Fitness; advocating for rural development; promoting the education of young people
Your Name
Summary
Positively impact the health of vulnerable populations through contributions to continuous improvements in health systems management, leadership and, state-of-the-art technical knowledge. I have a sound understanding of priority public health issues in the developing world. I am skilled in program design, strategic planning, implementation management including community mobilization and development of change ideas to improve facility and community level health services. I have long experience in negotiating and engaging with Ministries of Health, bilateral missions and multilateral donors in sub-Saharan Africa. I have a good track record and experience in the management of complex projects and in working with partner institutions (public and private) in maternal and child health, nutrition, infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS. I bring experience in organization and institutional capacity development with strong interpersonal and leadership skills in leading teams to enhance productivity. Objective: Apply health systems management, leadership and, state-of-the-art technical knowledge to improve the status of vulnerable populations in the developing world. I have a good understanding of the political, socioeconomic, cultural factors influencing the management of international development assistance. Fully conversant with managerial and organizational factors influencing project management and implementation. Experienced leader in management of health program. Served in senior leadership capacities for a major bilateral donor and development partner NGOs. Field experience and expertise comes from working and collaborating with Ministries of Health and development partners in East, Central and southern Africa. Energetic and innovative thinker with a proven track record of managing programs that have produced results. Key areas of interest: maternal and child health- malaria, immunization, nutrition, OVCs, Community mobilization
Overview
37
37
years of professional experience
1
1
Language
Work History
Chief of Party
Aecom Technology Corporation
Cartersville
04.2011 - 09.2015
- Improving the management of fever in children under-five:-
- Applying the mRDT technology to change the management practices if clinicians and nurses to manage and treat malaria based on tests results rather than preemptively
- Improving documentation at facility level in order to effectively apply quantification and forecasting to improve the supply of medicines and medical supplies at facility level
- Changing community health practices to improve use of facility services to treat fever in under-fives and to identify and refer OVCs
- Developing plans and advocating for effective sustainability of gains made during the implementation of programs
- Advocating for changes in national policy to improve.
I contracted an assessment on "Gender Awareness of
Health Care Workers".
The aim was
to train facility health workers on how male and female health workers can
discuss gender related issues during consultation with patients and enable them
to be gender aware and sensitive in handling of children under-five years of
age, their caretakers and in relating to each other in the work place
Senior Child Survival Specialist
AED
City
08.2010 - 04.2011
- Completed a report on the "Assessment of the Status of Oral Rehydration Therapy for Childhood Diarrhea Case-Management in Selected African Countries" and set the stage for dissemination of improvements in management of diarrheal disease in collaboration with WHO and UNICEF Country offices in Benin, Ethiopia, Mali, Senegal and Zambia.
- I initiated and completed a first draft child survival strategy paper that the Africa 2010 project used as a basis for future work with USAID-AFR/SD.
- In initiated discussion with Makerere University, Uganda 's RCQHC program on the start of an East Africa regional newborn health network.
Project Management Specialist -Deputy Director
Office Of Health And HIV/AIDS, USAID/East Africa
City
01.2003 - 01.2010
- Provided technical and management oversight for the operational plan; technical assistance to African Partner Institutions, support to other USAID Missions in the East and Southern Africa region and led the liaison with key partners supporting health and HIV/AIDS work in East and Southern Africa including Ministries of Health, WHO, UNICEF, and UNFPA.
- Supported the establishment of a regional network (i.e. malaria in pregnancy for Eastern and Southern Africa -MIPESA) to promote prevention of malaria in pregnancy by getting senior government players to meet annually to address issues of malaria in pregnancy Managed the USAID investment into the Regional Center for Quality of Health Care, (Uganda) a USAID/EA partner institution specializing in improving the quality of care in infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, maternal and child health and nutrition leading to the first ever nutritional guidelines for people living with HIV/AIDS in the East, Central and Southern Africa region and to the establishment of African Network of Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (ANECCA).
- Initiated work by ECSA-HC and RCQHC to document evidence of the status of active management of the third stage of labor (AMTSL) and post-partum hemorrhage spanning three countries in the East Africa Region; and helped to initiate advocacy on renewed use of the partograph by countries in monitoring pregnancy.
- Initiated regional scale up of proven child health interventions in Eastern Africa in collaboration with the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community -ECSA-HC, the Regional Center for Quality of Health Care -RCQHC-) and the Linkages Project.
- Planned and managed the USAID/EA investment in a nutrition activity on food fortification.
- Sensitized the region to the value of harmonization of rules and regulation on food fortification; initiated training for food inspectors and laboratory technicians and engaged manufacturing companies in discussions with governments on food fortification.
- I was a USAID team member assessing: the Southern Sudan Health Sector Transformation program The Djibouti Expanded Coverage of Essential Health services The USAID child survival program in the DRC implemented in mid-2005.
Program Management Specialist, Child Survival
USAID/Kenya
City
01.1996 - 01.2002
- Identified opportunities in strategic planning and policy formulation to implement the USAID/Kenya child health program: Pioneered the USAID/Kenya OVC program from 1998 to 2002, introducing community institutional care in an urban slum setting in Nairobi, Kenya.
- Working with UNICEF I led the USAID effort to negotiate with the Kenya Ministry of Health and the NGO Council to develop national OVC guidelines for Kenya -resulting in the first ever OVC guidelines for Kenya.
