Global Health Summit
Coming Soon
Innovation
to Action.
Vibrant ideas.
Innovative solutions.
Meeting together for a more sustainable future.
Dare to take action?
Innovators United globally
Participants from over 30 countries attended last year's conference!
ABOUT
Innovation to Action is an annual global health conference that fuses innovation and collaboration centered around human health.
November 12 , 2022
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM PST
Special thanks to UNA-Atlanta for sponsoring and supporting the UN SDG competition!
Because we
In collaboration with CARE, we provide a virtual platform that stimulates critical thinking surrounding the United Nations' 17 sustainable goals in a way that inspires change.
Human Health.
Human health is at the core of not just individual well-being but of societal progress. Without having healthy communities, governments and entire national economies can be deeply threatened. Despite the importance of health and healthcare, there are clear disparities in the composition of disease and access to proper care.
Addressing these issues will take a collective and community effort, one that emphasizes every aspect of human health, including poverty, sanitation, medicine, geography, economics, and policy regulation.
This year’s conference theme, Defying Disparities in Healthcare, emphasizes the the number of factors that go into human health and the interdependence global health has.
Our Goals.
Our Topics.
Through workshops, speakers, and networking, attendees will develop an understanding of today’s global health topics.
Pathogens
Pathogens present unique challenges for every nation, as no one place has the same makeup of viruses, bacteria, and other disease-causing microorganisms. However, by working collaboratively nations can boost global understanding of different pathogens and accelerate the development of effective treatments.
Poverty & Food
Poverty and food insecurity are both major drivers of poor health; both make it difficult to maintain good physical and mental health, and both can lead to poor nutrition and disease management.
.png)
The delivery of healthcare is ever-changing, with telemedicine experiencing growth at a point when patients were unable to leave their homes and we are now seeing digital bluetooth stethoscopes and ECGs built into our watches. Health and technology are constantly evolving, yet there is still room for improvement, and more problems must be faced. We will touch on what it takes to solve the next generation of problems and allow time and space to pick the brains of innovators and policymakers, as well as what can be done by you to contribute in this space.
Utilizing health and technology to innovate better healthcare
Maternal Health
Women’s reproductive health is a matter of global importance. In 2017, it was estimated that 810 women died from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. By giving women and children greater access to comprehensive resources and education, nations can lower rates of accidental pregnancy and maternal mortality, while simultaneously enhancing economic development. Maternal mortality is still a significant global concern and discussion and innovation to reduce complications during pregnancy and childbirth is an essential component of global health.
There is a great divide when it comes to equal access to healthcare. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the number of disparities minorities and those from low income countries face even when it comes to accessing simple health care services like vaccinations. Shortage of clinics, understaffed hospitals, and lack of protection for refugees are all barriers to access and are vital parts to the discussion of approaching equitable access to health.
Local and International Inequities in Global Health
Health Economics, Health Policy and Healthcare Management
Health economics is a crucial dimension of global health delivery. It is important to understand healthcare management and how to best allocate limited resources to prevent and treat diseases as well as deliver the most efficient healthcare to improve the health of large populations. Through this topic, we will explore how economics research can be applied to improve efficiency and address healthcare disparities globally.
Health Disparities and Indigenous Health
While often under highlighted, there are clear disparities in achieving health within indigenous communities worldwide. Indigenous individuals are faced with disproportionately high levels of maternal and infant mortality, malnutrition, cardiovascular illnesses, and HIV/AIDS. Given the widely reported differences in life-expectancies between indigenous and non-indigenous groups, which was only exacerbated by the global COVID-19 pandemic, facilitating discussion and generating solutions to address these disparities is imperative.
Effects of climate change on health
Climate change is a real and undeniable threat, and it is well documented that the adverse effects of climate are only amplified for the groups already facing disparities in healthcare. From increased severity and frequency of severe weather events to the displacement of populations, the effects can already be witnessed. By working collaboratively and engaging in discussion with policymakers, hospital leadership, and corporations, we can work to identify avenues to reduce emissions systemically. By doing so, we can build resilience toward the worsening disasters and pressures climate change places on healthcare
The Mental Health Crisis
With warnings of mental illness becoming the next epidemic and the great impacts COVID-19 has had on mental health globally, it is important to recognize mental health as being an essential part to one’s overall health as well. More recently, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory on the mental health crisis with particular respect to youth and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, even prior to this global pandemic, in 2019, it was reported that 19.86% of adults experienced a mental illness which is roughly equivalent to 50 million Americans. As part of addressing the growing mental health crisis, it is important to facilitate discussion, draw up solutions, and lift the stigmatization that comes with it.
Global Health Partnerships
Global partnerships that emphasize the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals will be able to make measurable steps towards bettering the health of nations. With collaborative and innovative global health efforts, achieving a better standard of care for all is possible.
THE CHALLENGE.
United Nations Sustainable Goals Competition
Create real-world solutions.
Innovation to Action invites all participants to take part in an optional global health challenge requiring understanding of the 17 goals put forth by UNESCO in order to design real-life solutions. Upon registering for I2A, participants will be randomly assigned to a group of teammates with different backgrounds to collaborate in providing the most efficient solution to the global issue presented. This challenge will foster strong critical thinking and stimulate collaboration to develop an innovative solution. The top solution will be selected by a panel judges earn $500.
2021 Winners
1st place
STEP 1
Register for the conference and sign up for the optional challenge competition.
STEP 2
Students, professionals, and participants who sign up for the challenge will be paired into a group of 3-5 individuals.
STEP 3
Teams will be asked to prepare a proposal of a hypothetical design solution in response to a challenge in a pressing global health topic.
STEP 4
Write a up to 3- page proposal, powerpoint presentation, or 3-5 minute video proposal to submit your innovative solution to the topic
3-Page Proposal
Powerpoint Presentation
3-5 Minute Video Proposal
STEP 5
Top 3 teams will be chosen and contacted on April 15th, 2021.
STEP 6
Top 3 teams will present a 5 minute presentation at the conference to compete for the prize.
PRIZE: $500 USD
Are you up for the challenge?
You are now one of the 193 United Nations delegates that sit in the UN General Assembly Hall. As an expert in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), you are assigned to address a global health issue within the country of your choosing. You and your team will come up with ideas to influence the direction of policies for a particular issue pertaining to human health....
Download the Challenge now!
Our
Speakers
Global Surgery and Women's Health (11:10-11:35 AM PST)
John L. Dutton, MD
Senior Director of Hospital Partnerships and Research at Operation Smile Inc.
John L. Dutton is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, where he graduated with Distinction in Medical Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He is currently the Senior Director of Hospital Partnerships and Research at Operation Smile, after recently completing a 2-year Global Surgery Fellowship with Operation Smile. He is also a General Surgery Resident at Rutgers University in New Jersey. John has a background in health system strengthening research, product development through the creation of multiple medical start-up companies and currently works to translate organizational strategy to global implementation of strengthening surgical health systems through local and sustainable investments within hospitals and their surrounding communities. John is also the co-creator of several education and training courses for medical students on how to bring ideas to market.
Libby M. Bunker
Doctoral candidate in the Doctor of Public Health program at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Libby M. Bunker (Maternal Health Research & Evaluation Fellow and Senior Global Medical Education Advisor) is a doctoral candidate in the Doctor of Public Health program at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a concentration in Health Equity and Social Justice. Her research interests are in maternal health and its intersection with community and global health. Libby currently serves as a Senior Advisor for Global Medical Education at Operation Smile supporting surgical service delivery programs, pilot health system strengthening initiatives, and medical education and training in thirty plus low-and-middle-income countries. Additionally, Libby works with a public health agency in Mississippi, Six Dimensions, as a Maternal Health Research and Evaluation Fellow. With Six Dimensions, Libby is supporting the design and management of a statewide Barriers to Care study to better understand gaps in maternal healthcare and systemic racism impacting Black women of reproductive age. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Dayton and her Masters in Public Health from George Washington University. She resides in Virginia Beach with her husband, small daughter.
