance prevention program in rural Hawai'i schools, therapist predictors of evidence-based practice use, and large-scale dissemination strategies for health information. I am currently PI of a NIDA DP1 that seeks to establish community-led implementation strategies for a culturally grounded substance use prevention program for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth. I was also co-PI of a Hawaiʻi SAMHSA system of care expansion award that focused on building infrastructure dedicated to quality improvement within the publicly funded youth mental health system. Within the City of Philadelphia, my research focused on developing cost-analysis metrics to help large systems choose treatments relative to their populations and designing implementation strategies to promote sustainment of evidence based practice within the system. These experiences have afforded me the insight to understand the unique nuances of community based implementation and have expanded my program of research to understand outer contexts, such as policies and organizational structures that aid in successful implementation. These outer contexts also span various time periods, and I actively acknowledge the historical and intergenerational trauma suffered by the Indigenous people of Hawaiʻi after the illegal overthrow of their monarchy. Clinically, I have trained and delivered substance use and mental health services in federally qualified and Native Hawaiian health centers in rural areas like Waimānalo and Molokaʻi. Furthermore, being a fourth-generation daughter of Japanese and Okinawan immigrants to Hawaiʻi, I have a deep appreciation of understanding diversity, culture, and contexts as they apply to implementation. Growing up in a rural town in Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi has afforded me an insightful lens in the complexities of socioeconomic and cultural barriers that may impede successful implementation of youth psychosocial substance and mental health interventions in similar communities. person

• Portia Boakye Okyere, PhD(c) 

  Portia Boakye Okyere, PhD(c)

  International Scholar International Scholar   Biostatistician, School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana   Infectious disease | Biostatistics | Geospatial Mapping | Disease Modelling   Ghana GHA BIO STATEMENT: I am a statistician and PhD candidate in Public Health at KNUST with extensive experience in data management, statistical analysis, and clinical trials. My work spans disease surveillance and modeling, vaccine trials, spatial analysis, and e-health. I focus on infectious disease modeling to understand transmission dynamics, identify key drivers, and optimize resource allocation. I have collaborated with organizations like the International Vaccine Institute, Americares Foundation, and UNDP, and served as statistical consultant for health interventions. Recently, I participated in a summer-visiting-fellows program at the University of Pennsylvania. I have also led workshops on data analysis, statistical tools and research methodology. person

• Alvaro A. Ordonez, MD 

  Alvaro A. Ordonez, MD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Diagnostic Radiology Resident, PGY3,2024 | Perlman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania   Health Disparities | Diagnostic Imaging | Medical Education | Access to Medical Imaging | Nuclear Medicine   South Africa | Colombia | Peru ZAF||COL||PER BIO STATEMENT: I am a diagnostic radiology resident and part of the Penn Radiology Health Equity Track. As a medical student at the Universidad Industrial de Santander in Colombia, I learned to identify and overcome the limitations of adopting new healthcare technologies in developing countries. My current research is focused on creating and implementing accessible imaging tools to improve the diagnosis and management of infections, cancer, and inflammatory diseases worldwide. person

• Hansel J. Otero, MD 

  Hansel J. Otero, MD

  Scholar Scholar   Vice Chair, Clinical Research & John Westgate Hope Endowed Chair, Faculty Development, Radiology | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.   Pediatric Radiology | International Medical Education | Medical Education | Radiology Education | Global Radiology | Access to Medical Imaging | Graduate Medical Education   Argentina | Botswana | Ethiopia | El Salvador ARG||BWA||ETH||SLV BIO STATEMENT:Hansel Otero, MD, is an Associate Professor of Radiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He serves as Vice-Chair for Clinical Research and holds the John Westgate Hope Endowed Chair for Faculty Development in the Department of Radiology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where he also directs Global Education and Outreach. He is the Outreach Lead of the World Federation of Pediatric Imaging. Dr. Otero was born in Caracas, Venezuela, where he completed medical school at the Universidad Central de Venezuela. From 2002 to 2009, he worked as an emergency response physician with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), completing assignments in Liberia, Sudan, Angola, Pakistan, and Yemen. He went on to complete his diagnostic radiology residency at Tufts Medical Center and his pediatric radiology fellowship at CHOP. Since then, Dr. Otero has continued his international outreach in pediatric radiology through service and education programs in Haiti, Ghana, Ethiopia, Botswana, Peru, Argentina, and El Salvador. He coordinates educational projects and teleradiology services for partners around the world, with a particular focus on supporting best imaging practices for children in low-resource settings, advancing the education of radiologists, imagers, and pediatricians, providing sustainable teleradiology support to facilities without access to pediatric radiology expertise, and facilitating the participation of global colleagues in research and scholarly publishing. person

• Alex O. Otieno, MPH, ABD 

  Alex O. Otieno, MPH, ABD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Associate Professor and Interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Arcadia University   HIV/AIDS | Global Health Policy | Social Development   Kenya | South Africa KEN||ZAF BIO STATEMENT: My interests in global health are in areas of health and human rights, peace and social and sustainable development with a particular focus on peacebuilding, HIV/AIDS, Black/African well-being, housing and disaster response. Specifically, I am interested in migration/mobilities and the role of policy in facilitating and enhancing human flourishing for those in the margins of society. Related to this I have been exploring the role of global health education in social transformation. person

• Michael Owens, MD 

  Michael Owens, MD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Emergency Physician | Naval Medical Center Portsmouth   Public Health | Disaster response | Infectious disease | Emergency Medicine | Medical Education   Angola | Vietnam | United States AGO||VNM||USA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Owens is an Emergency Physician at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Director of the Navy’s Global Health Fellowship, and Assistant Professor at the USU and EVMS. He received his MPH from the University of Massachusetts and CEM from IAEM. His is the current Medical Director for the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Medical Response Team. Dr. Owens recent duties include directing multiple workshops and response activities throughout Central America, Pacific, and Africa with a focus on LMIC. He supported the 2014 Ebola epidemic as Medical Coordinator for an ETU in Liberia. His work include multiple publications associated with this work. person

• Ruth Owusu-Antwi, MBChB, MSC, FGCP 

  Ruth Owusu-Antwi, MBChB, MSC, FGCP

  International Scholar International Scholar   Psychiatrist, School of Medical Sciences | Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology   Mental health | substance use | Global Mental Health | Psychiatry   Ghana GHA person

• Ellis Owusu-Dabo, MB ChB, PhD 

  Ellis Owusu-Dabo, MB ChB, PhD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Vice- Chancellor & Professor | Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology   Tuberculosis | Infectious disease | Diabetes   Ghana GHA BIO STATEMENT: As a scientist, public health consultant, and lecturer, Prof. Ellis Owusu-Dabo’s expertise is mainly in population genomics of type II diabetes and Tuberculosis in low-income settings. Over the last decade, he has gained extensive experience in teaching and research at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi. He has successfully secured funding and led research into genetic and immunologic factors of pulmonary tuberculosis and type II diabetes in collaborative research. As the current Dean of the School of Public Health, Ellis’s passion is in training the next generation of scientist to develop solutions to solve Africa’s problems. person

• Giacomo Maria Paganotti, PhD 

  Giacomo Maria Paganotti, PhD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Laboratory Director, Botswana-UPenn Partnership (BUP), Gaborone, Botswana   HIV/AIDS | Malaria | Global Oncology | HPV | Breast cancer | Antimicrobial Resistance | Arboviruses | Pharmacogenetics | Oncology | Antimicrobial Resistance Mitigation   Botswana | Cameroon | South Africa | Burkina Faso | Italy | Chad BWA||CMR||ZAF||BFA||ITA||TCD BIO STATEMENT: My role in Botswana is to lead the Botswana-UPenn Partnership molecular laboratory (2014 to date). The main stakeholders are faculties and students from the local University of Botswana (Health Sciences, Biology, Medicine). In addition, we have collaborations with Penn, University of South Carolina, Duke University, McMaster University, the University of Rome La Sapienza (Italy) and many African institutions (in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Sudan, etc). While by background I am a malariologist, because of the health issues here, I have expanded my interests on pharmacogenetics of anti-infective treatments but also breast cancer, HPV, and other related fields, including HIV. person

