This webinar series is designed and moderated by Rashad Massoud, MD, MPH, FACP, visiting faculty in the Department of Global Health and Population at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The series aims to expose Harvard Chan students to the wide array of career paths they may pursue.
Our speakers have been invited to share their personal perspectives. They do not speak for Harvard.
Seminars are held from 1:00–2:00 pm ET via Zoom on the first Friday of each month unless otherwise noted.
For questions, please contact Kim Ploeg kploeg@hsph.harvard.edu or Jessica Majano jmajanoguevara@hsph.harvard.edu.
2023 – 2024 Seminars
Friday, September 22, 2023
Register here
International Non-Governmental Organizations
Featuring Nana Mensah Abrampah (WHO Geneva) and Karla Schwarzbauer (IDB Honduras)
Nana Mensah Abrampah is a technical officer in the Office of the Director, Strategic Planning and Partnership for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme. She is based at the WHO Headquarters in Geneva.
Karla Schwarzbauer is a medical professional with a master’s in health services management and certification from Harvard’s continuous medical education program in safety, quality, informatics, and leadership. She is also a regional expert in health systems, sustainability, and innovations in the Salud Mesoamerica Initiative, a public–private partnership focused on improving the health outcomes of the region’s poorest 20%.
Friday, October 6, 2023
Register here
Humanitarian Assistance
Featuring Liviu Vedrasco (WHO Bishkek) and Ian Speers (Global Resonance Technologies, LLC)
Liviu Vedrasco was recently appointed as the World Health Organization’s Representative to the Kyrgyz Republic. For many years prior to this, he led the Health Emergencies Unit at WHO in Geneva. Liviu also held leadership roles with UN agencies, philanthropies, and NGOs.
Ian is a public health emergency management specialist, humanitarian medical logistician, and EMT/SARTECH. Ian has worked on a variety of humanitarian assistance projects and programs across the NGO, government, private, startup, and academic sectors.
Friday, November 3, 2023
Register here
United States Government Agencies
Featuring Rhea Bright (USAID Washington, DC) and Esther Karamagi Nkolo (USAID Kampala, Uganda)
Rhea Bright, MPH, is a senior quality improvement advisor with Credence Management Solutions, LLC. In this role, she works as an institutional support contractor in the Global Health Bureau at USAID. Ms. Bright provides technical leadership in the areas of modern quality improvement and systems thinking to inform Agency-wide coordination to operationalize USAID’s Vision for Health System Strengthening 2030.
Esther Karamagi Nkolo, PhD, has over 15 years of infectious disease experience in both local and international settings. She was formerly the Chief of Party of the USAID ASSIST project in Uganda, and she currently serves as a program management specialist at USAID in Kampala, Uganda.
Friday, February 2, 2024
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Global Health Diplomacy
Featuring Ayako Okuhama (WHO) and Tamar Tchelidze (Roche Diagnostics)
Ayako Okuhama, MD, MPH, is an incoming technical officer for the Health Emergency Programme, Infectious Hazard Preparedness Unit, Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, World Health Organization. Ayako was previously based in the WHO Kuwait country office, which supports country partners with technical assistance in accordance with country support plans developed in partnership with the ministry of health.
Tamar Tchelidze, MD, MPH, is a disease area partner at Medical and Scientific Affairs, Roche Diagnostics. She was previously a senior policy fellow at UC Berkeley, a counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Georgia to the UN, and the First Secretary of the Embassy of Georgia in Washington, DC. Tamar has a strong reputation for her ability to bring together international and domestic partners to plan and execute efficient and effective public health initiatives.
Friday, March 1, 2024
Register here
Public Health Entrepreneurship
Featuring Karen Zeribi (Shift) and Katie Donohue McMillan (Well Made Health, LLC)
Karen Zeribi, MHS, founded Shift, a collaborative improvement organization dedicated to accelerating social change, from making health care more patient-centered to improving student experiences and equitable outcomes in education. Over the last 20 years, Karen has designed and led whole system improvement efforts in Africa, Latin America, and the United States.
Katie Donohue McMillan, MPH, is the CEO and founder of Well Made Health, LLC, a digital health consulting company founded in 2020. Since 2008, Katie has been working in health care with global health NGOs, academic medical center innovation teams, software development companies, and cutting-edge start-ups.
Friday, April 5, 2024
Register here
Public Health Outside the U.S.
Featuring Nadeem Alduaij (Baraka Impact Finance) and Henry Mwebesa (Ministry of Health, Uganda)
Nadeem Alduaij, MD, MPH, is a physician executive, digital global health innovator, and passionate connector. He is the co-founder of Baraka Impact Finance, a Swiss global health impact investing advisory and data analytics platform, as well as a consultant for the Research and Innovation Center at the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi.
Henry Mwebesa, MBCHB, MPH, is Director General of Health Services in the Ministry of Health, Uganda. In this position, he led the response to the recent Ebola outbreak and COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, he was the director of health services, responsible for policy, planning, and quality insurance.