Daniel David OTOBO, MD.
Medical Doctor in Charge of National Working Groups of InciSioN Globally (VP NWG)
Dr. Daniel David OTOBO is a Multiple award winning Researcher and Clinician. He's a Medical Doctor From and In Nigeria. He's an aspiring Neurological Surgeon and currently serves as the Vice President in charge of all national working groups (VP NWGs) on InciSioN Globally. He is a clinical and theoretical researcher, with works in the fields of Surgery, Infectious diseases and Reproductive health. He has Published over 40 scientific research papers in peer reviewed International Journals. He currently sits on the Editorial board of some international journals and also is a peer reviewer with reputable results, internationally. His research works have earned him invites, attendance and travel scholarships to conferences in Australia, Europe, Africa and Asia. He gave his first professional Public Lecture while still a medical student in 2021 on Management of Raised ICPs from traumatic and non-traumatic sources in emergency situations. Which is a common Clinical and Surgical emergency with often poor outcomes in his part of the world. He's a team player and a problem solver, as he was on the 4 man team (the mending minds) that won the innovation for action, Global Health challenge last year. He's also a skilled performer, sportsman, musician and poet. With various national and international awards to this effect. He's an aspiring Neurological Surgeon.
Engineering Health Solutions For Global Access (11:35-11:55 AM PST)
Thomas F. Burke, MD, FACEP
Director, Global health Innovation Lab, MGH; President, Vayu Global Health; Assoc Prof Harvard Medical School and the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health
Thomas F. Burke, MD, FACEP, FRSM is Chief of the Division of Global Health Innovation at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Burke spent 7 ½ years in the US Army and over that time was deployed with the Light Infantry as well as the 2nd Ranger Battalion. Dr. Burke was a tactical physician for the FBI Hostage Rescue Team at both the hostage incidents in Waco Texas and Ruby Ridge Idaho. On September 11, 2012 Dr. Burke was in Benghazi, Libya when Ambassador Stevens lost his life. Dr. Burke’s innovations’ research experience spans 27 years and includes three years as a research director at Madigan Army Medical Center, four years as founder and chief executive officer of a successful clinical trials company, and 17 years as director of a global health innovations’ fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Over his career Dr. Burke has pioneered several award-winning scientific advances and thereafter translated them into policy and practice. Dr. Burke has extensive experience as a leader in the global health arena since 1994, with a focus on maternal, newborn, and infant survival since 2004. Dr. Burke has led a research program focused on postpartum hemorrhage for the past 14 years and is a senior member of the International Federation of OBGYN Committee on Childbirth and Postpartum Hemorrhage. Dr. Burke has authored of over 140 scientific manuscripts and two books. He is often invited to speak at high profile forums and leading universities around the globe. Dr. Burke is a senior faculty of the Harvard University Center for African Studies and an active member of the Harvard Medical School Admissions Committee. On June 3, 2019, in a joint UK and India government ceremony in the House of Lords, Dr. Burke was bestowed the title, “Lord of the Planet in Medical Sciences”. In August of 2019, the Indian government honored Dr. Burke with an “Award for Excellence in Maternal and Child Health in Rural India”. Dr. Burke has opened several film festivals and has been profiled for his work by BBC, NPR, FOX Television, ABC, CBS, the London Financial Times, the New Yorker, the Seattle Times, and the Boston Globe, among other news outlets. Dr. Burke is President of the Ujenzi Charitable Trust and the Vayu Foundation, and is a founding board member of Vayu Global Health Innovations, a Public Benefit Company.
The Power of Digital Technologies and Health Innovation (11:35-11:55 AM PST)
Stanley Y. Shaw, MD PhD
Associate Dean for Executive Education at Harvard Medical School
Stanley Y. Shaw, MD PhD is the Associate Dean for Executive Education at Harvard Medical School. In this role, he designs and directs a growing portfolio of programs for companies and executive leaders from diverse sectors of health care. Dr. Shaw is a practicing cardiologist at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Chief Scientific Officer for One Brave Idea (at Brigham and Women’s Hospital), an initiative funded by the American Heart Association, Verily, Astra Zeneca and Quest to understand and treat the earliest changes in coronary heart disease. His research seeks to understand how digital health, bioinformatics, the gut microbiome and patient-reported data can be leveraged to better assess health and disease. Previously, he co-founded the Center for Assessment Technology and Continuous Health (CATCH) at Massachusetts General Hospital, and his team led the development of one of the first ResearchKit iPhone apps in partnership with Apple. Dr. Shaw has designed and led bespoke Harvard Medical School Executive Education programs for companies including Amgen, Novo Nordisk, Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Google and GE. These programs have involved faculty from Harvard Medical School and other schools at Harvard (Business, Engineering, Economics, Government/Policy).
Harvard Alumni in Healthcare Q&A session (11:35-11:55 AM PST)
Debbie Lin Teodorescu, MD, MEng, AM
Founder of SurgiBox Inc, Physician at Cedars-Sinai, Research Affiliate at MIT D-Lab
Debbie Lin Teodorescu ("To The Rescue") is a physician, engineer, and innovator. While she was still in medical school, she built a collaboration among MIT D-Lab, Mass General Hospital, the US military, Doctors Without Borders, and Swiss EssentialTech into SurgiBox to bring safe surgery to the point of need. Most recently, SurgiBox has been working with organizations on the ground to provide SurgiField systems to Ukraine to support doctors, medics, and nurses there. She had helped co-found the Crimson Care Collaborative Cambridge clinic for underprivileged women and continues to strive to maximize access to care for the most vulnerable patients. She completed a bachelor's, master's of history of medicine, and MD at Havard, master's of engineering at Boston University, residency at Rhode Island Hospital/Brown, medicine facultyship at Mass General/Harvard; and is currently working at Cedars-Sinai's Smidt Heart Center. Her work has been recognized by AAAS’s Science and Human Rights Coalition, TEDMED, Wellcome Trust, USAID, and beyond.
Mental Health: Research, Policy, and Practice (12:30 pm -12:55 PM EST)
Mackenzie Drazan
CEO & Co-Founder, MiResource
Born and raised in California, Mackenzie Drazan is an Entrepreneur and mental health advocate. After losing her sister to suicide freshman year at Duke University, Mackenzie dedicated her life to creating a world where everyone has access to effective mental health care. She is the founder of the not-for-profit website http://myteam.org, a pocket guide to learning how to support someone who is struggling with their mental health and is the CEO and co-founder of MiResource, a digital platform that helps people find and connect with the right mental health care. Mackenzie’s work has been recognized by The National Institute of Mental health, The American Psychiatric Association, The JED Foundation, and has been featured in Vogue, Forbes, Entrepreneur and more for her work in fighting stigma and creating innovative technology in the mental health industry. Mackenzie is also a member of the Forbes 30 Under 30 2022 list.
Gabriela Asturias
Co-Founder & COO @ MiResource, MD @ Stanford , Forbes 30U30, MIT Tech Review 35U35
Gabriela Asturias, born and raised in Guatemala, is an Entrepreneur, Scientist and in training to become a doctor. Her work focuses on implementing technology to increase access to healthcare in the U.S. and Guatemala. She co-founded and led FUNDEGUA since 2015, a foundation that generates development and impact on people's lives through accessible scientific research, inclusive technology, and innovative solutions. She co-founded and serves as COO of mental health U.S. company, MiResource, where she runs the R&D department, oversees all product development operations, and contributes to the company vision and growth strategy. She received her B.S. in Neuroscience from Duke University in 2017, and she is currently in her last year at Stanford University School of Medicine, pursuing her MD. Gabriela was selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30 healthcare list in 2022, MIT Technology Review 35 under 35 Innovators in Latin America in 2020, and Forbes 100 most powerful women in Central America in 2022.