• Brianna E. Parsons VMD, MSEd 

  Brianna E. Parsons VMD, MSEd

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   One Health Program Manager, Penn Vet | University of Pennsylvania   Maternal and Child Nutrition | Environmental and Planetary Health | Social Entrepreneurship | One Health | Global Food Security | Food Systems   Botswana | Gambia | Senegal | South Africa BWA||GMB||SEN||ZAF Dr. Brianna Parsons is a veterinarian by training with a MSEd in Education Entrepreneurship. At Penn Vet, she serves as both One Health Program Manager and Lecturer in Sustainable Agriculture, collaborating on educational and research projects at the nexus of human, animal, and environmental health. She is the co-founder and Executive Director of FAIR Farms Gambia and the Gambia Goat Dairy, community-led teaching and research initiatives in West Africa that leverage local, sustainable agriculture to improve community health and wellbeing, reduce poverty, promote food security and sovereignty, and foster environmental stewardship. Brianna's work in global health centers on agriculture — recognizing animal-source foods' critical role in preventing malnutrition and agriculture's broader potential to spur inclusive economic development and co-create food system transformation. She has worked across The Gambia, Senegal, Botswana, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Haiti, the USA, and Europe. A dedicated systems thinker, Brianna seeks opportunities to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals holistically, building healthier food systems and a more livable future for all. person

• Ranawaka A.P.M Perera, PhD, FRCPath, PDipID, PDipMDPath 

  Ranawaka A.P.M Perera, PhD, FRCPath, PDipID, PDipMDPath

  Scholar Scholar   Research Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine | University of Pennsylvania   Infectious disease | Emerging Infectious Diseases | Re-emerging Infectious Diseases   Saudi Arabia | United Arab Emirates | Senegal | Morocco | Ethiopia | Egypt | Mauritania | Sri Lanka | Hong Kong | Germany | Côte d'Ivoire SAU||ARE||SEN||MAR||ETH||EGY||MRT||LKA||HKG||DEU||CIV BIO STATEMENT: My interest centers on viruses that have the potential to cause epidemics/pandemics. It is important to understand how viruses persist in animal hosts, then successfully transmit to humans, resulting in severe disease. During the last influenza pandemic, I examined how the influenza virus evolved within swine populations, transmitted to humans, and vice versa. In the MERS-CoV epidemic, my research was among the first to identify camels as the reservoir transmitting it to humans that contributed to mitigating MERS-CoV infections. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I investigated the transmission of COVID-19 and the immune responses in both humans and animals. person

• Van Anh Thi Pham, MD, PhD, MPH, MIRB 

  Van Anh Thi Pham, MD, PhD, MPH, MIRB

  International Scholar International Scholar   Associate Program Director of MD Program, College of Health Sciences, VinUni   HIV/AIDS | Tuberculosis | Medical ethics | Health Equity | Medical Education | Oncology | Palliative Care | Medical Professionalism   Vietnam VNM BIO STATEMENT: Pham Thi Van Anh, MD, PhD is a trained infectious disease and HIV/AIDS specialist. Since 2010, she was recognized by the Ministry of Health as a national Palliative Care (PC) trainer. She also was a contributor to the revised Vietnam National PC Guidelines and the section on PC in the WHO Consolidated Guidelines on HIV Prevention, Testing, Treatment, Service Delivery, and Monitoring:Recommendations for Public Health Approach. She is currently a co-investigator and the in-country Project Manager for a validation study of the Vietnamese Palliative Outcomes Scale (VietPOS), a collaboration with King’s College London and Harvard Medical School. person

• Patrick H. Pham, DPT, FAAOMPT, MSEd 

  Patrick H. Pham, DPT, FAAOMPT, MSEd

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Doctor of Physical Therapy, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania   Sustainability | Medical Education | Global Health Education | Decolonizing Health Professions Education   Cambodia KHM BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Pham is a clinical leader and educator with over eight years of experience in orthopaedic physical therapy. He completed residency and fellowship training at Brooks Rehabilitation and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Medical Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Pham builds inclusive, evidence-informed learning environments and mentors students, residents, and fellows across disciplines. His work explores how medical hegemony and power dynamics contribute to global disparities in care and education. Through the Global Health Scholars Program, he hopes to advance equitable, culturally responsive models that challenge dominant paradigms and amplify diverse ways of knowing and healing. person

• Andriy Pohorilyak, MD,PhD 

  Andriy Pohorilyak, MD,PhD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Medical Doctor - Regional Adult Hospital | Zakarpattya, Ukraine   Critical care | Trauma | Emergency Care Delivery | Microsurgery   Ukraine UKR BIO STATEMENT: I am interested in microsurgery, orthopedics and traumatology. I have a hobby of active recreation, cycling, and mountain sports. person

• Jennifer Prah, PhD 

  Jennifer Prah, PhD

  Scholar Scholar   Amartya Sen Professor of Health Equity, Economics and Policy | University of Pennsylvania   Health and human rights | Healthcare Access | Governance | Social determinants of health | Healthcare Financing | Healthcare Policy | Intimate Partner Violence Prevention   Germany | South Korea | Taiwan, Province of China | United States DEU||KOR||TWN||USA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Prah is an internationally leading scientist and scholar of global and domestic health policy and public health. She conducts theoretical and empirical studies of health equity to reduce global and national health inequities, especially among women and children. Dr. Prah draws on her training in political economy, health policy, international relations, comparative social research and law to cross disciplines and reexamine the values and principles that underlie health policy and public health and apply these principles empirically. She created the Health Capability Paradigm, challenging existing approaches and illuminating optimal health policies and laws. She has developed an empirical approach to evaluate public health programs and health policies as they measure up to that paradigm, including the Health Capability Profile. Dr. Prah’s scholarship has critically scrutinized the existing global health architecture in order to identify more effective global health policy responses linking public policy and law to global health theory at the global and national levels. Dr. Prah’s research studies critical health policy and public health problems such as the equity and efficiency of health system access, financing, resource allocation, policy reform, the social determinants of health, the health capability profile and domestic violence and abuse. Her research is conducted internationally and nationally, including work in Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malawi, Malaysia, Morocco, South Korea, South Africa, Taiwan, the United States and Vietnam. person

• Madiha Raees, MD 

  Madiha Raees, MD

  Scholar Scholar   Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia   Malaria | Pediatrics | Anesthesiology and Critical Care | Medical Education | Brain Injury | Neurocritical Care | Implementation Science | Pediatric Critical Care | Global Critical Care   Botswana | Ghana | Cameroon | Argentina | Colombia BWA||GHA||CMR||ARG||COL BIO:Madiha Raees, MD is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pediatrics. She joined the Division of Critical Care Medicine at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia as an attending physician and clinical instructor in summer 2021. Outside of her clinical work in the pediatric intensive care unit, she has a deep interest in optimizing healthcare provision for children in variably resourced regions. Her research spans several global health initiatives. She is currently studying the efficacy of a novel educational intervention focused on pediatric resuscitation in Botswana and Ghana, and is leading work on Bubble CPAP implementation in Douala, Cameroon. She is also investigating proposed biomarkers of brain injury in the cerebral malaria population as potential surrogates for advanced imaging and predictors of neurological outcome, work based in Blantyre, Malawi, where she collaborates closely with the Blantyre Malaria Project. Her expertise in pediatric resuscitation education and implementation science has made her a sought-after speaker and collaborator, with regular invitations to teach at partner sites in China, Italy, Spain, and South America. person

