Collaborators

Mwansa Charity Njelesani is an accomplished public health leader with over 19 years of experience in HIV prevention, sexual and reproductive health, and strategic program implementation across sub-Saharan Africa. Recognized by UNAIDS and UNDP as a global thought leader in HIV prevention, she has played a pivotal role in introducing Oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and long-acting Injectable PrEP (Cabotegravir) in Zambia. As Country Director for Tiko Zambia, she leads program execution, stakeholder engagement, and health innovations, ensuring evidence-based interventions that drive impact. She has also supported national COVID-19 response efforts, including risk communication and vaccine rollout strategies.

Mwansa has held senior roles with UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNESCO, and John Snow Inc., providing expertise in policy development, strategic partnerships, and behavioural change interventions. She is a sought-after consultant in global health, leveraging human-centred design and behavioural science to enhance service delivery and public health outcomes. With a Master’s in International Affairs from Carleton University, she continues to influence policy and program design at national and international levels.

Walas is a passionate international development project management professional with >20 years experience designing, planning, and managing projects in complex and sometimes volatile environments. Areas of expertise include democracy and governance, civil society and institutional capacity strengthening, HIV, education and public-private partnership. Based in Pretoria, South Africa, Walas works with FHI 360 as a Portfolio Director, Program Management Unit overseeing a complex portfolio of projects in East and Southern Africa. Before FHI 360, he served as Chief of Party on a USAID and NBA-funded youth empowerment project in Senegal. He also supported democratic processes in various African countries, through political party strengthening and civic engagement work during his time with the US-based National Democratic Institute in Washington, DC. He studied peacebuilding and humanitarian actions at the University of Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire and received his master’s in public policy from the American University, Washington DC. Past guest lecturer experiences include stints at the University of Abidjan, (Abidjan); University Cheikh Anta Diop (Dakar); University of Pretoria (Pretoria); Maryville College, (Tennessee); and MIT, (Boston).

Clara Haruzivishe is an Associate Professor of Nursing and Midwifery at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences University of Zimbabwe. Her research focus is on maternal and child health and education; specifically, interprofessional education. She has a broad background in midwifery and education. She is an expert panelist in the HRSA-funded grant which was awarded to UCSF and AFREhealth. Dr. Haruzivishe has been a Principal Investigator for eight studies including: 1) An evaluation of innovative Art distribution in Zimbabwe; 2) Factors associated with maternal morbidity and mortality in Mashonaland East. 3) Determinants of periodontal disease in pregnancy, 4) Collaborative HIV Interprofessional Partnership (CHIP 1), 5) Collaborative HIV Interprofessional Partnership (CHIP 2), 6) Collaborative HIV Interprofessional Partnership (CHIP 3), 7) Programme for research on vaccine effectiveness (PROVE), and 8) UNICEF Children on the move study. She is also currently a co-investigator in a five-year National Institute of Health University of Zimbabwe-George Washington University ethics grant to implement a Master in Ethics degree within the faculty of medicine and health sciences, University of Zimbabwe.Description text goes here

Kathleen O'Donnell Burrows (MSW, MPP, LICSW) has over fifteen years experience working in mental health, public policy, and international development, Kathleen's expertise lies in trauma-informed care, program management, and human rights advocacy. She has led or overseen mental health activities for trauma and torture survivors in the United States and internationally from both a project manager and donor perspective, ensuring the integrity and effectiveness of mental health initiatives, promoting effective and meaningful community engagement, and requiring feedback loops with participants to guide activity adaptation. She has experience providing strategic direction and technical assistance for mental health programming worldwide through her experience with USAID as a Senior Mental Health Program Advisor (Institutional Support Contractor position), including providing oversight and fiscal management of activities funded through the $12 million Victims of Torture Congressional earmark fund. As a mental health clinical leader she has experience providing technical guidance and oversight during activity co-creation/design phases and during activity implementation through providing input on program work plans, monitoring and evaluation plans, and reports. She holds a Master's in Social Work and a Master's in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota. Kathleen is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW).

Ms. Rashmi has over 23 years of experience in domestic and international public health, community-led interventions, and multi-stakeholder collaboration including public, private, and civil society sectors. She provides technical, programmatic, and research support to numerous UN agencies, international organizations, national bodies, and governments across multiple countries. She designs and leads interventions for HIV, TB, sexual and reproductive health including adolescent health, and gender-based violence and works closely with national governments to strengthen capacity for evidence-based strategic planning and management, policy development, and capacity assessments. She promotes multi-sectoral approaches to achieve sustainable outcomes using minimal resources. Ms. Rashmi developed the first HIV integration framework in public health for Cambodia. She holds Master's in Sociology, Human Rights, Chemistry, and an MBA in Healthcare Services.

Jesse is a global health leader and researcher with two decades of experience in sexual and reproductive health. She specializes in sexual, reproductive and maternal health program research, design, development and execution, as well as resource mobilization. She has an extensive leadership track record leading multi-cultural teams that design and execute successful programs in extremely challenging settings. She is currently an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Alabama at Birmingham working on aDescription text goes here

With >40 years experience, Vuyelwa is a a dynamic and passionate leader in health and humanitarian management. A graduate from Adelphi University and Arnold and Marie Schwartz School of Sciences N.Y. USA, she is currently the Executive Director for The Zimbabwe Association of Church Related Hospitals (ZACH). She previously worked in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, and in the Ministry of Local Government and National Housing. Vuyelwa specializes in the management, planning, appraisal and reform of the health sector, including systems analysis, change management, institutional strengthening and project management. As a Certified Management Consultant and Master Couch, she is the co-founder and past president of the Zimbabwe National Institute of Consulting (ZNIC) and the first female certified management consultant in Zimbabwe.

Maura Reap (MA, MPH) is a global health and mental health specialist with over 25 years of experience spanning clinical practice, international development, and humanitarian response. She has worked across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East with governments, UN agencies (including WHO and UNFPA), USAID, INGOs, and community organizations to strengthen mental health systems through strategy development, capacity building, program design and management, and coordination. Her work blends evidence-based practice with culturally grounded, community-led approaches and participatory research, with a focus on ethical, creative, and contextually resonant solutions. Maura has supported research and evaluation in diverse settings, including with Indigenous and displaced communities. Her early Peace Corps and Peace Corps Response service was a formative influence—shaping her lifelong commitment to equity, mutual learning, and partnership with communities. Most recently, she served as Senior Mental Health Advisor in USAID’s Bureau for Global Health, where she led development of the Bureau’s first mental health theory of change and strategic plan. She holds master’s degrees in Clinical Psychology and Global Health, and an Advanced Diploma in Art Therapy.