Amy G. Lehman, Founder of the Lake Taganyika Floating Health Clinic
Alwyn Andrew-Mziray, co-founder of the Lake Tanganyika FHC
Strategic Partners:
United Against Malaria
Daniel Carlin, MD, World Clinic
DLA Piper
Kate Rinko, Graphic Designer
Lake Tanganyika FHC Board of Directors
Amy G. Lehman, MD, MBA
Dr. Amy G. Lehman is the founder of the Lake Tanganyika Floating Health Clinic. The Lake Tanganyika FHC is an international organization whose mission is to address the problem of health care access for isolated communities in the Lake Tanganyika basin/Great Lakes region in Central Africa. Amy trained in General Surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center, and during that time, was also a Senior Fellow in the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. She sits on several boards including the Seedling International and the New Prospect Foundation. She has published in the fields of Thoracic Surgery and Bioethics, sat on the Graduate Medical Education Committee during her residency, and been honored for her dedication to teaching, training, and patient care delivery. Amy graduated with honors in English, Spanish, and the Social Sciences from Choate Rosemary Hall, and received her AB with honors from the University of Chicago concentrating in Fundamentals, a multidisciplinary program involving Philosophy, Literature, and the Social Sciences. She went on to earn her MD and MBA also from the University of Chicago, concentrating in Economics and Human Resources Management. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, served as a Student Marshal, and delivered her Commencement Address for her college graduation. During this time, she was a single mother of her son, Max, who is her most successful project to date, and the light of her life.
Alwyn Andrew-Mziray, MD, MBA
Dr. Alwyn T. Andrew-Mziray is the co-founder of The Lake Tanganyika FHC and an emergency medicine trained physician with profound interest in international medicine, especially the amelioration of disparities in healthcare resources to developing nations. Alwyn has significant management experience having worked in healthcare banking on Wall Street, and thereafter as a healthcare consultant. He served as Principal at the private equity group Bio-Equity Partners which focused on global pandemics. Alwyn co-founded the American chapter of the Tanzanian AIDS organization WAMATA, a non-governmental organization that works with people affected by HIV/AIDS. He also sits on the board of Operation Smile in New York, and is a Trustee of two hospitals in Tanzania. Alwyn trained in emergency medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital -Columbia & Cornell where he received the prestigious Augustine D’Orta award, which honors a resident physician who demonstrates outstanding community-minded, grass-roots oriented political involvement in health policy or community issues. Alwyn received the combined MD/iMBA from the University of Chicago – Pritzker School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Business where he concentrated on healthcare management and policy, entrepreneurship and finance. He obtained his BA in Chemistry from the University of Chicago – The College, where he was the GTE fellow in Chemistry, the RWJ/MMEP scholar for health sciences and the I&G scholar in physical sciences.
Philip Lisagor, MD
Colonel Philip Lisagor is a cardiothoracic surgeon and 20-year veteran of the armed forces. He joined the U.S. Army Reserves as a Staff Surgeon, serving in numerous missions as surgeon and Commander at Army field hospitals all over the world including the Green Zone hospital in Iraq. His areas of specialty include third world trauma centers, the ethics of triage, and applications of total quality management to combat hospital units.
Philip serves as Assistant Dean and Professor of Surgery at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, and Surgeon-in-Chief at the Veterans Hospital in Reno; and has acted as Clinical Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences since 1996.
In addition to being an active officer in the Northern California Chapter, American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, Philip is also an Editorial reviewer for the Journal of Trauma, and acted as an American Board of Surgery Associate Oral Examiner, San Francisco, 2006. He has received dozens of Army achievement medals and commendations, including the Bronze Star and the Iraq Theatre Ribbon, and was also given the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Chicago Medical School Alumni Association in 2007.
Philip received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois, and his MD from University of Chicago. He was a USPHS Fellow in Chemistry at University of Chicago, and received Executive training as an Ally Fellow of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard. He has been certified by the American Board of Surgery since 1983, and by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery since 1995. He is licensed in both California and Nevada.