• Karen Ramirez Suarez, MD 

  Karen Ramirez Suarez, MD

  Research Affiliate Research Affiliate   Resident Physician | St. Christopher's Hospital for Children   Maternal Child Health | Neonatal and Maternal Mortality | Environmental health | Community health | Community Engagement | Women's health | Child Health | Climate Change   Botswana | Colombia | Guyana BWA||COL||GUY BIO STATEMENT: Karen is an international medical doctor from Colombia with a postgraduate degree in epidemiology. She previously served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow on the NIH-supported HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, which examines how prenatal and early-life environmental, social, biological, and substance exposures influence child health and neurodevelopment. During this time, she also contributed to the FLOURISH Study (Following Longitudinal Outcomes to Understand, Report, Intervene, and Sustain Health for Infants, Children, and Adolescents Who Are HIV-Exposed Uninfected), where she investigated structural brain differences between HIV-exposed and unexposed neonates using head ultrasound. Karen is currently a pediatric resident at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children. Her interests in global health center on advancing community, maternal, and child health through clinical care, research, and community engagement. She is passionate about public and global health, with a particular focus on women's and children's well-being. Committed to promoting health equity, Karen actively engages with organizations such as Puentes de Salud and Médicos Unidos, which provide healthcare resources and support to Latinx communities in Philadelphia. person

• Maria Paula Requena-Herrera, MD MSc(c) 

  Maria Paula Requena-Herrera, MD MSc(c)

  International Scholar International Scholar   Researcher, One Health Unit | Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru   Epidemiology | Infectious disease | Implementation Science | One Health | Point of Care Ultrasound | Zoonotic Diseases | Climate and Health | Spatial Epidemiology | Mixed Methods   Peru PER person

• Aaron Richterman, MD, MPH 

  Aaron Richterman, MD, MPH

  Scholar Scholar   Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases | University of Pennsylvania   HIV/AIDS | Tuberculosis | Health Equity | Health Disparities | Social protection | Poverty Reduction | Food Insecurity | Cash Transfers | Behavioral Economics   Haiti | Botswana | South Africa | Egypt | Vietnam HTI||BWA||ZAF||EGY||VNM BIO STATEMENT: Aaron Richterman, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and an infectious diseases physician at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. His research sits at the intersection of behavioral economics, causal inference, and health policy, examining how poverty and food insecurity shape health outcomes, particularly those related to HIV and tuberculosis, and how social protection programs and economic interventions can improve them. He holds affiliations with the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, and the Population Aging Research Center, and serves as Director of the Clinical Core of the Penn Center for AIDS Research. Global health has anchored Dr. Richterman's career from the start. He attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania before completing the Doris and Howard Hiatt Residency in Global Health Equity and Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, where his clinical and research work focused on HIV, tuberculosis, and cholera in rural Haiti. From there he pursued a global health research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, earned an MPH at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and returned to Penn for his infectious diseases fellowship. He is proficient in Haitian Creole and has maintained longstanding research partnerships in Haiti for nearly a decade. Dr. Richterman's work centers on the relationship between poverty, food insecurity, and infectious disease outcomes at both the individual and population level, and on how social safety net programs can be leveraged to improve them. His current global health portfolio reflects this focus through rigorous evaluation of poverty-reduction interventions. He leads an NIMH-funded trial of unconditional cash transfers for pregnant women with HIV in Botswana. Using quasi-experimental methods, he has evaluated the effects of government cash transfer programs across dozens of low- and middle-income countries, with findings published in Nature, The Lancet, and Nature Human Behaviour, and was invited by the World Bank to evaluate Egypt's largest cash transfer program. Other ongoing work includes an evaluation of asymptomatic TB disease identified through an active case-finding program in Vietnam. person

• Kelsey Johnson Ripp, MD 

  Kelsey Johnson Ripp, MD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Assistant Professor, Clinical Medicine & One Health | University of Global Health Equity   International Medical Education | Health Equity | Medical Education | One Health | Planetary Health | Point of Care Ultrasound   Rwanda RWA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Ripp is an assistant professor in the Divisions of Clinical Medicine and One Health at the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) in Rwanda, as well as a hospitalist in the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium in Alaska. At UGHE, she leads the One Health/Planetary Health integration in the MBBS curriculum, co-directs the Internal Medicine clerkship, and is developing an integrated POCUS curriculum. She graduated from the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, followed by Med-Peds residency at UPenn/CHOP. She continues to be engaged in teaching Penn residents and students and facilitating collaboration between Penn residents and medical students at UGHE related to global medical education. person

• Michael N. Rubenstein, MD 

  Michael N. Rubenstein, MD

  Scholar Scholar   Professor of Clinical Neurology | University of Pennsylvania   Low-resource Settings | Medical Education | Neurology   Tanzania, United Republic of TZA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Michael Rubenstein has traveled to Northern Tanzania twice annually for the last decade to provide neurological education to community caregivers at a rural clinic as well as to provide care to neurological patients in the district of Karatu, Tanzania. He has worked with the Foundation for African Medicine and Education (FAME), a non-profit, NGO that provides healthcare to this region of Northern Tanzania. He currently brings four residents and a medical student from Penn/CHOP for each trip of a month in the spring and fall. person

• Megan Rybarczyk, MD, MPH 

  Megan Rybarczyk, MD, MPH

  Scholar Scholar   Global EM Fellowship Program Director, Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine | University of Pennsylvania   Education | Emergency Care Systems | Development   Pakistan | Botswana | Bangladesh PAK||BWA||BGD BIO STATEMENT:Dr. Megan Rybarczyk, MD, MPH, FACEP is the program director for the Penn Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship and faculty within the Department of Emergency Medicine at Penn Medicine, where she is currently an Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine. Throughout her career, her work in Global Emergency Medicine has involved research, education, clinical care, and/or disaster response in countries such as the Botswana, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, India, Pakistan, South Africa, and Uganda. Her work is focused primarily on education and training and emergency care systems development. person

• Felipe Salgado Gil, MD 

  Felipe Salgado Gil, MD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Ophthalmologist and Ph.D. Candidate in Medical Sciences | University of Chile   Public Health | Implementation Science | Artificial Intelligence | Ophthalmology | Diabetic Retinopathy | Translational Research   Chile CHL BIO STATEMENT: Felipe Salgado Gil, M.D., Ph.D. Candidate in Medical Sciences, is an ophthalmologist at the University of Chile. He is a researcher at the Laboratory of Ocular and Systemic Autoimmune Diseases at the University of Chile and an International Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Global Health. His primary clinical and research interests are in retina, particularly diabetic retinopathy and the identification of biomarkers for its diagnosis and progression. His global health interests focus on improving access to retinal screening and specialized eye care, as well as retinal and cataract surgery, AI-assisted screening, and infectious eye diseases. His work combines clinical ophthalmology, cataract surgery, medical retina, translational research, and international collaborative research, with a particular interest in developing and implementing strategies to improve access to specialized eye care. person

• Julia R. Schiff, MD,MPH 

  Julia R. Schiff, MD,MPH

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Global Emergency Med Fellow, University of Pennsylvania   Infectious disease | Environmental health | Medical Education | Humanitarian Response | Humanitarian Emergencies | Graduate Medical Education | Climate and Health   Pakistan | United States | India PAK||USA||IND BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Julia Schiff is an Internal Medicine physician and current Emergency Medicine resident at the University of Pennsylvania and has an MPH in Global Health. Her interests include the intersections of complex humanitarian emergencies, climate change/natural disasters, and the impact on human health including infectious diseases and trauma burden. She has been involved in projects, clinical care, and educational endeavors related to refugee/immigrant health, HIV/TB/tropical medicine, wilderness, and culturally competent care strategies. She is additionally engaged in educational activities and the creation of materials related to the development of and training for global medical health systems. person

