Dr. Marilyn DeLuca and Dr. Charles Ok Pannenborg are the two newest members of IntraHealth International’s Board of Directors. Together, DeLuca and Pannenborg bring decades of combined experience in health care practice, health systems, and long-range strategic policy.

“This is an exciting time in terms of IntraHealth’s mission and future,” DeLuca says. “I hope to bring technical expertise in global health and help develop program areas and identify collaborative opportunities where IntraHealth can grow resources and expand our impact.”

DeLuca is a registered nurse and founder and president of Global Health-Health Systems-Philanthropy. She has 25 years of experience in global and domestic health care systems, reform, and workforce issues, and expertise in systems-based models. Much of her work focuses on advocating for greater attention to the global health workforce and universal health coverage.

Pannenborg is chair of the Global Advisory Board on Strengthening Medical, Nursing, and Public Health Schools in Developing Countries throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe. He has worked in over 20 countries for various organizations, including the World Health Organization; the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; and for the last 25 years at the World Bank, where he worked mostly in operations in Asia and Africa, rose to become a manager and then technical director, and retired as the Bank’s Chief Health Advisor.

“In the next 10 to 20 years, the field of human resources for health will only become bigger,” Pannenborg says. “By now it's clear that universal health coverage will be part of the post-Millennium Development Goals agenda. And human resources are at the core of that.”

“Strengthening the global health workforce and the health systems in which they work is fundamental to achieving long-term health gains and tackling emerging health threats,” says Pape Gaye, president and CEO of IntraHealth. “It is exciting and an honor to have Marilyn and Ok’s deep expertise help inform and guide our priorities as we move into the post-MDG era.”