Country Leaders

These senior staff serve in IntraHealth country offices as project  directors, country directors, chiefs of party, and country coordinators.

Dr. Emad Aziz
Chief of Party, Namibia HIV Prevention, Care and Support Program, Namibia
M.Sc. Pediatrics: Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo

Dr. Aziz’s primary areas of expertise are in pediatrics, HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. Before joining IntraHealth, Mr. Aziz served as head of the pediatrics department at Onandjokwe Lutheran Hospital in Namibia. With 23 years of medical experience, Dr. Aziz’s research includes work on epidemiology, drug costs in inpatient services, mortality in pediatric patients on HAART, and adherence factors in semi-rural hospitals in Namibia.

Jonas Chanda
Country Director, SAHCD Coalition, Swaziland

Dr. Jonas Chanda is a clinical expert in HIV/AIDS and prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) with ten years of experience in HIV/AIDS research, care and treatment programs, as well as in the management of other infectious diseases in resource-limited settings, particularly sub‐Saharan Africa. Dr. Chanda previously worked for the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP), where he led its largest PMTCT/MTCT‐Plus program in Nigeria. While working for the CDC in Botswana, he was awarded the US State Department’s Extra Mile Award for Outstanding Performance.

Mrs. Rodio Diallo
Chief of Party, Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health/Family Planning/Malaria Project, Senegal
Bachelor Degree, Marketing and Communication Techniques (DUT), Dakar University Institute of Technology (IUT), Senegal

Mrs. Diallo has extensive experience in leadership, project management and multi-faceted program implementation for a wide variety of organizations.  She is a seasoned professional who has worked in key sectors of public health in Africa (Togo, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Mali, and Uganda) and Haiti including family planning, child survival, malaria and HIV/AIDS. Most recently Rodio was Country Representative for Population Services International in Uganda.

Phiny Hanson, PhD
Country Director, SAHCD Coalition, Lesotho

Dr. Hanson has worked for more than two decades to improve health in Lesotho. In 1989 she facilitated the establishment of the nutrition program within the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and later guided the development of the country’s first national nutrition policy. She has also played a key role in assisting the government in establishing the human resources for health working group, emergency human resources plan and a capacity development framework for better management of the health workforce. She is the president of both the Lesotho Planned Parenthood Association and the Lesotho Nutrition and Dietetics Society. 

Denise Harrison, MBA, MA
Chief of Party for the Rwanda HIV/AIDS Clinical Services Program

Denise Harrison’s public health experience spans two decades and across four continents. She has held senior leadership positions with Ipas, Population Services International, World Vision, and the Meridian Group in global family planning, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention projects. Ms. Harrison’s field assignments have included Costa Rica, Kosovo, Cambodia, Mauritania and Tunisia.

Laura HoemekeLaura Hoemeke
Director of the Twubakane Decentralization and Health Program, Rwanda
MPH, Johns Hopkins University

Ms. Hoemeke has nearly 20 years of experience in health communications and international health. Her expertise includes communications, facilitation and management, and reproductive health, maternal and child health and HIV/AIDS prevention and control. Ms. Hoemeke has worked for Africare, for USAID/Benin’s family health program and as West and Central Africa regional director for IntraHealth and the PRIME II Project.

Caroline Karutu, MPH
CDC Project Director, Southern Sudan

Caroline Karutu is a public health professional with more than ten years’ experience at international and local NGOs. She has worked with governments in East Africa to develop HIV/AIDS policies, guidelines and frameworks. Ms. Karutu has extensive experience in HIV/AIDS programming in emergency and post-conflict settings. She holds an MPH from the Boston University School of Public Health, where she was awarded the women’s guild award for academic excellence, a tuition merit scholarship and received the PEO International Peace Scholarship. 

Jennifer Macias, MPH
Country Director, Human Resources Capacity Project, Tanzania

Jennifer Macias has two decades of experience in managing international public health programs. She previously served as the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Fund’s managing director of international programs, and directed Jhpiego’s Africa office for three years. Ms. Macias holds an MPH in population planning and international health and has published several peer-reviewed articles on public health in developing countries.