• Enrique Schisterman, PhD 

  Enrique Schisterman, PhD

  Scholar Scholar   Chair, Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics | University of Pennsylvania   Epidemiology | Public Health | Maternal Child Health | Reproductive health | Clinical Trials | Low Cost Interventions | Screening | Maternal Health | Perinatal Epidemiology | Preeclampsia   Chile | Argentina | Mexico CHL||ARG||MEX BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Enrique F. Schisterman is the Perelman Professor and Chair of the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (DBEI) at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, and Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Epidemiology. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, an elected member of the American Epidemiological Society, and past president of both the Society for Epidemiologic Research and the Society for Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiologic Research. Before joining Penn, he spent nearly two decades at the National Institutes of Health, serving as Senior Investigator and Chief of the Epidemiology Branch within the Division of Intramural Population Health Research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Dr. Schisterman is a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist and methodologist whose work centers on improving study designs, developing new analytical methods, and solving the particular challenges that arise in reproductive health research. His interests include exposure assessment, causal inference, quantitative bias analysis, the etiologic study of reproduction, and the transportability of trial results to new populations and settings. He led the EAGeR trial of preconception low-dose aspirin (Lancet, 2014) and the FAZST trial of folic acid and zinc supplementation for male fertility (JAMA, 2020). He currently serves as Principal Investigator of the NICHD-funded APPLE Trial (Aspirin to Prevent Pregnancy Loss and Preeclampsia) and of a PCORI-funded project developing methods for applying randomized trial evidence across different populations. He has authored more than 450 peer-reviewed publications. His interest in global health is rooted in both his personal background and the direction of his research. Born in Argentina and fluent in Spanish and Hebrew, he maintains long-standing collaborations with epidemiologists and public health researchers across Latin America, currently working with colleagues in Chile, Argentina, and Mexico. Much of his research examines low-cost, scalable interventions, such as aspirin and micronutrient supplementation, whose greatest impact is likely to be felt in low- and middle-income countries, where pregnancy loss, preterm birth, and preeclampsia impose the heaviest toll. His methodological work on transportability also speaks to a broader challenge in global health: most clinical trial evidence comes from high-income settings, making rigorous methods essential for determining whether and how that evidence translates elsewhere. As department chair, Dr. Schisterman has prioritized capacity building in epidemiological and biostatistical methods, teaching advanced epidemiologic methods to researchers in Chile and supporting collaboration between DBEI faculty and regional partners. As Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Epidemiology, he has worked to expand the journal's international reach and to advance transparent, reproducible research practices that strengthen the evidence base for public health decisions worldwide. He looks forward to continued engagement with the Center for Global Health community through its events, partnerships, and mentorship of trainees pursuing global reproductive and perinatal health. person

• Valeria Katalina Sepulveda, MD 

  Valeria Katalina Sepulveda, MD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Resident PGY3 - Otorhinolaryngology | University of Chile   Medical Education | Implementation Science | Surgical Education | Simulation Training   Chile CHL BIO STATEMENT: Valeria K. Sepulveda, MD, is an Otorhinolaryngology resident at University of Chile. Her clinical practice and research focus on the development, evaluation, and implementation of surgical simulation training programs aiming to enhance surgical skills among residents while prioritizing patient safety in real-world medical settings. Since 2021, she has collaborated with multidisciplinary teams in the development and validation of diverse 3D-printed surgical simulation models and training programs for Otorhinolaryngology residents, aiming to optimize the adoption of these training models within healthcare institutions. Additionally, she participated in the Summer Visiting Fellows program at the Center for Global Health (CGH), as well as in the Implementation Science Institute at UPenn. These experiences have furthered her commitment to advancing healthcare quality and accessibility through innovative educational approaches and evidence-based decision-making. person

• Lawrence Shulman, MD 

  Lawrence Shulman, MD

  Scholar Scholar   Professor of Medicine | University of Pennsylvania   Global Oncology | Delivery infrastructure | Implementation research | Medical Education | Oncology   Lesotho | Rwanda LSO||RWA BIO STATEMENT: I am Deputy Director for Clinical Services, and Director, Center for Global Cancer Medicine in the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn. I am a practicing medical oncologist with a specialization in breast cancer. I have worked with Paul Farmer's organization, Partners In Health, in Rwanda and Haiti since 2011, helping to lead the establishment of cancer programs at both sites. Since coming to Penn I have engaged in similar work in Botswana. I have also worked with WHO to update the Essential Medicines List for Cancer. I serve on the International Affairs Committee of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. person

• Saad Siddiqui, MD 

  Saad Siddiqui, MD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Fellow, Dept. of Family Medicine and Community Health | University of Pennsylvania   Maternal Child Health | Global Primary Care | Intimate Partner Violence Prevention   Guatemala | Bolivia (Plurinational State of) GTM||BOL BIO STATEMENT: My interest in global health began as a child observing two worlds and the inequity between them. Born in India, I moved to inner city Cleveland and then suburban Wisconsin. I studied biochemistry & South Asian Studies at UW-Madison, completed medical school at Loyola Stritch in Chicago with honors in bioethics, and trained in family medicine at Northwestern with a certificate in global health. I am starting the UPenn Global Health Fellowship in Comprehensive Care in the Dept. of Family Medicine and Community Health. I will be working between Philly and Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala. person

• Sarita Sonalkar, MD, MPH 

  Sarita Sonalkar, MD, MPH

  Scholar Scholar   Associate Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology | University of Pennsylvania   Reproductive health | Implementation Science | Family Planning | Postpartum Family Planning | Obstetrics and Gynecology   Ghana GHA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Sonalkar is an Associate Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania, and Complex Family Planning specialist, devoted to using clinical research and implementation science to promote sexual and reproductive health evidence-based practices and reduce health disparities domestically and internationally. During her collaborations with the World Health Organization (WHO) Department of Reproductive Health and Research, Dr. Sonalkar has developed patient-facing decision-support tools in family planning, an Implementation Guide and Toolkit for the WHO Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, and has collaborated with WHO staff on policy, practice, and programs related to international postpartum family planning. Along with WHO and a team of researchers at the University of Ghana School of Public Health, Dr. Sonalkar led a multi-site stepped-wedge randomized trial in Accra, Ghana to evaluate postpartum family planning implementation and effectiveness outcomes of a hospital-based multifaceted implementation strategy. Dr. Sonalkar mentors trainees at all levels of the clinical and research pipeline, and has strong, ongoing relationships with international researchers. person

• Ian S. Soriano FACS, FASMBS, FPALES 

  Ian S. Soriano FACS, FASMBS, FPALES

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Associate Professor of Surgery & Directory of Robotic Surgery | University of California San Francisco   International Medical Education | Medical Education | Laparoscopic Surgery | Robotic Surgery   Philippines | Vietnam PHL||VNM BIO STATEMENT: I completed medical school in the Philippines and migrated to the US in 2000. After surgical residency and fellowship, I have collaborated with surgeons in the Philippines and Southeast Asia on education and training in laparoscopic and robotic surgery for the past 12 years. My joint appointment at the University of the Philippines since 2012 allowed me to participate in educational, clinical, and research projects at the university and affiliated Philippine General Hospital. More recently, my advocacy for a partnership between UPenn and UP Manila resulted in a formal agreement that encompasses clinical, research and other scholarly activities. person

• Juan Manuel Sotelo, MD, PhD, MPH 

  Juan Manuel Sotelo, MD, PhD, MPH

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Director a.i. Caribbean Subregion - PAHO/WHO   Strategic Planning | Resource Mobilization | Universal Health | Multilateral and Bilateral Technical Cooperation   Argentina | Barbados | Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | Brazil | Chile | El Salvador | Guatemala | Honduras | Mexico | Tunisia ARG||BRB||BOL||BRA||CHL||SLV||GTM||HND||MEX||TUN BIO STATEMENT:Juan Manuel Sotelo is a senior international public health professional who has devoted his career to promoting equity, development, and universal health. An experienced director of national and cross-national programs throughout South and Central America and the Caribbean, he has overseen the political, technical, and managerial aspects of PAHO/WHO operations in Bolivia, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile. He held similar directorships for the Eastern Caribbean and recently completed an assignment to coordinate the PAHO/WHO eight-country Sub-Regional Program for Central America. He has been head of the Department of External Relations, Resource Mobilization, and Partnerships. He has an MD, Ph.D., MPH. person