Mwele Malecela, MSc, PhD
Dr. Mwele Malecela is a Chief Research Scientist and Director of Research Coordination and Promotion on the National Institute for Medical Research, Tanzania. She is also Director of the Tanzania Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Program. She holds a BsC in Zoology from the University of Dar-es-Salaam, and an MSc and PhD in Parasitology from the University of London (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.) Her area of specialization was filarial immunology specifically on filarial immune evasion mechanisms.
Mwele has worked at the National Institute for Medical Research for 21 years, mainly in the field of Lymphatic Filariasis immuno-epidemiology, and has also worked in the areas of Health Systems and Policy Research. As Director of Research at NIMR, Mwele’s focus is now mainly research capacity building and the translation of research into action, policy and practice. She has been in the forefront of priority setting for health research activities in Tanzania where she facilitated the Tanzania National Health Research Priority Setting process in 1999 and revision of these priorities in 2005.
In her role as Director of the National Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Program, she brings her long research experience to efforts to eliminate filariasis, and she has run the national program since its inception in 2000. She is well known for her role in advocacy campaigns that have brought to light the real extent of the problem in Tanzania. Mwele is also well known for her efforts in ensuring that the LF program has a strong operation research component and has published extensively in this area.
Mwele has served on a number of international committees including The Technical Advisory Group of the Global Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis, the Mectizan Expert Committee, and the advisory board of the Initiative on Public-Private Partnerships in Health (IPPPH). She sits on the board of the Aga Kahn Hospital and the International Medical and Technological University, both based in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania; and is an adjunct faculty member for the Public Health Sciences Institute of Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Virginia Rustique-Petteni
Virginia is the Founder and Director of VRP Strategies, a consulting firm that provides thought leadership and solutions that lie at the nexus of corporate, government, philanthropic and media affairs. VRP Strategies works in the private, public, and political sectors to bring together cutting-edge ideas that reflect the public good while providing access to growing spheres of influence around the world. Virginia worked in the Clinton White House in the Office of Legislative Affairs as one of the President’s lobbyists to Congress (1997-1999). She served as Special Advisor for Nominations, as Staff Director for Legislative Affairs, and in the West Wing as assistant to the Director of Legislative Affairs. After leaving the White House, she moved to London and served under political appointment (one of only 10 globally) at the American Embassy as Special Advisor to Ambassador Philip Lader (1999-2001). Following her tenure at the Embassy, Virginia joined Bloomberg LP as head of Corporate Outreach for Europe and Government Affairs Liaison (2002-2005). She served as Co-Chair of Americans Abroad for Hillary Clinton for President during the 2008 presidential primary season. She managed the international grassroots campaign strategy, and hosted events in London which raised over $500,000.
During her years in London, Virginia has advised on the international programs of visiting politicians and dignitaries including former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former US Senator John Edwards, and Bill and Melinda Gates. Additional work in London has included co-founding a charity and directing a benefit for victims of 9/11 at the Old Vic Theatre; advising Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international woman’s advocacy organization; and advising the International Advisory Board for Facing History and Ourselves, an international non-profit educational organization.
Virginia received her B.A. in History from the University of Chicago, and is completing a Masters in International Relations at London School of Economics. She currently lives in London with her two children and husband.
Narimon Safavi
Narimon Safavi is an entrepreneur specializing in socially responsible diamond mining in West Africa. Mr. Safavi holds a B.S. in Chemistry and Philosophy from Illinois State University and has an extensive history of civic engagement and philanthropy. Mr. Safavi has served on the Board of Directors of numerous NGOs such as Citizens for Global Solutions, a lead NGO for the formation of the International Criminal Court, at the Hague, Netherlands. He also has served on the Advisory boards of the Chicago Public Radio, an NPR affiliate, as well as the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy and the Latino Cultural Center of Chicago. He currently serves on the boards of the Gene Siskel Film Center (an affiliate of the Art Institute of Chicago), the James P. Gorter Institute of World Islamic Studies in Lake Forest, Illinois, and the National Iranian-American Council (NIAC) in Washington, DC.