Representative, KY House District 35
Lisa Willner was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 2018. She serves on the House Education, Health and Family Services, and Appropriations and Revenue committees, and has served on several legislative task forces. Dr. Willner is the first psychologist to be elected to the Kentucky House, and is currently the only licensed mental health professional serving in the Kentucky General Assembly. She was the primary author of Trauma-Informed Schools legislation, and has worked on numerous mental health, public education, public safety, and maternal health initiatives. She serves as chair of the House Democratic Women's Caucus. Until recently, Dr. Willner served as Executive Director of the Kentucky Psychology Association. Lisa taught in the Psychology Department at Bellarmine University for nearly 20 years. Lisa has been recognized by the Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression for her work for racial justice, and has received awards from the American Psychological Association, the Kentucky Psychological Association for her advocacy on behalf of psychology and mental health. Dr. Willner has also received awards from the Kentucky Association for Psychologists in the Schools and the Kentucky School Social Workers Association in recognition of her work on behalf of student mental health.
Sarika Gundu
Board Director for Mental Health Commission of Canada and the Community Association for Riders with Disabilities, Director, Canadian Health and Welfare Benefits at BMO Financial Group.
Sarika is a Senior People and Culture Leader that uses her extensive experience in employee health to transform workplaces to performance-driven cultures, where employees feel engaged, empowered and psychologically safe to bring their whole self to work. She is currently the Director, Canadian Health and Welfare Benefits at BMO Financial Group. Sarika formerly led Deloitte Canada’s wellness and benefits program and prior to Deloitte she pioneered the development of a national workplace mental health program at the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), National Office called the Workforce Mental Health Collaborative. Sarika is a Board Director for both the Mental Health Commission of Canada and the Community Association for Riders with Disabilities. She is also a member of womenmind™. The womenmind community is united in philanthropy, purpose and impact, working together with CAMH to close the gap in research on the mental health of girls and women, and to support women to become leaders in mental health research. She holds a Master of Science in Health Services Administration and a Bachelor of Psychology.
The Impact of Climate Change on Our Health (12:55pm - 1:10pm PST)
Mahta Moghaddam
University of Southern California Director of New Research Initiatives, Viterbi School of Engineering Head of Microwave Systems, Sensors, and Imaging Lab (MiXIL) Director of USC Viterbi Center for Arid climate WAter REsearch (AWARE)
Mahta Moghaddam received the B.S. degree (with highest distinction) from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, in 1986 and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 1989 and 1991, respectively, all in electrical and computer engineering. From 1991 to 2003, she was with the Radar Science and Engineering Section, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, before joining the Radiation Laboratory in the EECS department at Michigan. Dr. Moghaddam joined the USC Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering in January 2012.
Nick Page
MBA Candidate at Yale School of Management; Fellow at Yale Center on Climate Change and Health
Nick is a first-year MBA student at the Yale School of Management. He is passionate about helping the health industry decarbonize and adapt to climate change. As a Fellow, he is supporting the Yale Planetary Solutions Project “Health Care Organization Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting Tool for Strategic Management.” Prior to Yale, Nick worked in health policy consulting in Washington, D.C. where he supported the Veterans Health Administration in managing policy and operations for long-term care programs. Nick grew up in Brookline, MA, and he loves spending his free time hiking with his dog, playing soccer, and cooking vegetarian
Francisco Gaetani, PHD, MPA
FORMER EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF PLANNING, BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL
PhD in Political Sciences from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Master in Public Administration and Public Policy also by (LSE), Specialist in Public Policy and Management. Graduated in Economics from Federal University of Minas Gerais. Current Coordinator of the Professional Masters Program in Public Administration at Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV). Francisco Gaetani held positions of Executive Secretary, Deputy-Executive Secretary and Secretary of Pubic Management of the Ministry of Planning. He was also Executive Secretary at the Ministry of Environment. He served also as Director-President at the National School of Public Administration.
Francisco Gaetani worked in the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), having occupied, among others, the position of general coordinator in Brazil, coordinator of the Governance area and advisor of the UN Ambassador in Brazil. He was also Director of the Government School - João Pinheiro Foundation; advisor at the Academic Planning Pro-Rectorate at the Federal University of Minas Gerais; Planning advisor of Vale do Rio Doce; and Project Manager of the State Secretary of Labor and Social Development of the State of Minas General. Gaetani is Chair of the Board of Republic.org Institute, Fellow of the Arapyaú Institute, Fellow of the Brazilian Center of International Relations and member of Sustainable Development Council of Bank of Brazil. He had previously occupied positions at the board of Bank of Brazil, National Social and Economic Development Bank and Brazilian Innovation Agency.
Health Economics, Health Policy and Healthcare Management (1:45pm - 2:10pm PST)
Cate Oswald
Chief Policy and Partnership Officer at Partners In Health
Cate Oswald leads a team with a mandate to drive global strategy for PIH’s policy, advocacy, government accompaniment, and institutional partnership efforts. By working hand-in-hand with PIH global leaders to strengthen the efforts of local, district, and national governments, her team is redefining how high-quality health care is governed and delivered globally. Cate is a passionate advocate for universal health care, social justice, and global health equity which her previous fourteen years of work in Haiti and Liberia with PIH have greatly informed. She earned her MPH in Epidemiology and Program Design and a BA in International Development from Brown University and for the past 16 years has served as a course leader and instructor in Brown University’s Leadership Institute Global Health program.
Alex Youssef
CEO & cofounder of SkyTherapeutics
Alex is a Syrian/Ukrainian physician/scientist who studied medicine and worked as a medical doctor on the front lines in Syria during the civil war. After being selected as the first Syrian Rhodes Scholar, he studied for an MSc in healthcare systems at Oxford and worked with the WHO to digitally transform healthcare systems in Low-Income Countries using open-source Electronic Health Records. Given his interests in healthcare data, Alex pursued a Ph.D. in computer science at Oxford, during which he focused on using machine learning and Electronic Health Records for pandemic preparedness and response. Alex holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and studied for an MS in Bioengineering at Stanford. Alex is currently building a digital therapeutics company in stealth mode. Previously, Alex worked in healthcare M&A financial advisory and L/S equities. He also launched a Y-Combinator-backed biotech microbiome startup with a few friends while at school. Alex co-hosts the Physicians Off the Beaten Path podcast in his free time. He interviews physicians who have achieved success in career trajectories beyond clinical medicine. During medical school back in Syria, Alex established a national organization to build the country's healthcare research and education capacity.
Laura Meinzen-Dick
Assistant Professor of Economics at Villanova University
Dr. Laura Meinzen-Dick is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Villanova University. She is an applied microeconomist working in the fields of development economics, econometrics, and public economics, and received her PhD in Agricultural & Resource Economics from the University of California, Davis. Her research looks at the implications of customary tenure systems in Sub-Saharan Africa, including for agricultural investment decisions and political behavior.
Health Disparities and Indigenous Health (2:10pm - 2:35pm PST)
Victor A. Lopez-Carmen (Waokiya Mani), MPH
Harvard Medical Student | Forbes 30 under 30 in Healthcare
Victor A. Lopez-Carmen (Waokiya Mani), MPH, is a Dakota and Yaqui writer, Indigenous global health advocate, and current student at Harvard Medical School. He is Co-Founder of the Ohiyesa Premedical Program at the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and Translations for our Nations, which translated child-friendly COVID-19 information into over 40 Indigenous languages from over 20 different countries. Over the past decade, he has advocated for Indigenous youth health across the UN system as the former Co-Chair of the UN Global Indigenous Youth Caucus. His writing and commentary has been featured across major media networks like ABC News, the UN News Centre, and the BBC, and in 2022 he became the first documented Native American to make the Forbes 30 under 30 list in the Healthcare category.