• David A. Spiegel, MD 

  David A. Spiegel, MD

  Scholar Scholar   Professor of Orthopedic Surgery | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia   Global Surgery | Orthopedics | Pediatrics   Nepal | Pakistan | Iraq NPL||PAK||IRQ BIO STATEMENT: Dr. David Spiegel works as a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, specializing in neuromuscular diseases, trauma, and spinal deformities, and is a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where he holds the Denis S. Drummond endowed chair in pediatric orthopaedics. He is a Penn Center for Global Health (CGH) Scholar and a member of the Penn chapter of the AOA honor society. He attended Duke University for college, medical school, and orthopaedic surgical residency training, and then completed both research and clinical fellowships in pediatric orthopaedics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dr. Spiegel has been active in surgical care in low- and middle-income countries for over 30 years, serving as an Honorary Consultant in Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at the Hospital & Rehabilitation Centre for Disabled Children in Banepa, Nepal, and as an Honorary Professor at the University of Basrah and the University of Baghdad in Iraq. He has served on numerous national committees, including Children's Orthopaedics in Underdeveloped Regions of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA), the Bone and Joint Decade committee (POSNA), the Global Courses Committee (POSNA), and the International Committee of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, where he directed the international scholars program. He has also served on the Advisory Board of Orthopaedics Overseas, Global-HELP, the Ponseti International Association, Miracle Feet, and the Global Clubfoot Initiative. He has served as a consultant for the World Health Organization in Mongolia and Somalia and was on the steering committee for the WHO's Global Initiative for Emergency and Essential Surgical Care. He has delivered nearly 500 invited lectures, mostly at international venues including Nepal, Iran, Iraq, China, Pakistan, Tanzania, Mongolia, and Somalia. He has also co-edited a textbook titled Global Orthopaedics: Caring for Musculoskeletal Conditions and Injuries in Austere Settings. Dr. Spiegel has received numerous national and international humanitarian awards over the course of his career, including the President's Call to Service Award (2006) from the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation for 4,000 hours of community service, the Golden Apple Award from Health Volunteers Overseas (2009), an AAOS Achievement Award (2014), the Humanitarian Award from the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (2013), the Walter P. Blount Humanitarian Award from the Scoliosis Research Society (2016), the Humanitarian Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (2017), and the Duke Medical Alumni Association Humanitarian Award (2026). He was inducted into the POSNA Hall of Fame in 2026 and received the William P. Potsic MD Mentorship Award at CHOP in 2025. person

• Lucía Isabel Stavig, PhD, MS, MA 

  Lucía Isabel Stavig, PhD, MS, MA

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Research on Race & Ethnicity in Society & Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Indiana University   Women's health | Reproductive Justice | Indigenous Health   Peru PER BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Lucía Isabel Stavig Postdoctoral Fellow “Dispossessions in the America" in CLALS I am broadly interested in Indigenous health, reproductive health policy, reproductive justice, and Indigenous futures. Currently, I am involved in the rehabilitation of Mosoq Pakari Sumac Kawsay/A New Dawn for Good Living, an Indigenous women-run healing center outside Cusco, Perú, that serves Quechua women who were forcibly sterilized in the 1990s. I am a member of three international research and legal teams supporting the efforts of sterilized Indigenous women in Peru, Canada, the United States, South Africa, and Indonesia to seek justice and reparations in health. person

• Andrew P. Steenhoff, MBBCh, DCH 

  Andrew P. Steenhoff, MBBCh, DCH

  Scholar Scholar   Medical Director of CHOP Global Health Center | Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania   HIV/AIDS | Tuberculosis | Pediatrics | Partnerships | Infectious disease | International Medical Education | Medical Education | Infection Control & Prevention | Global Child Health' | Graduate Medical Education   Botswana | Cameroon | Dominican Republic | Ghana | Ethiopia | Namibia | South Africa | United States BWA||CMR||DOM||GHA||ETH||NAM||ZAF||USA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Andrew Steenhoff graduated from medical school at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He completed pediatric residencies at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Soweto, and Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, followed by an Infectious Diseases Fellowship at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). From 2007 to 2015, he served as Associate Country Director and Research Director for the Botswana-UPenn Partnership, and in July 2015 he became Medical Director of CHOP's Global Health Center. An internationally recognized leader in global child health and pediatric infectious diseases, he combines clinical, educational, public health, research, and leadership skills to improve child and adolescent health in low- and middle-income countries. His research focuses on pediatric infectious diseases, with a particular interest in tuberculosis. He is a Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) at the University of Pennsylvania and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the University of Botswana. person

• Melissa Ann Stockton, PhD, MSPH 

  Melissa Ann Stockton, PhD, MSPH

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania   HIV/AIDS | Mental health | Stigma   Malawi | South Africa MWI||ZAF BIO STATEMENT: I am a social epidemiologist and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. I am an expert in stigma-reduction research whose work focuses on implementing and evaluating evidence-based interventions that both address stigma and deliver high-quality psychological care in low-resource settings. I am based in Lilongwe Malawi, where I currently lead research on stigma-reduction and suicide prevention as part of mental health programming for people living with HIV. person

• Boris Striepen, PhD 

  Boris Striepen, PhD

  Scholar Scholar   Mark Whittier & Lila Griswold Allam Professor of Microbiology & Immunology | University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine   Tropical diseases | OneHealth | Diarrheal disease | Malnutrition | Cryptosporidium | Parasitology | Neglected Tropical Disease   United States USA BIO STATEMENT:Boris grew up in Ruhrort where the German rivers Rhine and Ruhr meet, an industrial area then dominated by coal and steel. He studied biology at the universities of Bonn and Marburg and conducted undergrad research on liver flukes in Bonn and Nagana in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Boris earned a PhD summa cum laude for work on parasite biochemistry with Ralph Schwarz, was a postdoc with David Roos studying parasite cell biology, prior to starting his laboratory at the Center for Tropical & Emerging Global Diseases at the University of Georgia in 2000, where he last was a Distinguished Research Professor. In 2017 he joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania. Boris studies the cell and molecular biology of apicomplexan parasites. His current research focus is the parasite Cryptosporidium, a leading global cause of diarrhea and mortality in young children. His lab pioneered molecular genetics for this important infection and leads a range of interdisciplinary efforts to understand fundamental parasite biology and to advance translation towards drugs and vaccines. Boris is also engaged in education and training. He taught undergraduate and graduate classes, directed NIH training grant programs in parasitology, and served as faculty and director of the Biology of Parasitism summer research course at the Marine Biology Laboratories in Woods Hole, MA. Boris is married to a social worker with remarkable patience for scientists and has three children, two are scientists – all are awesome. person

• Rachel Laadi Sulla, MBChB, MPH 

  Rachel Laadi Sulla, MBChB, MPH

  International Scholar International Scholar   Physician, Global Health Strategy | Avenir Management Partners, Boston   Health economics | Program management | Implementation Science | Digital Health | Health Financing | Program Evaluation | Program Implementation   Ghana | United States GHA||USA BIO STATEMENT: Rachel Laadi Sulla is a Ghanaian medical doctor and global health professional with an MPH from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and a background spanning healthcare delivery, clinical research, and public health in both rural and urban settings in Ghana. Her work centers on addressing complex health challenges and understanding how limited resources can be allocated to achieve better, more equitable health outcomes, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This experience has shaped her interest in solving difficult problems at the intersection of evidence, policy, and implementation, and in asking practical questions about how health systems can set priorities, allocate resources, and make sound decisions amid competing needs. In October 2022, Rachel led a team that screened and educated over 200 women for breast cancer in Ghana's Bono region. She currently works at the KNUST-IVI Collaborative Center on a multinational, multi-center study examining the epidemiological and economic impact of typhoid in Africa. She has also collaborated with payers, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to generate evidence on these issues, and attended the Implementation Science course hosted by the Penn Implementation Science Institute, where she gained skills she plans to apply toward research aimed at improving health outcomes for individuals living with NCDs in LMICs. Through her research, professional activities, and continued training, Rachel seeks to develop and apply rigorous, interdisciplinary approaches to health decision-making. She is motivated by opportunities to work collaboratively across sectors to translate evidence into practical solutions for global health challenges. person