He spends a significant portion of the year traveling in Africa and Europe, and the Middle East for projects concerning business and activism.
He was born in Tehran, Iran and has lived in the Chicago-land area since 1976. He is fluent in Persian and Spanish and has familiarity with Turkish.
Kenneth A. Lehman, MA
Kenneth Lehman is the Managing Partner of KKP Group LLC, a family office for the Lehman Family Group, and Chairman of Winning Workplaces, a not-for-profit which is helping organizations become great places to work. Both the KKP Group and Winning Workplaces are located in Evanston, Illinois.
Before organizing the Lehman Family Office, Ken was Co-Chairman of Fel-Pro Incorporated, a family owned and managed Skokie, Illinois based automotive component part manufacturer. Fel-Pro was nationally known for family friendly benefits and harmonious labor-management programs and policies, and was consistently ranked as one of the top 10 companies to work for in America by Fortune and Working Mother magazines. Fel-Pro was sold in 1998.
Ken served in the U.S. Peace Corps from 1966–1968 as a volunteer in Guatemala. From 1968-1971, he served as a staff member in the Latin America Bureau in Washington, DC.
He currently serves on several corporate boards as a director and/or advisor. His civic board involvements include CARE U.S.A. and CARE International, Public Radio International, Chicago Public Radio, and the University of Chicago Medical Center.
During his time at Fel-Pro, Ken served in several leadership positions in the automotive industry and was named the Automotive Person of the Year by Jobber Retailer Magazine. He has also been recognized by civic and educational organizations. Honors include the Distinguished Executive Award from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, the “Good Guy” award from the National Women’s Political Caucus, and the Alumni Merit award from Northwestern University. Ken was chosen as a “Peace Corps Social Entrepreneur” by the Skoll Foundation, and was named a Purpose Prize Fellow by Civic Ventures.
He received his BA from Johns Hopkins University, and his MA from Northwestern University.
Lake Tanganyika FHC Advisory Board
Omari Issa
Omari Issa is the CEO of Investment Climate Facility (ICF) for Africa. He is a Tanzanian citizen who is responsible for managing the ICF's seven year program to improve Africa's investment climate and remove barriers to growth.
Mr. Issa has extensive business experience in the public and private sectors, having worked in both Africa and abroad. He has firsthand experience of the realities of doing business in Africa, having previously worked as Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of Celtel International, where he played an instrumental role in managing the company's growth and expansion across the continent. Prior to working at Celtel, Mr. Issa spent fourteen years with the IFC and six years with the World Bank.
Julie Makani, MD
Dr. Julie Makani is a lecturer at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), which is the main clinical, academic and research centre in Tanzania.
Her two related areas of specialty are malaria and Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), a blood disorder. SCD confers protection against the malaria infection. Hematology (the study of blood) and blood transfusion are her major areas of study. With support from the KEMRI-Wellcome program she received a Training fellowship from the Wellcome Trust to establish a systematic framework for comprehensive research and care, with one of the largest cohorts of SCD patients in Africa. Due to its molecular basis, SCD presents great opportunities for integrating clinical, epidemiological, patho-physiological and genetic research.
MUHAS is a collaborative site for the Malaria Genomic Epidemiology Network (MalariaGEN) Grand Challenges Program which attempts to combine human genome technologies with large-scale epidemiological studies. Dr. Makani is a member of Multi-lateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Secretariat Advisory Committee and of the Royal College of Physicians of United Kingdom, and holds an appointment as Clinical Research Fellow at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford.
Bertram Eyakuza, MBA, MPH
Mr. Eyakuze received his B.A.s in Civil Engineering and Economics from Stanford University (California, USA), and his M.B.A from Yale University School of Management (Connecticut, USA). He is a co-founder of Serengeti Advisers. Previously he was a private equity investment professional with CDC Capital Partners, a British company with significant investments across Africa and other developing countries. Prior to returning to Tanzania with CDC he was a management consultant with Mitchell Madison Group in New York, where he was a member of a number of engagement Teams that assisted in strategy formulation and improving the operational efficiency of large multinational companies. Clients included the largest U.S telecommunications provider, a global insurance group, and a leading technology-products manufacturer.