Anpotowin “Anpo” Jensen, (Oglala Lakota), MS
Environment and Health Research Specialist (IITC)
Anpotowin (“Anpo”) Jensen, Oglala Lakota, grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and earned her B.S and M.S in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University. She is the Environmental Health Specialist for the International Indian Treaty Council, a youth delegate of the Oceti Sakowin Treaty Council, and North American Focal Point of the UN Global Indigenous Youth Caucus. As a writer, author and poet, Anpo interweaves her experiences as an Oglala woman, engineer, and advocate for Indigenous rights and solutions in planetary health. Her work has been featured in & by Forbes Magazine, the Native American 40 under 40 list, Scope, Grist, the UN Youth Envoy, the Oxford Climate Review, The Lancet, Stanford’s Center for Innovation in Global Health, the Journal of Climate Change and Health, and more.
Caroline Davis, MPH, CHES
Indigenous Public Health and Evaluation Subject Matter Expert
Caroline Davis is an Indigenous woman originally from the Navajo Nation in Arizona (US). She has 10 years of experience as a public health professional in multiple areas including disease prevention, mental health, maternal/child health, socioeconomic approaches to health, community development, diversity, equity and inclusion, and environmental health. Her experience is largely focused on program evaluation, including community based participatory research, mixed methodology, evaluation design, and continuous quality improvement. Davis’s expertise also includes program development and implementation, strategic planning, and capacity building. Her work has been specifically targeted for Native American communities.
Innovations in Health (Youth & Professional) (2:35pm - 2:55pm PST)
.png)
Okezue Bell
Founder of Fidutam and WeArm, Researcher at the Harvard-MIT and the Boston Children's Hospital, High School Senior
Okezue Bell is a Nigerian-American high school senior, activist, and social entrepreneur. He is the founder and director of Fidutam, a SIM card-based application that provides micro loans to low-infrastructure and unbanked communities. Okezue invented the WeArm, a low-cost and 3D-printed humanlike prosthetic arm for below-the-elbow amputees. Bell has conducted research at the intersection of engineering and the life sciences at Harvard Medical School, the MIT Media Lab, and the Boston Children's Hospital. Okezue hosts STEM, climate, and education workshops globally. He has devoted over 1,000 volunteer hours to impact over 65,000 kids across 80 countries. In addition to his youth mentorships, Okezue works with global sustainability brands to help scale their work to Generation Z demographics. He has worked with H&M, Leonardo DiCaprio, Evolvetogether, and more. His blogs and writing with CellAgri, Medium, Scientific American, and more have reached over 500,000 active readers. Okezue's work has been spotlighted in Yahoo News, Forbes, the NASDAQ, Business and Market Insider, NPR, and BusinessWire. He has spoken around the globe, including at the UN General Assembly, Climate Week NYC and WorldSummitAI. Following his debut at the 2021 Web Summit, the "world's largest tech conference", his work has been supported by Google and more.
Tamara Chayo Romo
CEO and Founder of Medu Protection
Tamara Chayo Romo CEO & Co-Founder of Medu Protection Mexican and passionate about chemistry since childhood as well as physics and the environment. She is an entrepreneur with the goal of making a positive impact in the world by taking action and inspiring. She created Medu in 2020, when the COVID-19 virus hit the world hard. Doctors spent more than 12 hours at a time treating COVID patients and to avoid catching it, they had to constantly change their medical attire. The use of medical protective equipment meant that we were not only fighting the COVID pandemic, but also the garbage pandemic. Therefore, she decided to create MEDU, the sustainable medical equipment helping the healthcare industry reduce bio-waste by 25% by providing safe, comfortable and sustainable personal protective equipment through MEDU Protection medical apparel, which can be easily disinfected and laundered up to 50 times while still providing the necessary protection to physicians. MEDU Protection offers guaranteed protection to medical personnel thanks to the use of polyurethane coated fabrics that confer extraordinary properties for the care of personnel. With the MEDU application it is possible to track the use of the equipment, from the washing cycles to which each piece of equipment has been subjected to the number of pieces of equipment in use.
.jpg)
Tamara Chayo Romo
CEO and Founder of Medu Protection
Tamara Chayo Romo CEO & Co-Founder of Medu Protection Mexican and passionate about chemistry since childhood as well as physics and the environment. She is an entrepreneur with the goal of making a positive impact in the world by taking action and inspiring. She created Medu in 2020, when the COVID-19 virus hit the world hard. Doctors spent more than 12 hours at a time treating COVID patients and to avoid catching it, they had to constantly change their medical attire. The use of medical protective equipment meant that we were not only fighting the COVID pandemic, but also the garbage pandemic. Therefore, she decided to create MEDU, the sustainable medical equipment helping the healthcare industry reduce bio-waste by 25% by providing safe, comfortable and sustainable personal protective equipment through MEDU Protection medical apparel, which can be easily disinfected and laundered up to 50 times while still providing the necessary protection to physicians. MEDU Protection offers guaranteed protection to medical personnel thanks to the use of polyurethane coated fabrics that confer extraordinary properties for the care of personnel. With the MEDU application it is possible to track the use of the equipment, from the washing cycles to which each piece of equipment has been subjected to the number of pieces of equipment in use.
Anagha Rajesh
Founder and CEO of Yours Mindfully, Undergraduate Student at BITS Pilani Goa Campus
Undergrad researcher, storyteller, and community builder- that’s me, Anagha Rajesh, in a nutshell. If I were to talk about the one thing that flipped my life by 180 degrees, it would be my acceptance letter to the 1000 Girls 1000 Futures mentorship program of the New York Academy of Science. This program offered me an opportunity to connect with passionate girls and female mentors from across the globe and engage in meaningful conversations about a broad set of areas in STEM. During this program, I first realized that STEM is for me, and this is also where I found the encouragement to kick-start my youth-led mental health non-profit Yours Mindfully. At Yours Mindfully, we are on a mission to make mental health resources accessible to 1 million young people by 2030. My team works closely with psychologists, educators, community organizers and young people to put together impact-centric initiatives. Over the last three years, we have impacted 10,000+ young people globally. I am an Ashoka Young Changemaker and a Top 10 finalist of the Global Student Prize 2022.
Myroslava Fisun
Myroslava is a senior at Albany High School in Albany, CA. She has been an environmental activist throughout her high school career, serving in leadership positions at numerous organizations, including the Bay Area hub of the Sunrise Movement, The Climate Action Committee of the City of Albany, and EarthEcho International. She currently serves on the board of Stanford Climate and Health, an organization focused on the intersection of climate change and human health. She is also actively involved in several climate-related research projects through Stanford, including projects studying the effects of access to environmental sustainability information on patient behavior and the diversion of medical waste. She is the co-author of "Climate change and health informatics: pilot survey of perspectives across the field," which was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.
Board Member at Stanford Climate and Health
2021 Speakers
Gary S. May
UC Davis Chancellor
Gary S. May leads the most comprehensive campus in the University of California system, with four colleges and six professional schools. UC Davis enrolls more than 39,000 students, brings in nearly $850 million annually in sponsored research and contributes at least $8 billion annually to California’s economy. In 2019, UC Davis reached the Top 10 in four national rankings of universities, including fifth among public universities in the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings.
May believes success is best judged by how we enhance the lives of others. Throughout his career, May has championed diversity and mentorship in both higher education and the workplace. He developed nationally recognized programs to attract, mentor and retain underrepresented groups in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math. In 2015, President Barack Obama honored May with the Presidential Award for Excellence in STEM Mentoring. In 2021, he received the prestigious Lifetime Mentor Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science for demonstrating extraordinary leadership to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in the fields of science and engineering.
He also believes in the positive impact academia and industry have when they partner for the common good. He launched Aggie Square in April 2018 to spur economic growth in Sacramento and help create jobs at a variety of education levels. In November 2019, May and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg were recognized with a Leadership Award from the Association of University Research Parks for creating a unique partnership for Aggie Square.
An accomplished scholar and engineer, May came to UC Davis in 2017 after a three-decade career at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. He was dean of the institute’s College of Engineering — the largest and most diverse school of its kind in the nation.
