Transcript - Teach to Reach

Moderators and Co-facilitators for Day 3 Breakout Sessions
Rebecca Fields
Rebecca Fields, MPH, has over 30 years of experience supporting immunization system strengthening, new vaccine introduction, and injection safety in Africa and Asia, plus advocacy and behavior change communication for new
vaccines, financial sustainability for immunization, and H1N1 control. She is currently a Senior Technical Advisor on immunization for USAID’s Maternal and Child Survival Program, playing a key role in activities to integrate
immunization with family planning, and is technical advisor on Gates-supported projects in Uganda and Ethiopia (Stronger Systems for Routine Immunization and Universal Immunization through Improving Family Health Services,
respectively), which operationalize the Reaching Every Child strategy adding quality improvement techniques. She was core staff on the Gates-funded ARISE project to identify drivers of improved immunization in Africa. She coauthored Immunization Essentials: A Practical Field Guide and USAID’s e-learning course on immunization. Ms. Fields has experience in many countries, including Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Guyana, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar,
Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
Dr. Bassey Okposen
Since 2013, Dr. Bassey Okposen has served as the Head of Routine Immunization and Essential Services at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency in Nigeria. Prior to his current role, Dr. Bassey served as Zonal
Coordinator for the South West Zone and then the South South Zone. Dr. Bassey also previously served as Medical Officer in charge of Guyuk LGA in Adamawa State. Dr. Bassey has his MB BS and MPH, and over 25 years of
experience working in immunization.
Chilunga Puta
Puta is Director of PATH’s Better Immunization Data Initiative Learning Network (BLN). She is an infectious disease research and public health practitioner with more than 20 years of experience working in developing country health
care settings. She has held diverse positions, acquiring an in-depth understanding of developing economy health care systems. She holds a PhD in Biochem, and MPH in Disease Surveillance and is a Certified Quality Improvement
Associate. She is reading for an MBA.
Lora Shimp
Lora Shimp has over 20 years of experience in international development and maternal and child health, through USAID-funded, Gates Foundation and GAVI contracts, as well as with United Nations organizations. She is a senior
immunization technical expert and specialist in communication and behavior change, working with John Snow, Inc from headquarters offices in Washington, DC as well as in the field in several African countries (Madagascar, DR
Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon and others), India, the Central Asian Republics and Ukraine. She has an MPH from Tulane SPHTM, BA from the George Washington University, and was a Peace Corps
Volunteer in Cameroon.
Gerald Ssekitto
Gerald Ssekitto has over 18 years of progressive experience establishing and managing health services delivery systems in general and Maternal and Child Health in particular through Uganda Ministry of Health, USAID-funded and the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as with United Nations organizations. He is a medical doctor, specialized in public health, working with John Snow, Inc Uganda field office as Chief of party for USAID’s Maternal and Child
Survival Program (MCSP) and JSI’s Stronger Systems for Routine Immunization (SS4RI) Uganda facilitating transitioning from Reaching Every District (RED) to Reaching Every Community/Child (REC) strategy through adding Quality
improvement tools and methodologies (REC-QI approach). He has an MPH from Leeds University (UK), MBChB (Makerere University – Uganda) and Post graduate diploma in Project planning and management from Uganda
Management Institute, Uganda.
Mark Weeks
Mark Weeks is a Public Health Epidemiologist who has spent most of his career living in and working within ministries of health in Africa and Asia. His work involves capacity building for health workers at national, district and local
levels through on the job training and participatory activities such as: vaccine preventable disease outbreak investigations, assessments of program monitoring or vaccine logistics systems, and program reviews. He emphasizes a
public health approach for improving health services by bringing together the local health services and the community to define the barriers to improving health in the community and then developing an affordable strategy for
improving the health of the community.
Liya Woldegiorgis
Liya Woldegiorgis is the EPI Manager for the Federal Ministry of Health in Ethiopia.
Dr. Chizoba Wonodi
Dr. Wonodi is an epidemiologist on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She serves as the Lead for Nigeria Country Programs at its Vaccine Access Center. She has extensive experience in primary health care
delivery in Nigeria and in disease surveillance in several countries. She is now working to strengthen routine immunization systems in Africa and Asia, and test innovative approaches to improve primary health care program delivery
through use of data and performance management.