• Michelle Sun, MD, MPH 

  Michelle Sun, MD, MPH

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology   Clinical care | Community health | Community Engagement | Ophthalmology | Surgical Training | Glaucoma | Diabetic Retinopathy | Cataract   Kenya | Guatemala KEN||GTM BIO STATEMENT: I am currently an Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at the Scheie Eye Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. As a global ophthalmology fellow at the University of Michigan, I worked in India, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Eswatini, and Jamaica, where I taught and supervised local trainees and provided clinical and surgical care. Prior to medical school, I received the Whitaker International Fellowship to pursue biomedical engineering research at the University of Cape Town and lived in Cape Town for two years. I received my BA in physics from Cornell, MD from UCLA, MPH from Johns Hopkins, and did residency at Weill Cornell. During my MPH, I also worked on testing a device for the detection of trachoma in Nepal. Part of my role at Scheie will be to build the global involvement of our department.  person

• Bruno Fokas Sunguya, MD, MSc, PhD 

  Bruno Fokas Sunguya, MD, MSc, PhD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Professor & Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Consultancy   HIV/AIDS | Maternal Child Health | Non-communicable disease | Nutrition   Tanzania, United Republic of TZA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Sunguya is an Associate Professor of Public Health Nutrition, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Consultancy at MUHAS, Visiting Associate Professor (Kumamoto University Japan), and Honorary Senior Fellow (Oxford University). His research areas include Nutrition, Adolescent, Maternal and Child Health, and HIV/AIDS, conducted and disseminated widely in more than 100 papers, and book chapters. He serves as an Associate Editor for the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and BMC nutrition journal; a member of number of national committees; the WHO Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group-Subgroup on Diet and Health; and a contact person for research and consultancy for MUHAS person

• JaBaris Demond Swain, MD, MPH, MBA 

  JaBaris Demond Swain, MD, MPH, MBA

  Scholar Scholar   Clinical Associate Surgeon, Dept of Surgery, UPenn| Director-Innovation, MedTech, Johnson & Johnson   Public Health | Global Surgery | Capacity-building | Medical Education | Cardiothoracic Surgery | Implementation Science   Haiti | Rwanda HTI||RWA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. JaBaris D. Swain, MD, MPH, MBA is a Clinical Associate Surgeon in the Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and serves as Director of Innovation, MedTech at Johnson & Johnson. Dr. Swain’s interest in global health is grounded in his commitment to advancing equitable access to cardiovascular surgery and systems-based innovation in low-resource settings. His work through Team Heart in Rwanda focuses on strengthening local capacity for cardiac surgery, improving postoperative care for children and adolescents with rheumatic heart disease, and developing sustainable frameworks for anticoagulation management in collaboration with the Rwandan Ministry of Health. Dr. Swain’s earlier experience in Haiti—supporting surgical relief efforts and academic partnerships—further shaped his approach to integrating clinical excellence, technology, and public health principles to improve outcomes in underserved populations. His ongoing efforts bridge innovation, education, and implementation science, aligning global surgery with his broader mission to design health systems that are both equitable and enduring. person

• Jasmine LaChelle Taylor, MD 

  Jasmine LaChelle Taylor, MD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Resident Physician PGY-4, Diagnostic Radiology | University of Pennsylvania   Radiology | Health Systems Strengthening | Radiology Education | Global Radiology   Botswana BWA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Jasmine Taylor is a resident in the Diagnostic Radiology program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Health Equity Leadership track. Her professional interests center on healthcare systems and the inequities that shape them, with a particular focus on advancing diagnostic radiology through global health service organization initiatives. Dr. Taylor brings a wealth of international experience to her work, having previously served at Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana, and worked alongside CARE to deliver humanitarian aid in Honduras. person

• Andrew W. Taylor-Robinson, PhD 

  Andrew W. Taylor-Robinson, PhD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Professor of Microbiology and Immunology | VinUniversity College of Health Sciences   Epidemiology | Malaria | Infectious disease | Immunology | Dengue | Antimicrobial Resistance | Infection Control & Prevention | Arboviruses | mosquito-transmitted diseases   Australia | Bangladesh | Ethiopia | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Indonesia | India | Iraq | Sri Lanka | Malaysia | Nigeria | Nepal | Pakistan | Philippines | Vietnam AUS||BGD||ETH||GBR||IDN||IND||IRQ||LKA||MYS||NGA||NPL||PAK||PHL||VNM person

• Harsha Thirumurthy, PhD 

  Harsha Thirumurthy, PhD

  Scholar Scholar   Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy | University of Pennsylvania   HIV/AIDS | Non-communicable disease | Health economics | Nutrition   India | Kenya | Uganda | South Africa IND||KEN||UGA||ZAF BIO STATEMENT: Harsha Thirumurthy is an economist and Professor in the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy. His research interests are at the intersection of economics and public health. Dr. Thirumurthy has led numerous studies in Africa and South Asia. At Penn, Dr. Thirumurthy co-directs the Behavioral Economics and Global Health Insights Lab and holds several leadership roles. In 2020, he co-founded the Indlela nudge unit in South Africa. He earned a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University and previously served on the faculty at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. person

• Agin G. Thomas, MD 

  Agin G. Thomas, MD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Resident Physician | University of Pennsylvania   Mental health | Wellness Programs   United States USA BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Agin Thomas is currently a fourth year chief resident in the Penn Department of Psychiatry. He is interested in exploring global mental health initiatives and establishing programs that would allow other trainees to address the global mental health crisis.  Dr Thomas has a strong interest in wellness, as well. He is the co-founder of Penn’s Psychiatry Residency Wellness Committee, co-facilitator of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course at Penn CAPS for Penn undergraduate and graduate students, and a certified yoga instructor.  Dr Thomas is a captain in the United States Air Force and will be an active duty psychiatrist in July 2020. person

• Luis O. Tierradentro, MD 

  Luis O. Tierradentro, MD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Diagnostic Radiology Resident, University of Pennsylvania   Infectious disease | Radiology | Health Equity | Diagnostic Imaging | Global Radiology | Global Health Policy   Colombia | Ecuador | Malawi COL||ECU||MWI BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Tierradentro is a radiology resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Born and raised in Neiva, Colombia, he completed his medical training at Universidad del Rosario. Dr. Tierradentro also worked as a postdoctoral research fellow in pediatric imaging at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia before starting his training in clinical radiology. He is interested in addressing healthcare disparities and advancing access to medical imaging locally and globally, especially in the pediatric population. person

• Sarah A. Tishkoff, PhD 

  Sarah A. Tishkoff, PhD

  Scholar Scholar   Director, Center for Global Genomics and Health | David and Lyn Silfen University Professor   Health Equity | Genomics | Population Genetics   Tanzania, United Republic of | Kenya | Botswana | Cameroon | Ethiopia | United States TZA||KEN||BWA||CMR||ETH||USA bio: Sarah Tishkoff is the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor in Genetics and Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, holding appointments in the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Arts and Sciences. She also directs the Penn Center for Global Genomics & Health Equity in the Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Tishkoff studies genomic and phenotypic variation in ethnically diverse Africans. Her research combines field work, laboratory research, and computational methods to examine African population history and the genetic basis of anthropometric, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune-related traits, as well as how humans have adapted to diverse environments and diets. She plays an active role as an advocate for the inclusion of global populations in human genetics and genomics research. Dr. Tishkoff is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her honors include an NIH Pioneer Award, a David and Lucile Packard Career Award, a Burroughs/Wellcome Fund Career Award, the ASHG Curt Stern Award, the Wilbur Cross Medal from Yale, the Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Sciences, and a Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) endowed chair. She is past President of the American Society of Human Genetics, serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for the Packard Fellowships in Science and Engineering, and sits on the editorial boards of Cell and PLOS Genetics. Her research is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Chan Zuckerberg Institute, and the American Diabetes Association. person