His responsibilities with CDC Capital Partners in Tanzania included the detailed review and improvement of dozens of business plans across all economic sectors with a view to identifying, structuring, negotiating, and completing equity investment opportunities, typically in already-existing enterprises. He also held 8 directorships on various boards of the portfolio companies of CDC Capital Partners, Tanzania Venture Capital Fund, and Fedha Fund.
Reginald Mengi
A chartered accountant by training, Reginald Mengi created the IPP business conglomerate in the mid 1980s after serving as Chairman and Managing Partner of Coopers & Lybrand in Tanzania. In addition to his interests in business and industry, Reginald Mengi has been involved in a number of charities and other social activities, especially in the areas of health, environmental management and poverty alleviation. He has been a leading advocate of involving the private sector in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, and was appointed member of Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS). During his term as a commissioner of TACAIDS, he sparked a nationwide debate over the use and distribution of condoms, giving him the nickname of "Mr. Condom" and putting him in confrontation with Christian and Muslim leaders, after criticizing them for their position against the use of condoms as a central instrument in the fight against the propagation of HIV/AIDS.
In relation to his interests in environmental issues, he is Chairman of the National Environment Management Council ](NEMC), the Poverty Alleviation and Environmental Committee (PAEC), patron of the LEAD Global Environmental Network in Tanzania and treasurer of Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) international. This non-governmental, non-profit organization established in 1991 by the Rockefeller Foundation, is committed to sustainable development and provides training for selected mid-career professionals from a variety of sectors in society. He has also been an important sponsor and benefactor of the Kilimanjaro Forestation Campaign and of several projects for youth employment and disabled people. Most recently, Reginald Mengi has begun building The Rodney Mutie Mengi Heart Institute in memory of his son who died on October 6, 2005 from heart complications. In the meantime he has begun sponsoring children in Tanzania with heart problems to travel abroad for treatment.
In recognition to his work, leadership and contributions in a wide range of business and social activities Reginald Mengi has been awarded the Order of the United Republic of Tanzania, the Order of the Arusha Declaration of the First Class for his exemplary contribution to Tanzania's Development, The East African Environment Leadership Award, and the Environmentalist of the Century Award 2000 in the Kilimanjaro region. Mengi was twice nominated the second most respected Chief Executive Officer in East Africa by PricewaterhouseCoopers (in 2001 and 2002).
Mengi also holds the following positions:
• Chairman of the National Environment Management Council (NEMC) of Tanzania.
• Commissioner of Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS).
• Chairman of the Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI).
• Investment Committee Chairman of the National Investments Company Limited (NICO).
Mengi has been on the front line in initiating several projects for the disfranchised Tanzania youth. Many believed he would run for presidency as an independent candidate, however he did not and threw his weight behind Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of CCM who won by a landslide margin.
Whitney Williams
Ms. Williams is the Founder and Director of williamsworks, the realization of her vision to create a new discipline in the philanthropy field. As a pioneer of strategic advocacy, Ms Williams is dedicated to maximizing the impact of individuals, foundations, and advocacy organizations. Leveraging her experience in strategic planning, government relations, grassroots advocacy, and high-profile event management, Whitney adds her unique insights to every client engagement. She provides executive leadership, ensuring that the williamsworks approach results in solutions that are creative, unique, and customized to specific client needs.
Ms. Williams is personally involved in developing advocacy strategies, positioning clients, and conceiving and implementing international and domestic learning engagements. Her in-depth understanding of the complexity of working throughout the developing world and her knowledge of complex political environments are valuable resources in helping clients make their advocacy efforts as effective as possible.
Dedication to the common good and public service run in Whitney’s family. Her mother is the Majority Leader of the Montana Senate, and her father served as Montana’s Congressman for nine terms. Ms. Williams’ familiarity with the political sphere, her on-the-ground style, and her desire to create a more equitable world promote a collaborative atmosphere that fosters positive change.