- I led the USAID/Kenya initiative to introduce targeting micro financing to HIV/AIDS affected and infected families - led to USAID Food for Peace partners adapting a new approach of targeting food commodities to HIV/AIDS affected and infected persons.
- I contributed to expanding social marketing program that, improved and increased access to health products such as insecticide treated bed nets and contraceptives A strategy to provide long-term support to the Government of Kenya in key areas of family planning.
- Managed the USAID/Kenya Child Survival Portfolio that improved the knowledge of facility clinical and nursing staff to treat severe malaria and manage malaria in pregnancy; increased uptake of treated bed nets and introduced an innovative approach of training both drug vendors and community consumers thus ensuring that both the consumer and supplier were well informed on dosage and quality.
- I promoted advocacy for health policy changes and was a key member of the USAID team that worked in collaboration with CDC and WHO to negotiate the implementation of national malaria policy with the Kenya Ministry of Health leading to change from chloroquine to sulfadoxine pyrimethamine (SP) as the first line drug for the treatment of malaria in the late 1990s.
- I led the USAID/Kenya effort to support the Kenya Ministry of Health (with the support of CDC) to produce and disseminate simplified national malaria guidelines to peripheral health workers and to ensure that the application of the guidelines took into account key integrated management of childhood illnesses (IMCI) strategies.
- Advocated for the Kenya Ministry of Health to participate in a UNICEF revolving fund program to sustain the supply of vaccines - this improved the Government of Kenya budgetary contribution to vaccines from 5% in 1996 to about 15% by the year 2000.
- Led and managed the US Government support to the Peace Corp Small Projects Assistance program.
Projects Officer
African Medical And Research Foundation
City
01.1979 - 01.1987
- My experience with AMREF developed my skills in writing funding proposals for public health programs and in budgetary management and donor coordination.
- Part of my efforts resulted in AMREF receiving a USAID grant for work in Southern Sudan in 1982 and in Somalia in 1985.
- I was a team member on a review of the Uganda health facility renovations as part of post-emergency support after the fall of Military Leader Idi Amin that helped re-establish some of the health facilities.
- Worked on a design for the African Medical and Research Foundation to strengthen the Somalia health service delivery system in the early 80.
Education
Master of Public Health (MPH) - Health Planning and Economic Development
University of Michigan
1981
Bachelor of Arts (BA - Government and Sociology
University of Nairobi, Kenya
1976
Certificate in Applied Epidemiology -
Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1997
Certificate Project Management -
University of Connecticut Health Center
Public Health Institute
2004
Skills
- Promoting effective intervention to improve MCH
- Mobilizing communities to improve demand for quality health services
- Facilitating improvement of medical supplies at facility level
- Advocacy and Liaison with partner institutions to improve policy
- Program design, implementation management (includes planning, design and M&E)
- Leadership
- Mentoring staff
- Developing grant solicitation proposals
Accomplishments
- Led the implementation of a program to improve diagnosis and management of severe febrile illness in the Lake Zone of Tanzania 2011-2015
- Led the USAID/EA investment into the Regional Center for Quality of Health Care (RCQHC), Makerere University for over five years resulting in establishment of local institutions such as Malaria in Pregnancy for East and Southern Africa (MIPESA), African Network for Care of Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (ANNECA)
- Led the USAID/EA initiative with East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) and RCQHC to document evidence of the status of active management of the third stage of labor (AMTSL) and post-partum hemorrhage spanning three countries in the East Africa Region; and helped to initiate advocacy on renewed use of the partograph by countries in monitoring pregnancy.
- Led the USAID/EA initiative for regional scale up of proven child health interventions in Eastern Africa in collaboration with ECSA-HC, RCQHC-) and the Linkages Project including the harmonization of rules and regulation on food fortification
- Led team efforts on the community support component of the evaluation of the USAID/Malawi Child Health program focused on strengthening health systems capacity to address child survival.
- Led team efforts on the MCH components of the USAID Sudan Health Transformation Project (2008)
- Member of several evaluation teams:Wrote the MCH component of the evaluation of the USAID/DRC health program to realign activities to address changing realities on the ground and emerging USG strategic priorities in fragile states (2007); wrote the MCH component of the evaluation of the Djibouti maternal and child health program (2008).
Interests
Additional Information
- AWARDS: During my tenure at USAID I was recognized by the US government for several achievements among them: Leadership in the area of child survival and contribution to the Kenya Government efforts to prevent and treat malaria" Exemplary performance with USAID/East Africa in providing services to the East, Central and Southern Africa population during a period of budget cuts, heavy reporting requirements and post-election conflict in Kenya" Outstanding contribution in leading discussions with the USAID Global Bureau and African partners to address post-partum hemorrhage in the East and Central Africa region" In recognition of outstanding professionalism and quiet courage in responding to the bombing of the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya on August 7, 1998"
Timeline
Chief of Party
Aecom Technology Corporation
04.2011 - 09.2015
Senior Child Survival Specialist
AED
08.2010 - 04.2011
Project Management Specialist -Deputy Director
Office Of Health And HIV/AIDS, USAID/East Africa
01.2003 - 01.2010
Program Management Specialist, Child Survival
USAID/Kenya
01.1996 - 01.2002
Projects Officer
African Medical And Research Foundation
01.1979 - 01.1987
Master of Public Health (MPH) - Health Planning and Economic Development
University of Michigan
Bachelor of Arts (BA - Government and Sociology
University of Nairobi, Kenya
Certificate in Applied Epidemiology -
Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Certificate Project Management -
University of Connecticut Health Center
Public Health Institute