• Etsegenet Fetene Tizazu, MD, MS 

  Etsegenet Fetene Tizazu, MD, MS

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Neurologist & Head, Neurodiagnostics | PennMedicine, West Chester & Chester County Hospital   International Medical Education | Telemedicine | Global Neurology | Health Care Delivery   Ethiopia ETH BIO STATEMENT: r. Tizazu is a first-generation Ethiopian-American working to advance the treatment of epilepsy in Ethiopia. She is an adult epileptologist and completed her neurology residency and epilepsy fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. Her current work includes expanding access to neurologists via tele-neurology, forming a countrywide epilepsy curriculum and treatment guidelines as well as working with national and international partners to increase access to diagnostics and safe antiseizure medications. person

• Maurizio Trevisan MD, MS 

  Maurizio Trevisan MD, MS

  International Scholar International Scholar   Professor - Universita Campus BioMedico | Roma, Italy   Epidemiology | Chronic Diseases | Disease Prevention   Italy | Vietnam ITA||VNM BIO STATEMENT: Dr Maurizio Trevisan is a Professor at Universita Campus Biomedico. He is a cardiovascular disease epidemiologist interested in ways to prevent CVD through changes in life style habits. He has been engaged in a number of international epidemiological collaborative studies. In his current position in Vietnam, he is focused on Chronic Disease prevention in a country in transition with a significant shift in the leading causes of mortality and morbidity. As a researcher, he has authored more than 250 publications, which have appeared in such high-impact journals as the "Journal of the American Medical Association," "Annals of Internal Medicine" and "The New England Journal of Medicine." He has extensive experience directing and conducting multi-center and international collaborative studies, as well. person

• Quynh Truong, PhD, MSW, MPH 

  Quynh Truong, PhD, MSW, MPH

  International Scholar International Scholar   Senior Lecturer, Health Policy | College of Health Sciences, VinUniversity   Mental health | Health Systems Strengthening | Health Equity | Palliative Care   Vietnam | Thailand VNM||THA BIO STATEMENT: Passionate about global health, Dr. Quynh Truong, MPH, MSW, PhD is an esteemed educator and co-lead of MD program's research theme at VinUni, specializing in Health Policy, Palliative Care, and Clinical Social Work. With a PhD and a clinical-health-focused second Master's degree, Quynh is a pioneering figure in medical social work in Vietnam. She employs evidence-based public health interventions to develop impactful health strategies. An advocate for palliative care and mental health, particularly for vulnerable populations, Quynh is deeply committed to addressing mental health challenges in low and middle-income countries, contributing significantly to the global health landscape. person

• Leah Rose Turner, MSN 

  Leah Rose Turner, MSN

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Senior Clinical Manager, Clinical Nurse Practitioner, Division of Infectious Disease | University of Pennsylvania   Humanitarian assistance | Disaster response | Global Nursing   Vietnam VNM BIO STATEMENT: Leah is currently serving as the Senior Clinical Manager and a Clinical Nurse Practitioner at the MacGregor Infection Medicine and Travel Program affiliated with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She sees patients departing for international travel and returned travelers for infectious diseases evaluation. Leah's global experience includes time as a Community Health Volunteer in the Peace Corps, where she lived and worked at a rural hospital in Southwestern Uganda. She is also on the Medical Teams International Humanitarian Response Team and deployed to Bangladesh in 2018 to support humanitarian relief efforts for Rohingya refugees. person

• Tuyet Thi Nguyen, MD, PhD 

  Tuyet Thi Nguyen, MD, PhD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Assistant Clinical Professor, Internal Medicine | College of Health Sciences, VinUniversity   Academic Partnerships | Quality Improvement | Medical Education | internal medicine | Graduate Medical Education | Cardiology | Global Cardiovascular Health | Workforce Development   Vietnam VNM BIO STATEMENT: Nguyen Thi Tuyet, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Vinmec International Hospital, and the College of Health Sciences, VinUniversity, Hanoi, Vietnam. She currently serves as the Designated Institutional Official (DIO) for graduate medical education (GME) at VinUni, where she oversees current residency programs and leads the development of new residency and fellowship training programs aligned with Vinmec's needs and international standards. In this role, she chairs and leads the Graduate Medical Education Committee, supports institutional compliance with ACGME/ACGME-I requirements, and contributes to strategic planning, clinical learning environment improvement, faculty development, and quality assurance across graduate medical education. Dr. Nguyen’s scholarly and professional interests in global health are grounded in health professions education, health system strengthening, and workforce development. She views global health not only as the delivery of care across borders, but also as the development of sustainable institutional capacity to prepare competent, socially accountable physicians for diverse and rapidly changing health systems. Dr. Nguyen received her medical degree from Pham Ngoc Thach Medical University, completed residency training in Internal Medicine at Nhan Dan 115 Hospital, earned a Master of Health Administration from Yonsei University Graduate School of Public Health, and obtained a PhD in Medical Sciences from Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine. She has further completed advanced training in health professions education through the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. Her long-term global health objective is to contribute to the development of a high-quality, equitable, and internationally connected physician workforce in Vietnam. Through leadership in GME, faculty development, research, and national health workforce initiatives, Dr. Nguyen seeks to advance sustainable models of medical education that improve physician competence, institutional capacity, patient safety, and health system performance. person

• Cesar Ugarte-Gil, MD, MSc, PhD 

  Cesar Ugarte-Gil, MD, MSc, PhD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Assistant Professor, Epidemiology | University of Texas Medical Branch   HIV/AIDS | Tuberculosis | Tropical Medicine | COVID-19   Peru PER BIO STATEMENT: In the last 15 years, after finishing medical school at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH), I worked in Tuberculosis (TB) research, participating at the Institute of Tropical Medicine Alexander von Humboldt (IMTAvH) at the UPCH in several TB diagnostic and epidemiological studies. I hold a MSc in Epidemiology from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a PhD in Global Diseases Epidemiology and Control from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. My main research interests in Tuberculosis are non-communicable comorbidities (including diabetes mellitus and depression) and diagnostic trials. Other research interests include HIV/AIDS, tropical diseases and COVID-19. person

• Phuoc Van Le, MD, MPH 

  Phuoc Van Le, MD, MPH

  International Scholar International Scholar   Vice Dean, Medical Education | College of Health Sciences, VinUniversity   Health Disparities | Medical Education | Global Health Fellowship | Structural Competency   Vietnam VNM BIO STATEMENT: Prof. Le Van Phuoc graduated from Dartmouth College in 2000 with a double major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Asian and Middle Eastern Languages and Literatures. He then matriculated at Stanford Medical School where he earned his MD and MPH from UC Berkeley. He completed a combined residency in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Global Health Equity at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. Currently, Dr. Le is the Vice Dean for Medical Education at VinUniversity College of Health Sciences in Hanoi, Vietnam. person

• Angel Velarde Lopez, MD, MSCE 

  Angel Velarde Lopez, MD, MSCE

  International Scholar International Scholar   Department Director of Research | Liga Nacional Contra el Cáncer   Epidemiology | Global Oncology | Radiation oncology | Biostatistics | Clinical Trials | Oncology | Global Radiology | Radiotherapy | Medical Physics | Cardiology | Global Cardiovascular Health | Electrophysiology   Guatemala GTM BIO STATEMENT: Dr. Velarde’s medical expertise areas include epidemiology, statistics, pneumonia, and vitamin D. He received his medical degree from University of San Carlos School of Medicine. Through a scholarship from the NIH, he received a Masters of Science in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania where he was mentored by Dr. Brian L. Strom. He has worked for AbbVie and assisted in presenting the AbbVie’s pipeline drugs protocols for phase 1- 3 studies. He also working with infectious diseases and cancer, and is the Department Director of Research at Liga Nacional Contra el Cáncer in Guatemala. person