Ms. Williams is also a member of The Clinton Global Initiative, TED, the Board of Directors of TONIC, and a trustee of the Glacier National Park Fund Board.
Christina Vilupti Barrineau
Christina Barrineau is an international advisor on development, specializing in African and Asian regions, and currently works with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation bolstering their campaign to end deaths by malaria in Africa by 2010. Prior to this she led a number of initiatives for Malaria No More, and was instrumental in securing the 2008 G8 commitment to distribution of 100 million bednets. She established MNM’s operations in the UK and led the 2008 MDG Malaria Summit. She previously worked as the Managing Director of the Financial Access Initiative, a research consortium comprising Harvard, Yale and New York University; at the United Nations where she led the International Year of Micro-credit; and for Woman’s World Banking (WWB) where she established and managed the Global Network for Banking Innovation in Microfinance. Before this, she spent ten years as an independent international advisor to the national governments of Canada, Bulgaria, China, Thailand, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Kenya, Benin, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Morocco, Jordan, and Angola. She has worked with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs and Dr. Stanley Fischer on issues specific to eradicating poverty. She has pioneered new thinking on pension plans for the poor and asset building models for informal sector workers. Ms Barrineau is a well-known public speaker, holds an MBA from the University of British Columbia, and is a Canadian national.
Joshua Newman, MD, MHSH
Joshua Newman is a practicing physician and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA, with a research focus on the application and public use of health information technology.
In residency, Dr. Newman designed, built, and managed websites for medical residency administration, billing, and clinical care that are still in use. During this time, he also designed and built websites to promote collaboration between physicians, towards the adoption of an electronic medical records system at Advocate Healthcare, one of the largest hospital systems in Illinois. In 2005, Dr. Newman designed and helped build chicagohealthinfo.com, a prototype website for vulnerable populations in Chicago, funded in part by the Chest Foundation of the American College of Chest Physicians. Over the past year he helped design and launce Wellgram.com, a site to write, rate and send electronic messages for health and well-being. In the course of a recent graduate program, he helped design and implement a patient, encounter, and tuberculosis registry for tracking homeless patients. The project, called OpenMRS, is in L.A.
Dr Newman received his MD from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and completed his residency in Family Medicine at the Advocate Illinois Masonic/UIC program. He recently completed a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, a postgraduate fellowship at UCLA, and received an MSHS degree in Health Services. He is Board-certified in Family Medicine.
Adam Kushner, MD, MPH
Dr. Kushner is a board certified general surgeon who practices exclusively in developing countries, and co-founder/director of the Society of International Humanitarian Surgeons/Surgeons Overseas. He has worked as a surgeon and educator in Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Liberia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Sudan; led landmine assessment missions to Azerbaijan and Kosovo; conducted human rights assessments in Iraq; taught trauma care and landmine injury management in Columbia, Ecuador and Nicaragua; and worked as a health specialist following the 2005 tsunami in Indonesia. Since 2003 he has participated in US military training exercises as a subject matter expert for human rights and humanitarian assistance issues and is a member of the planning committee of the World Health Organization’s Global Initiative on Emergency and Essential Surgical Care.
Dr. Kushner completed his general surgery residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center – San Antonio, has an MD from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, an M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins University, and a B.A. from Cornell University.
Carol Atwood
Carol Atwood is CEO, Spartacus Media Enterprises and co-founder of Generous Returns, and is a successful entrepreneur who is actively involved in creating, investing in, and participating in socially focused ventures. She has received many awards, including “NYE Entrepreneur of the Year”, sponsored by NASDAQ, Kaufmann Foundation, and Ernst & Young. Carol is the found of Spartacus Media Services, a social mission media company which produces conferences and advisory support for mission-driven media makers and their supporters. She is the CEO of Spartacus Capital, a firm that assists with fund formation to help raise money and facilitate strategic partnerships. Two major focuses of the firm include assisting in the facilitation of socially responsible joint ventures and other business partnerships with Asian companies as well as with global renewable energy buyers and funders. Carol is also committed to many non-profit and socially minded organizations, serving as a member, board member, advisor, or committee head of many of these organizations.