Board of Directors

Sandro Galea, a physician, epidemiologist, and author, is dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at Boston University School of Public Health. He previously held academic and leadership positions at Columbia University, the University of Michigan, and the New York Academy of Medicine. Sandro has published extensively in peer-reviewed literature and is a regular contributor to a range of public media about the social causes of health, mental health, and the consequences of trauma. He is one of the most widely cited scholars in the social sciences. Sandro is the chair of the Boston Public Health Commission Board of Health, past chair of the board of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, and past president of the Society for Epidemiologic Research and of the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science. He is an elected National Academy of Medicine member and has received several lifetime achievement awards. Sandro holds an MD from the University of Toronto, graduate degrees from Harvard and Columbia Universities, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Glasgow.

Hafiz Adamjee, retired, was previously an executive at Novartis, a leading multinational pharmaceuticals company. In his 17 years in the pharmaceuticals industry, he held a range of senior global roles including in finance, strategic sourcing, ethics and compliance, supply chain management, and manufacturing in the U.S. and Switzerland. Prior to Novartis, Hafiz was a partner at a leading global management consulting firm, focusing on core strategy, innovation, and change management (the latter two for which he received corporate awards). He has an MSc from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a BSc in electrical engineering from Brown University. Hafiz chairs JSI’s Board Finance and Audit Committee.

Dr. Lia Tadesse Gebremedhin is the executive director of the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program and a visiting faculty at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health as of March 2024. Dr. Lia served as the minister of health of Ethiopia from March 2020 to February 2024 after serving as state minister of health from November 2018. As a minister, she spearheaded the COVID-19 and other emergency responses such as conflict and drought, coordinated the National Task Force, and helped her country navigate the pandemic with resilience. During her tenure, she was credited with approaching the pandemic as not only a challenge but also as an opportunity to build the health system. She forged strong partnerships bringing together diverse stakeholders in the local, regional, and global health architecture to strengthen crucial health system pillars.

Before joining the Ministry of Health, Dr. Lia served as program director at the University of Michigan’s Center for International Reproductive Health Training (CIRHT) where she partnered with institutions in Ethiopia and Rwanda, to increase the quality of reproductive health services and training. She was also the project director of USAID’s Maternal and Child Survival Program at Jhpiego-Ethiopia, and CEO and vice provost of St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College in Addis Ababa, where she led the hospital services and academic reforms.

Kulleni Gebreyes is a physician executive who leads tech-enabled, digital transformation for life sciences and health care organizations. As a purpose-driven business leader, she has developed and implemented strategies for population health management and value-based care that are centered on whole-person care. Kulleni is a champion of health equity and an active advocate for vulnerable and underserved communities. She is a well-published thought leader and national spokesperson for aligning business success with better health for all. Kulleni holds an MD from Harvard Medical School and an MBA from Johns Hopkins.

Topsy Kola-Oyeneyin is a systems change leader and transformation expert who has over 20 years of global experience enabling Fortune 500 and government leaders to execute ambitious growth programs. She leads Augmentum, Independent Investors & Value Creation Partners, where she facilitates capital injection for high-growth businesses and partners with them to maximize value creation through business restructuring, business model innovation, and digital transformation. Previously, Topsy was a partner at McKinsey & Company for several years and served as the inaugural co-lead of its payment practice for Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. She has also held various executive roles in the financial services sector, including leading the design and implementation of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s payments transformation program ‘Cashless Lagos.’ Topsy is based in Lagos, Nigeria.

Alina Rocha Menocal is an expert at bridging the divide between research and policy, particularly in the realm of governance, from a political economy perspective. Her work contributes to more informed and effective engagement strategies among international development stakeholders, with a focus on governance and institutional transformation, state and peace building, conflict dynamics, political settlements, anti-corruption initiatives, democratization, and political economy analysis. Alina is the director of the Thinking and Working Politically Community of Practice, which is hosted at the University of Birmingham. She is also senior research associate in politics and governance at ODI and principal at the Policy Practice. Originally from Mexico, Alina is based in London, England.

Nneka Mobisson is a leader in quality improvement and population health management. An expert in the intersection of technology and wellness, she brings a wealth of experience in digital health, underscored by a specialized focus on artificial intelligence. A pediatrician by training, Nneka was previously the executive director for Africa at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, a leading global health organization focused on health care quality where she still serves as a faculty advisor. She also worked for the Connecticut Hospital Association and McKinsey & Company. Nneka is co-founder and CEO of mDoc, a social enterprise that integrates proven methodologies in quality improvement and behavioral science with technology to optimize the self-care experience for people living with chronic health needs. She is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Michael Useem is faculty director of the Leadership Center and McNulty Leadership Program and William and Jacalyn Egan Professor of Management Emeritus at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author or co-author of Boards That Lead, Investor Capitalism, The Leadership Moment, The Edge: How Ten CEOs Learned to Lead, and The Leader’s Checklist. Michael’s university teaching includes courses on management and leadership, and he offers programs on leadership and governance for managers in the U.S. and abroad.