• Dillan Villavisanis, MD 

  Dillan Villavisanis, MD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Resident | University of Pennsylvania   Epidemiology | Pediatric Plastic Surgery | Cleft Palate & Lip | Surgical Instruction | Craniofacial Surgery | Surgical Systems Strengthening | Surgical Education | Surgical Training | Plastic Surgery   Botswana | Mexico | Uganda BWA||MEX||UGA BIO STATEMENT: Dillan is a Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery resident at Penn and Co-Chair of the Young Leadership Board at Smile Train. His previous work has focused on cleft and craniofacial surgery epidemiology in Botswana supported by a grant from the Center for Human Appearance; development of a sustainable ambulatory surgery center in Jinja, Uganda; and cleft community engagement in Mexico City. Dillan completed his MD at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai with a Distinction in Global Health and BA at Johns Hopkins University. person

• Dmytro Vinnytskyi, MD 

  Dmytro Vinnytskyi, MD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Orthopedic Surgeon - Mukachevo Military Hospital   Orthopedics | Trauma | Osteoplasty | Microsurgery | Arthroscopy   Ukraine UKR BIO STATEMENT: During the tragedy that befell Ukraine, its people and the entire democratic world, namely, the unprovoked attack of Russia on a peaceful country until recently, it forces doctors from the entire civilized world to unite to treat the terrible injuries and mutilations of Ukrainians who suffered in the war. As a military orthopedist and traumatologist, I directly face extremely difficult challenges after the injuries of our defenders. Therefore, I greatly appreciate the help of American colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania, who make a significant contribution to the recovery of our soldiers and the acceleration of our victory. Slava Ukraini! person

• Bridgette W. Wamakima, MD, MBA, MPH 

  Bridgette W. Wamakima, MD, MBA, MPH

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Assistant Professor, Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology | University of Pennsylvania   HIV/AIDS | Global Surgery | Implementation research | Reproductive health | Women's health | Point of Care Ultrasound | Maternal Health | Pre-Eclampsia   Botswana | Kenya BWA||KEN BIO STATEMENT:Bridgette Wamakima, MD, MBA, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania. She completed residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a Global Women’s Health Fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her work focuses on improving maternal outcomes in resource-limited settings, with research spanning HIV, pre-eclampsia, and maternal near-miss indicators. Dr. Wamakima has collaborated on projects in Botswana on the impact of antiretroviral therapy on pregnancy outcomes. She has also worked closely with physician in Kenya on obstetric ultrasound training. Her interests include capacity building, implementation research, and global partnerships that advance women’s health. She is passionate about developing sustainable systems that improve maternal care and foster the next generation of clinician-scientists in Africa and beyond.0 person

• Rebecca E. Ward, MD 

  Rebecca E. Ward, MD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Diagnostic Radiology Resident | University of Pennsylvania   Radiology | Diagnostic Imaging | Global Radiology   Botswana | Nepal BWA||NPL BIO STATEMENT: Rebecca E. Ward, MD is a PGY-4 UPenn Diagnostic Radiology resident. She is a current member of the Diagnostic Radiology Global Health Equity Track. Dr. Ward has worked within the radiology department at Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana, interpreting diagnostic images and performing basic procedures. She has traveled to Nepal where she and colleagues performed portable ultrasound exams in high-risk pregnancy patients in remote rural villages. Dr. Ward completed the Rad-Aid Proficiency in Global Health Radiology course in 2023. person

• Victoria Leigh Williams, MD 

  Victoria Leigh Williams, MD

  Scholar Scholar   Assistant Professor of Clinical Dermatology | University of Pennsylvania   HIV/AIDS | Healthcare Access | Technology in Low Resource Settings | International Medical Education | Telemedicine | Albinism   Botswana | Tanzania, United Republic of | Nepal | South Africa | Congo, Democratic Republic of the BWA||TZA||NPL||ZAF||COD BIO STATEMENT:Dr. Williams is a dermatologist with a broad interest in public health, HIV, neglected tropical diseases, albinism, healthcare access, medical education, and eHealth. She has worked in a variety of global health settings in Central/South America, Africa and Asia since 2008. She worked full-time in Botswana from 2016 – 2018 as the Site Director for Botswana UPenn Partnership’s Dermatology Program and Head of Dermatology at Princess Marina Hospital. From 2018 – 2020 she was an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania, Co-Director of the Penn Dermatology Global Health Track and Director of the Botswana UPenn Parnership’s Dermatology Program. Her desire to make a long-term impact on public health has lead to her current position as a Director in Global Regulatory Affairs for Vaccines and Infectious Disease at Merck, where she works on the development of HIV and small molecule antiviral therapeutics. Dr. Williams continues her global health work through clinical, research and educational collaborations and global health organizational roles including Co-Directing the American Academy of Dermatology’s Resident International Grant Program. person

• Matthew Winterton, MD 

  Matthew Winterton, MD

  Associate Scholar Associate Scholar   Resident Physician | University of Pennsylvania   Global Surgery | Healthcare Access | Technology in Low Resource Settings | Orthopedics   Madagascar MDG BIO STATEMENT: I am a faculty member as a Lecturer in Foreign Languages at the Penn Language Center, where I founded and have taught Malagasy, the indigenous language of Madagascar, for the past 5 years. Our program has grown to 2 faculty members and about 70 students across 5 classes, spanning Beginning through Advanced Malagasy; we recently had 3 Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) fellows named from our students. Additionally, I am a resident in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery here at Penn. I am working to bridge the global surgery/orthopedics gap mainly in Africa through technology. person

• Ruth Woldemichael, MD 

  Ruth Woldemichael, MD

  Research Affiliate Research Affiliate   Global Women's Health Fellow OB/GYN   Global Surgery | International Medical Education | Bioethics | Medical Education | Maternal Health   Mexico | Vietnam MEX||VNM BIO STATEMENT: Penn Medicine’s inaugural Global Women’s Health Fellow and an OB/GYN committed to advancing equitable maternal and reproductive care worldwide. Through a partnership with Penn’s Center for Global Health and Médecins Sans Frontières in Mexico City, she focuses on perinatal care, contraceptive access, sexual health, and sexual violence risk reduction for migrant populations, while contributing to global medical education initiatives including the VinUni–Penn partnership in Vietnam. person

• Sharon Wolf, PhD 

  Sharon Wolf, PhD

  Scholar Scholar   Associate Professor, Graduate School of Education | University of Pennsylvania   Maternal Health | Early Childhood Development | Maternal Mental Health | Stress and Child Development   Botswana | Côte d'Ivoire | Ghana | Malawi | Nigeria BWA||CIV||GHA||MWI||NGA BIO STATEMENT: I work at the intersection of developmental psychology and global health, with expertise in early childhood health and development; maternal mental health; and the evaluation of education and social protection programs. Using both large-scale secondary data and primary data, I study the links between poverty, social policies, education, parenting, and child development through descriptive, experimental, and quasi-experimental methods. person

• Demyan Yuriy, PhD 

  Demyan Yuriy, PhD

  International Scholar International Scholar   Pediatric Orthopedist, Regional Children Hospital, Zakarpattia   Trauma | Pediatric Orthopedics | Soft Tissue Reconstruction   Ukraine UKR BIO STATEMENT: Traumatology and Orthopedics is my greatest interest, especially congenital and acquired limb deformities in children and adults. Lately I have defended my PhD on the “flexible flat foot in children with hypermobility of joints” theme. I am looking forward to getting a new knowledge in the field of pathology of hip joint. Discovering new methodologies of treatment and implementing it on treating the children of my homeland. also in connection with the war in Ukraine, I am interested in the treatment of blast trauma our military patients. person