Prior to his appointment as dean, May was the Steve W. Chaddick Chair of Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He also served as the executive assistant to then-Georgia Tech President G. Wayne Clough.
May has won numerous honors for his research in computer-aided manufacturing of integrated circuits. He authored more than 200 technical publications, contributed to 15 books and holds a patent related to this work.
In 2010, May was named “outstanding engineering alumnus” of UC Berkeley, where he earned his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering and computer science.
In September 2018, May was inducted to the National Academy of Engineering for his success in growing diversity and his innovations in semiconductor manufacturing. In April 2020, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for “educational and academic leadership.” May received the 2020 Career Services Champion Award from the National Association of Colleges and Employers for his forward-thinking leadership in support of career services.
He was honored by the National Medical Fellowships as a Bay Area Champion of Health in 2020. May was recognized by the Sacramento Kings Foundation as a 2021 Dream All-Star, for his positive impact on the Sacramento region and commitment to championing initiatives that support opportunities for the Black community.
A prominent voice in higher education, May serves as Vice Chair of the Universities Research Association’ Council of Presidents. He sits on the executive committee of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Board of Directors and is an advisor for the National Society of Black Engineers.
He is a Commissioner of the Council on Competitiveness, a national organization dedicated to growing America’s economy, fostering innovation and increasing productivity through public-private partnerships.
May serves on the board of directors for Leidos and for the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, and the advisory board for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
A native of St. Louis, May is married to LeShelle R. May, a software engineer with CNN. They have two grown daughters, Simone and Jordan.
Congressman Ami Bera
American physician and politician serving as the U.S. Representative for California's 7th congressional district since 2013
Congressman Ami Bera has represented California’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2013. The 7th district is located just east of California’s capitol city, Sacramento, and lies entirely within Sacramento County.
Representative Bera is currently a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation. He is also a senior member on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Congressman Bera is also Vice Chair for Outreach for the New Democrat Coalition, a group of over 100 forward-thinking Democrats who are committed to pro-economic growth, pro-innovation, and fiscally responsible policies.
As a first-generation American born and raised in California, Congressman Bera grew up believing America was a land of opportunity, where if you worked hard and played by the rules, you could reach your full potential. He attended California’s public schools from grammar school through medical school, earning both his B.S. and M.D. from the University of California, Irvine. With help from his family, scholarships, and working part-time, he put himself through medical school while taking advantage of federally-funded student loans, and graduating with less than $10,000 in debt. He credits much of his success to his country’s investment in him, and he’s working to ensure that we continue to invest in hard working Americans to keep the American Dream alive for the next generation.
During Congressman Bera's twenty-year medical career, he worked to improve the availability, quality, and affordability of healthcare. After graduating from medical school in 1991, he did his residency in internal medicine at California Pacific Medical Center, eventually becoming chief resident. He went on to practice medicine in the Sacramento area, serving in various leadership roles for MedClinic Medical Group. Chief among his contributions was improving the clinical efficiency of the practice. He then served as medical director of care management for Mercy Healthcare, where he developed and implemented a comprehensive care management strategy for the seven-hospital system.
Claire Sliney
Co-Founder of The Pad Project & Executive Produce of Oscar-winning documentary short "Period. End of Sentence"
Robert Hetch
Founder and President of Pharos Global Health; Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health
Co-Founder, The Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar LLC(G)
Nadya Okamoto
.jpeg)
Founder of August (itsaugust.co), and author of PERIOD POWER
Nadya Okamoto is a 23-year-old Harvard student. In early 2020, Okamoto co-founded August, a lifestyle brand working to reimagine periods. As the Today Show describes, “August is a growing online community aiming to "re-imagine and redefine the period experience to be powerful and dignified," with members who engage in conversations about how to properly use menstrual cups or what it's like to be a transgender man having a period, for example.”
Nadya Okamoto is also the Founder of PERIOD (period.org), an organization fighting to end period poverty and stigma that she founded at the age of 16. Under her leadership as Executive Director for five years, PERIOD addressed over 1.5 million periods and registered over 800 campus chapters in all 50 states and 50 other countries. In 2017, Nadya ran for public office in Cambridge, MA at age 19 — at the time, becoming the youngest Asian American to run. In 2018, Nadya published her debut book, Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement with publisher Simon & Schuster, which made the Kirkus Reviews list for Best Young Adult Nonfiction of 2018. Nadya is also the former Chief Brand Officer and current Board Member of JUV Consulting, a Generation Z marketing agency based in NYC. She has been recognized on the lists of Forbes 30 under 30, Bloomberg 50 “Ones to Watch” and People Magazine's Women Changing the World.
Arun Deb, PhD, PE DEE
Adjunct Faculty at University of Pennsylvania & Director of Global Water Alliance
Dr. Arun Deb has more than 60 years’ experience in teaching, research and consultancy in water and wastewater management. During the last 30 years, while working for Weston Solutions, Inc., Dr. Deb started his volunteering activities with a goal to help poor people of developing countries in providing them safe drinking water and good sanitation. Many of those projects tie into volunteer activities for Water For People (WFP). In the early 1990s, Deb initiated WFP projects to bring safe drinking water to about 10 schools with nearly 1,000 students each. Deb, who has served two terms on the Water For People board, is the man behind the project in India to remove arsenic from drinking water. Deb spends several months each year in Kolkata, India. During the last twenty years, he initiated and completed sustainable Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects in about 50 schools in West Bengal.
In 1995, when he learned of the huge numbers of villagers suffering from arsenic poisoning caused by contaminated groundwater, Deb helped raise $10,000 with the help of PA Section of WFP for a research grant to support the Bengal Engineering and Science University in designing an arsenic-removal process. Now that the project is under way for the last 23 years, Deb’s reward consists of the responses from villagers during his visits to India that they are so proud of their arsenic-removal unit. This project received many national and International awards.
Arun Deb demonstrated his passion for delivering safe drinking water and improving the quality of life. At present, as a Board Member of GWA, Dr. Deb is involved in a safe drinking water supply project for many schools in West Bengal and involved in improving education and health of students. He received many awards from eminent institutions like American Academy of Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Water Works Association, Water For People and Global Water Alliance.
Alison Oliveira Wheeler
Director of the Nothing But Nets Campaign at the United Nations Foundation
Alison Oliveira Wheeler is the Director of the United Nation Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign, the world’s largest and most powerful community of supporters and advocates committed to saving lives and defeating malaria. Inspired by sports columnist Rick Reilly, hundreds of thousands of people have joined the campaign since its inception in 2006. Nothing But Nets has protected over 31.9 million people from malaria by raising over $72 million and helping to deliver over 13.9 million bed nets and other crucial malaria interventions for families in need. In addition to raising funds for UN partners, Nothing But Nets raises awareness and voices to advocate for critical malaria funding for the UN, the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as well as collaborates with WHO, PAHO, and other crucial malaria investment initiatives to work toward malaria elimination in Hispaniola and the Americas region. Alison is committed to building better futures for children, women and families around the globe. Prior to joining the campaign, she led marketing, communications and development teams at award-winning global non-profit organizations, SOS Children’s Villages and Women for Women International. Prior to her work with global organizations, Alison held brand, marketing and new product development roles with media and technology companies, domestically and internationally. She received her Bachelor of Arts from UCLA and earned her MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. She lives in Bethesda, Maryland with her husband and two children.
