We are thrilled to announce the launch of our Board of Advisors. Our advisors support our decision making about whether potential programs and expansions or innovations associated with current programs are evidence-based, have a sound business model, and are a strong fit for Evidence Action. Please join us in welcoming the following sharp minds to our advisory board:
- Dr. David Addiss is the Director of the Children Without Worms program at the Task Force for Global Health. David previously was a Senior Program Officer at the Science and Spirituality Program at the Fetzer Institute in Michigan where he was responsible for directing and planning Fetzer’s research program. He spent 20 years at the CDC where he conducted research on the prevention and control of parasitic diseases, with an emphasis on neglected tropical diseases.
- Dr. Steffano Bertozzi is a Professor and Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of California at Berkeley. He has led impact evaluations of large, national health and social programs in Mexico as well as in Africa, Asia and Latin America. His research has covered a diverse range of projects in health economics and policy, focusing on the economic aspects of HIV/AIDS and on the health impact of large social programs. He was previously the director of the HIV Global Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
- Iqbal Dhaliwal is the Deputy Director of The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and its global head of Policy. Iqbal works with policy makers in governments, international development organizations, foundations, and NGOs to help identify new field evaluations and implement the scale-up of successful programs in developing countries. Before coming to J-PAL, Iqbal was a Director in the Economic Analysis practice of a consulting firm in Boston. He was also a member of the Indian Administrative Service (I.A.S.) where he worked as a Deputy Secretary in a state government, as a Director of a state-wide welfare department, and as Managing Director (CEO) of a publicly owned company.
Dr. Stephen Luby is a Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, where he is also the Director of Research of the Center for Innovation and Global Health. Between 2004 and 2012, Stephen served as the Bangladesh Country Director for the US Centers for Disease Control. Stephen has authored over 200 scientific articles, the majority concerning communicable disease epidemiology in low income countries, and he continues leading major international research studies looking at the linkages of water, sanitation, and hygiene to health outcomes.
- Hari Menon is a Deputy Director at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he works on policy, advocacy and government relations in India. Previously, Hari was the Deputy Director of India Country Office Programs for the Foundation. Beyond his eight years at the foundation, Hari has advised high net worth individuals on philanthropic strategy.
- Mushfiq Mobarak is an Associate Professor at Yale University, where he is a development economist interested in environmental issues. Mushfiq conducts field experiments exploring ways to induce people in developing countries to adopt technologies or behaviors likely to improve their well-being, and has ongoing research projects in Bangladesh, India, Malawi, and Brazil.
- Erik Nielsen is a Senior Advisor in the Partnerships for Development Innovation branch of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada. Erik has wide-ranging experiences as a development practitioner working across multinational agencies, international NGOs and government development assistance. He specializes in evidence-based policy advocacy, and coalition and partnership building.
In addition to helping us as we expand our work, our advisors will guide us on how to improve the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of existing programs. We anticipate adding further advisors over the next few months.
We welcome such a strong advisory board and look forward to seeking their counsel to live up to our organizational values of rigor, evidence, and action.