Patricia McLaughlin, MA, MSW
Community PMTCT Project Director, Ethiopia

Patricia McLaughlin has 15 years of experience providing technical leadership in HIV/AIDS programs, service delivery, disaster preparedness, supportive supervision and institutional capacity building. She previously served as deputy director in Ethiopia for the IntraHealth-led Capacity Project. Prior to joining IntraHealth, Ms. McLaughlin served as Director of the Technical Services Unit for the American Red Cross.  With Concern Worldwide in Mozambique, she designed programs and wrote proposals for participatory rural development, district planning and education. 

Kimani MungaiKimani Mungai
Kenya Program Director, Capacity Kenya
MA, University of Stellenbosch

Mr. Mungai has twelve years of experience in HIV programming, human resource development and management, and organizational/institutional development.  Previously, Mr. Mungai worked throughout Africa for SIL International Inc. and in Kenya for  CARE International.  More recently, he managed an HIV prevention and care project funded by the UK Department of International Development.  

Moshi NtabayeDr. Moshi Ntabaye
Project Director, Provider-Initiated Testing and Counseling Project, Tanzania
PhD, University of Aarhus; DDS, University of Dar es Salaam

Dr. Ntabaye has 15 years of project management experience in the health sector. His expertise ranges from strategic and operational planning for reproductive health, family planning and HIV/AIDS to resource management and fundraising.  Previously he worked for the Tanzanian Ministry of Health and for EngenderHealth, Skillshare International and Marie Stopes in Tanzania. He has also consulted for organizations such as WHO and the United Nations Population Fund.

Dr. Vincent Oketcho Okoth
Chief of Party, Uganda Capacity Program, Uganda
MD, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. MCH, Liverpool University, UK

Dr. Oketcho has worked in Ugandan and East African health care for 26 years, as a physician and as a leader in human resources for health. Oketcho brings his experience and public health training to the IntraHealth-led Capacity Project as the Ugandan in-country coordinator. Prior to working with IntraHealth Oketcho served as the Senior Human Resources for Health Advisor to Uganda’s Ministry of Health, working on human resources policy, planning, and development.

Laurie Noto ParkerLaurie Noto Parker
Chief of Party, Vistaar Project, India
MPH, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Ms. Parker has two decades of experience in managing and leading maternal, child and reproductive health programs in the US and in developing countries. She has extensive experience in working with USAID where she led the Health, Nutrition and Population (HNP) program; worked for CARE India; and directed two global health projects lead by IntraHealth:  PRIME II and the Capacity Project.

Inna Sacci
Chief of Party, Project Nova, Armenia
MA, Odessa State University

Inna Sacci is a public health professional with 13 years’ experience working in global health, with a specialization in the countries of Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Russia. She has expertise in program and financial management, training, policy, research, and reproductive health care.  Previously, Ms. Sacci worked for EngenderHealth, leading or providing technical management and support for programs in West Africa, Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Cheick ToureDr. Cheick Toure
Country Director, Mali Field Office
MD, University of Bamako

With over ten years of experience as a reproductive health provider and master trainer, Dr. Toure has special expertise in identifying performance gaps and strengthening service delivery for family planning and reproductive health. Previously, Dr. Toure worked with IntraHealth on the PRIME II project—leading the project in Mali—and he has provided technical assistance in reproductive health, performance improvement and training of trainers to  IntraHealth’s projects in Benin, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal and Togo.

Yadira Villaseñor, MD, MPH
Chief of Party, Central America Capacity Project

Dr. Yadira Villaseñor is a talented medical professional with almost 20 years of experience in the design and implementation of public health interventions in Central America, including service delivery, training clinicians and ensuring quality and performance improvement. Her expertise includes applying interventions that encourage community involvement in preventing and treating HIV/AIDS and reducing maternal mortality. Dr. Villaseñor’s approach to family planning and HIV prevention incorporates innovative gender and stigma reduction initiatives.