Vee Kativhu
Founder of Empowered By Vee, Postgraduate student at Harvard University, Oxford Graduate
Vee Kativhu is a YouTube visionary, education activist and founder of the initiative, Empowered by Vee. She uses her platform to share tips and advice to help underprivileged and underrepresented people from across the world recognise their own talent and potential. Through transparently sharing her experiences at Oxford and Harvard, Vee has also become a symbol of hope for many young Black women as she shares the story of what it is like to enter non-black spaces and excel in them. An Oxford graduate of Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, Vee is now studying International Education Policy at Harvard with the hope of becoming a policy advisor for girls’ education in Zimbabwe. Vee has been named a Rare Rising Star, Future Leader, Diversity Champion and LinkedIn Changemaker. She has also been a BBC Teach presenter, TEDx speaker and a University, Empowerment and Academia Content Creator for YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn, achieving many other accolades in the process. Ever since she set up her YouTube channel, Vee has been blazing a trail ever since, and now has a following of over 169,000. Within her 4,500+-strong Empowered by Vee community, she has also created an annual academic conference that provides skills and tips to students who need support as they make the often-difficult transition from school to university. An inspiration to anyone who has faced adversity and made it through, Vee is a symbol of what it’s like to not only empower yourselves, but those around you too.
Aviva A. Musicus
Forbes 30 under 30 Healthcare 2021 & Postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Dr. Aviva Musicus is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she studies how food-related policy affects human health and behavior. She was named to Forbes magazine’s 2021 “30 Under 30” list in the health care category. Aviva is an expert in food label design and her research helped inform a new law in the city of Philadelphia regarding sodium labeling.
Emily Creek, MBA
Director of Customer Insights & Strategy at Stable Kernel
Emily Creek joined Stable Kernel in July 2020 and is currently the Director of Customer Insights & Strategy. In her role, Emily is responsible for developing and executing strategic qualitative & quantitative research plans to understand and meet customer needs. Prior to joining Stable Kernel, Emily worked at the Arthritis Foundation for almost 19 years, overseeing and facilitating strategies and tactics to better understand arthritis patients and developing tools and resources to help them live better. Emily holds a BA in Sociology & Psychology from Indiana University and a MBA in Marketing from Georgia State University.
Ruben Ayala, MD, MSc
Chief Medical Officer - Operation Smile
Ruben Ayala is a public health physician from Panama with more than 25 years of experience in advocacy and humanitarian assistance. During his career with Operation Smile, he has planned, executed, and overseen surgical programs in more than 40 countries. Dr. Ayala also oversaw the establishment of Operation Smile foundations in low- and middle-income countries that offer year-round health services to patients and families affected by cleft conditions. Throughout the years, Dr. Ayala has fostered collaboration between governments, non-governmental organizations, industries, communities, universities, and other members of civil society. More recently, Dr. Ayala has focused on the review of surgical outcomes and the evolution of standards of surgical care for patients with cleft lip and cleft palate. He served as part of the official delegation of the government of Vietnam to the World Health Assembly in 2015 and 2017, helping align the country’s support for global surgery and anesthesia. Dr. Ayala currently serves as Operation Smile’s Chief Medical Officer. He is also the current President of the Permanent Council of the Global Alliance for Surgical, Obstetric, Trauma and Anesthesia Care, represents Operation Smile at the Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery and the United Nation’s Economic and Social Council. He leads Operation Smile’s global health policy efforts promoting access to safe, timely, and effective surgical care to underserved communities around the world.
Joffre Guzman Laguna, MD
Co-Chair - InciSioN
Joffre Guzman Laguna is an M.D. from Universidad El Bosque in Bogotá, Colombia. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, he moved to San Antonio, TX, where he attended Douglas MacArthur High School and was an honors graduate at 15 years of age. Since early on in his career, he has been involved in several contributions to the medical literature as both an author and illustrator, starting in the Neurosciences Institute at Universidad El Bosque. His more recent projects have been developed with the Innovation Research Group at the Central Military Hospital of Bogotá, where he’s worked closely with biomedical engineers and physical therapists to develop medical devices, which are now close to starting clinical trials. Joffre carried out his medical internship at the Central Military Hospital of Bogotá, embarking on elective rotations in Clinical Research and Surgical Oncology, and, at its end, was awarded the Certificate to the Best Intern of the year 2020. Joffre also took on the role of co-chair of the InciSioN Colombia National Working Group during 2020 and also co-chaired the planning and execution of the InciSioN Global Surgery Symposium (IGSS) of 2020. Joffre hopes to one day become a thoracic surgeon and continue to apply the concepts of global surgery, held to a greater standard of social responsibility.
Nikole Allen, MPH
Senior Program Director, Yale Institute for Global Health; Lecturer, Health Policy and Management
Nikole Allen is a lecturer of health policy and management at the Yale School of Public Health and Senior Program Director at the Yale Institute for Global Health overseeing the Sustainable Health Initiative. Previously, Ms Allen directed the health and hospital management and preclinical education projects under the Yale-Liberia Health Workforce Program. In this role, Ms. Allen oversaw the design, implementation, and evaluation of projects. Ms. Allen previously managed the Health and Social Care Strategic Leadership Program with the National Health Service in England, the Hospital Management and Leadership Program for public hospitals in China and oversaw implementation of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Leadership, Management and Governance Project’s Senior Leadership Programs in Africa and Southeast Asia. Ms. Allen has worked with teams and individuals from numerous countries and backgrounds addressing complex problems using strategic problem-solving methods. Before joining Yale University, Ms. Allen worked with the Ethiopian Hospital Management Initiative at the Clinton Health Access Initiative. Her work focused on improving key performance indicator reporting among hospitals, including measuring patient and staff satisfaction, the uptake of patient satisfaction best practices and the implementation of the World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist.
Ms. Allen has a B.A. and Leadership Certificate from Western Oregon University and an M.P.H. from the University of Washington Department of Global Health.
Darren Tomasso
Performance Trainer and Health & Wellness Consultant, Training & Programming Director at The Session NYC, Health & Wellness Director for Metropolis Sport Magazine, and Founder of WinYourDay
Darren Tomasso is a Performance Trainer, Health and Wellness Consultant, Training and Programming Director at The Session NYC, and Health and Wellness Director for Metropolis Sport Magazine, and Founder of WinYourDay, LLC.
Darren's "WinYourDay" mantra was developed during his time at the University of Pennsylvania. His mindset encourages people to recognize and celebrate the small wins achieved daily that sustain long-term momentum, motivation, and forward progress. His holistic approach to fitness shifts the focus away from aesthetic related goals, and instead towards lifelong health and happiness, building enjoyable and sustainable habits, and improving physical and mental performance.
Darren believes that access to health and wellness, and fitness is a fundamental right that shouldn't be limited by financial constraints, social determinants, or social status. In the midst of a public health crisis and rising unemployment rate it is more evident now than ever that the health of an individual truly depends on the health of the collective whole.
At the start of COVID-19 shutdown in March, Darren put together a free and public at home workout resource called The Movement Pack to help people continue to move and stay active. It has since grown to 70+ workouts of various modalities and lengths, five 4- and 5-day weekly programs, and 400+ video demonstrations. Darren has recently released a more holistic and comprehensive 6-week program called The Starter Pack covering nutrition, mindset, recovery, training, and general wellness. Still 100% free and accessible to all.
Darren is a Certified Personal Trainer, Women's Fitness Specialist, Corrective Exercise Specialist, and Fitness Nutrition Specialist with a B.S in Psychology from The University of Pennsylvania.
Additional Speakers TBA
Our Team
Co-Founders
Christopher Holden-Wingate is a 3rd year undergraduate student at the University of California, Davis studying Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, with an emphasis in physiology. He is currently an undergraduate research assistant at the University of California, San Francisco, investigating group testing methods for SARS-CoV-2 and developing national testing strategies. Christopher is also simultaneously working with the UC Davis Department of Surgical Bioengineering to investigate hypoxic preconditioning to improve the efficacy of stem cell treatments and the use of extracellular vesicle modified biomaterials to aid in tissue regeneration. When not at the lab bench, Christopher enjoys tutoring middle and high-school aged students in mathematics (algebra through calculus), chemistry, and physiology as well as pursuing his recently co-founded non-profit youth organization: The Rendition. In his free time, Christopher loves to hike, play basketball, and represent the UC Davis Rugby Club.
Christopher Holden-Wingate
Research Assistant: Division of Vascular Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital
Megan Felicity Hoang is a 3rd year at UC Davis studying Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, and will be graduating early at UC Davis this spring 2021. Her passions are charged by her deep curiosity in the human body. At the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Megan is investigating the role and molecular mechanisms of alpha arrestin domain-containing protein (ARRDC4 and Txnip) on glucose metabolism in vivo and ex vivo. Her never-before-seen mentality, a notion of building three-dimensional prototypes to solve challenges, led her to create Free to Dream Magazine, an international printed and digital magazine that bridges science and the arts. As a CARE advocate, she protected legislation through meetings with Representatives, Ami Bera and Norma Torres. Her affinity for creating is reflected in her pursuits of cinematography, exploration, and her service within her community as a cofounder of a non-profit organization, The Rendition.
Megan Felicity Hoang
Research Assistant at Harvard Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
CARE, United Nations Association,
& Harvard Alumni In Healthcare Team
Jonathan Young oversees CARE’s West Region consisting of AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, TX, UT, WA, and WY where he works to extend CARE’s Advocacy reach from DC to local communities within the region. Connecting constituent voices that are passionate and knowledgeable on CARE’s issues with Members of Congress in district and state is critical to advancing the education, impact, and policy changes in partnering with our global communities.
Jasmine Payne
Youth and Racial Justice Coordinator & Advocacy staff at CARE
Georgia, USA
.jpg)
Jonathan Young oversees CARE’s West Region consisting of AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, TX, UT, WA, and WY where he works to extend CARE’s Advocacy reach from DC to local communities within the region. Connecting constituent voices that are passionate and knowledgeable on CARE’s issues with Members of Congress in district and state is critical to advancing the education, impact, and policy changes in partnering with our global communities.
Jonathan Young
Regional Advocacy Director for the CARE's West Region
Washington, USA
Jasmine is a friend, advocate and scholar and servant leader. In her current role as a Youth and Racial Justice Coordinator at the CARE, USA she supports the design and launch of strategic initiatives and new approaches to increase youth engagement and build a more diverse and inclusive environment within our volunteer advocate network. Before this role she worked at the Atlanta Community Food Bank where she facilitated workshops as an Advocacy and Education Specialist and at The Fulton Atlanta Community Action Authority where she was a Social Media and Special Assistant to the President and CEO. Believing that everyone can be a catalyst for change, she strongly believes that “we are the ones that we have been waiting for."
Felicia Ho
Jasmine is a friend, advocate and scholar and servant leader. In her current role as a Youth and Racial Justice Coordinator at the CARE, USA she supports the design and launch of strategic initiatives and new approaches to increase youth engagement and build a more diverse and inclusive environment within our volunteer advocate network. Before this role she worked at the Atlanta Community Food Bank where she facilitated workshops as an Advocacy and Education Specialist and at The Fulton Atlanta Community Action Authority where she was a Social Media and Special Assistant to the President and CEO. Believing that everyone can be a catalyst for change, she strongly believes that “we are the ones that we have been waiting for."
Student at Harvard College
Cambridge, MA
Nalat Phanit Black is the Sustainable Development Goals Director at the United Nations Association of USA, Atlanta Chapter. She was the Chapter’s President (2015-2017) and has been a member of the UNA network for over ten years. Nalat has over a decade of nonprofit leadership and project management experience, working in communications, nuclear nonproliferation, human rights, and environmental sustainability. She believes that when human development and the natural environment work in harmony, basic human needs would be met by all, lessening the potential for human rights violations, and creating a more peaceful world. She was featured in VoyageATL Hidden Gems in April 2020 for her work with UNA-Atlanta.
Nalat Phanit Black
Sustainable Development Goals Director, United Nations Association of USA, Atlanta Chapter
Georgia, USA
Conference Administrators
Marisa Sinclair is a student at UC Berkeley and the Regional Leader for Girl Up's Pacific Coast. As one of 21 filmmakers selected to be a part of Disney’s global Dream Big campaign, Marisa produced a short film about Good Morning America's Host Robin Roberts that launched across Disney’s online platforms. Additionally, she has reported at the United Nation’s Agriculture Organization in Rome, and served as a Grassroots Youth Ambassador in Malawi for Google and the U.S. State Dept's Women in S.T.E.A.M. initiative. As a Gen Z consultant at JUV Consulting, Marisa translates her experiences in media to marketing insight for companies such as B.E.T., Levi Strauss & Co., and Aussie Hair. Whether reporting abroad or producing a documentary, at the heart of her endeavours lies a passion for storytelling, and uplifting marginalized voices.
Benjamin Cheng
University of California Davis,
California, USA
Ankit Kumar is a 19-year-old, second year college student pursuing computer science. He is an avid activist and Innovation Advocate for Youth who is passionate about leveraging science and technology to create positive change in our communities. Ankit aspires to uplift the underrepresented people's’ spirits to have equality. He is a music lover, researcher and involved in various leadership positions. Furthermore, He loves talking with people in different parts of the world and learning about their cultures. He is interested in entrepreneurship and finance, psychology and international relations. He describes himself as a community builder, storyteller and a person who is working to make a meaningful difference in society by his small actions.
Ankit Kumar
Arya College of Engineering & IT
Jaipur, India
Hanzell Benavides has a major in Political Science with a concentration in Management and Leadership from Keiser University. Mr. Benavides 4 years of working experience includes collaboration in prestigious international organizations such as Operation Smile Nicaragua at a UBS international project promoting Global Standards of safe surgery in vulnerable areas; at Infinite Family being a video mentor of a South-African mentee; and Raleigh Nicaragua for ICS UK projects in rural zones of his country. As a young leader, he is committed to creating change in Nicaragua while empowering young people on sustainable ideas and projects. Hence, he co-founded Acción2030+, a youth-led initiative fostering knowledge of the Agenda 2030, management skills, and the active participation of young people. Similarly, other areas of international engagement of Mr. Benavides include being Youth Delegate for UNITE2030 and Global Peace organizations; volunteering for Global Changemakers; participating as judge representative for the Hult Prize campaign Food for the Good in the University of Anáhuac at México; delivering conferences in Chile, Guatemala, México; becoming part of international networks such as the Global Network of Young Politicians, Red Internacional de Promotores ODS, and Red de Jóvenes Líderes de las Américas.
Hanzell Benavides
B.A. Political Science and International Relations, Keiser University
León, Nicaragua
Daniel Titherington is a current student at the University of Sheffield in the UK. He is a long term advocate of human rights and has worked on several major national and international youth organizations and platforms.
Daniel Titherington
Second Year at University of Sheffield
London, U.K.
.jpeg)
Anahita is a sophomore at Dartmouth College, where she studies Biology and Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies; she is also on the pre-health track. Currently, she conducts research in both Dartmouth’s Economics and Neuroscience departments, is the President of the Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science, serves as a copy editor for the National Collegiate Journal of Science, and participates in academic initiatives to better understand both cancer research and topics in global health. She is passionate about understanding the role that structural inequities play in healthcare accessibility and hopes that her participation in this conference will give her insights into areas of medicine that she hasn’t previously explored.
Eric Slawa
Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School and Medical Student at Rio de Janeiro's Federal University
Rio, Brazil
_heic.png)
Anoushka Sinha, is a global health activist, STEM student, a UN leader, passionate about working with her community and ensuring equal access to healthcare. Anoushka has always been passionate about driving change and bringing momentum for people's rights. She has worked with her community since she was ten and has impacted over 15000 children and campaigned and held leadership roles with multiple organisations like the United Nations, UNICEF, KidsRights Foundation, GirlUp, ONE Campaign on issues concerning health inequity,
inclusion. She is the recipient of the Diana Award which is the highest accolade a young person can receive for their social work. She is also one of the youngest fellows of the Royal Society Of Arts, London.
Anoushka Sinha
Toronto, Canada
"Kierahn Johnson is a human and civil rights advocate with over a decade of experience in networking and organizing events from distinguished panels and international conferences to marches to raise awareness. Mr. Johnson has been inspired by his Christian Faith wherein he studied Theology, Hermeneutics, Philosophy, and the example of leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to pursue social justice and uphold principals of dignity and respect all people are entitled to. Mr. Johnson currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Kentucky Division of UNA-USA; FORR Education Committee; Kentucky State Human Trafficking Task Force; Kentuckians For The Commonwealth Communication Coordinator Team; and as Founder & Director of Prosperity For Posterity which is a non-profit network of individuals committed to securing and strengthening a more stable and equitable future for all people regardless of any distinction in the fashion and name of Christ.
Kierahn Marcellus Johnson
Health & Welfare Advocate
Kentucky, USA
Gugulethu Moyo (Gugu) is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Princeton University’s Global Health Program. She obtained a PhD in Nutritional Science at Texas Tech University. Prior to that, she completed an MSc in International Public Health Nutrition at London Metropolitan University and worked for several years within the international development sector. In her dissertation, she investigated the social and nutritional determinants of favorable fetal growth conditions in pregnant women living in South Africa. She now seeks to design and test the efficacy of interventions, that leverage traditional ecological knowledge, to improve the food and nutrition security status of pregnant and lactating women. She also aims to explore the chrononutrition of human milk, and its role in infant health.
Gugulethu Moyo
Postdoctoral Research Associate at Princeton University
Princeton, USA
George Kapitan
USC Junior studying Biomedical Engineering, Abbott Finance Intern, Marketing Consultant, Former VP of Strategy at Mental Health Startup, and L’Oréal Brandstorm International Semi-Finalist
Sania Patel
USC Student
Los Angeles, CA
Alumni
Marlika Marceau is a senior Global Affairs major and Global Health Scholar, concentrating in African history/philosophy and public health at Yale University. She was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and was raised in Miami, Florida. Her passion for global health stems from her own analysis of how socioeconomic barriers impact access to the advancement of healthcare in her native country. On a broader scale, she is interested in studying the intersections between human rights law, refugee systems, and global health, in order to understand how health systems can be improved to better serve vulnerable populations. On campus, she can be found writing for The Yale Globalist, debating on the Yale Political Union floor, and tutoring ESL students at a local New Haven high school as a member of Refugee and Immigrant Student Education (RISE). She has also interned with several organizations, including Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, a New Haven refugee resettlement agency, and the World Bank.
Patrick is currently studying a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts (Politics) at Monash University and recently spent his summer interning with the School of Government and Public Policy - Indonesia. Prior to his current degree, he studied Politics, Philosophy, and Economics at the Australian National University. In order to supplement his formal education, he is a leadership program coordinator for AIESEC and works numerous part-time jobs in a variety of sectors
Jerome Fermin is a third year double majoring in Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior (NPB)—with the emphasis on physiology—and Psychology. He currently volunteers as a CTL counselor and an academic tutor and counselor for UPchieve, providing low income students support to achieve upward mobility. Jerome is also an intern for the UC Davis sports medicine program, where he trains to obtain clinical and didactic skills necessary in the field of sports medicine. In his free time, Jerome enjoys hiking and Taekwondo as a way to de-stress and relax.
Nwibo Joshua Chukwudi is currently a student of medical laboratory sciences at the university of Nigeria, Enugu campus. A global and public health enthusiast who is passionate about the role of clinical medicine in battling global health challenges. His area of interest also includes blood transfusion medicine.
Marlika Marceau
Senior at Yale University
Connecticut, USA
Patrick Cassidy
Penultimate Year LL.B./B.A. (Politics)
at Monash University
Melbourne, Australia
Jerome Fermin
Junior at University of California, Davis
California, USA
Nwibo Joshua Chukwudi
University of Nigeria, Enugu campus
.Master of Public Health graduate who wants to become an expert in the field of public health to help the global population by establishing factors for health issues in order to improve the health and well-being for creating a healthier and happier world. Fluent in English, Hindi and conversational in German.
After completing her first year at the University of California, Santa Barbara, she transferred to pursue a Bachelor of Biomedicine at The University of Melbourne. She is passionate about mental health advocacy and the access to affordable healthcare. She aspires to become a medical professional and provide innovative solutions to global health issues.
Lucy VanRegenmorter is a junior studying journalism and photojournalism at Michigan State University. She is a staff reporter for The State News and strives to tell the stories that are often overlooked. She also enjoys writing blog posts and print articles for VIM magazine, a club she is very thankful to be a part of. When she is not writing, Lucy enjoys taking photos, reading and listening to podcasts.
A Passionate Public health professional working specifically in the field of Public Health Nutrition, have 3+ years’ experience in the Public health/Development sector along with added 2 years’ experience in Locomotor Disability & Rehabilitation management. A friendly & adaptable person and team player.
Nitika Singh
PhD student
Working as Consultant in Aspirational Districts Program of Government of India
Krakow, Poland
Ummae Jalotra
First Year at The University of Melbourne
Melbourne, Australia
Lucy VanRegenmorter
Anshuman
Undergraduate at Michigan State University
Michigan, USA
Consultant in Aspirational Districts Program (with focus on Health & Nutrition) of Government of India
Uttar Pradesh, India
Linda Arogundade is a physician and global health professional currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration at the Harvard. Kennedy School of Government through the Edward Mason. Fellowship program. Prior to her to her masters, she spent over 12
years providing strategic counsel and technical support to global health agencies, national, and regional health authorities in Africa and the US in the areas of vaccine delivery, primary health care, health systems strengthening, advocacy, HIV/AIDs and malaria control. As a Technical Advisor at the West Africa Health Organization, she
coordinated the West Africa Integrated Vector Management Program and guided policy engagements to develop regulatory frameworks for the application of gene drive and other novel vector control technologies for malaria elimination in the region. Linda is committed to advancing policies that will apply innovative technologies to accelerate
equitable access to quality health and advising policymakers to decide on long- term
investments that will achieve universal health care and global health security.
Linda Arogundade
Physician and Global Health Professional currently pursuing a Master's in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government
Massachusetts, USA
Sagar Koirala is a SDG, Climate Change, Zero Hunger and youth activist based in Nepal. He represents numerous international organizations and platforms like Global Goodwill Ambassador, Global Peace Chain, Theirworld, Eco Generation, Real Food Systems and many more. Sagar Koirala is recipient of Hidden Eco Hero Award 2019, a title jointly awarded by Samsung Engineering and United Nations Environment Program. Currently, Sagar is working as an agriculture instructor at a government school in Rural Nepal.
Sagar Koirala
UN Major Group for Children and Youth & Country Ambassador at YFEED Foundation
Itahari, Nepal
Amina is a Public Health Manager with cumulative 20 years field experience in vaccination and general public health. She has BSc in Microbiology and Biotechnology from University of Nairobi, Kenya and a Master of Science Degree in Community Health and Development. Amina is a Health Advisor, MRI under ISD. Amina has been with AmRC last 5 years now. Before AmRC, Amina worked for the World Health Organization, Kenya, as a National Professional Officer, Vaccine Preventable Disease Surveillance and Routine Immunization. She has also worked for the Kenyan Ministry of Health in the National immunization program.
Amina Ismail Mungai
Senior Technical Advisor with American Red Cross
Nairobi, Kenya
Mohammad is an incoming first-year student at Harvard college who is planning on concentrating in government and astronomy. He is also the co-founder of Afghanistan's first youth-led nonprofit organization called TalkSCIENCE. TalkSCIENCE connects Afghan youth with scientists across the world to help make education more accessible—something he has been passionate about for an extensive period of his life.
Mohammad Muqtader Omari
Co-Founder/Co-President of TalkSCIENCE Freshman at Harvard University
Kabul, Afghanistan
Sponsors
