The Bay Area Global Health Alliance’s 2025 Annual Meeting on June 5 brought together a diverse community of leaders, innovators, funders, and implementers at a pivotal time for global health. Held under Chatham House Rules to encourage open, candid dialogue, the convening reflected the urgency and complexity of a sector facing major funding cuts. Despite the challenges, there was a strong call to action across the community — to do bold things and reimagine the future, acknowledging the millions of lives depending on it. The meeting spotlighted how AI, digital health, and new financing strategies are reshaping what’s possible — and included plenty of time for networking.

This year’s agenda focused on four urgent questions: Where are we now? How must financing evolve? What role should AI play? And how do we keep innovating in a precarious time?

Speakers included Arati Prabhakar, former White House OSTP director and President Biden’s Science and Technology Advisor; Mike Reid, PEPFAR’s chief science officer and UCSF’s associate director of the Center for Global Health Diplomacy, Delivery & Economics. It also featured leaders from Accenture, Advancing Health Online, Amp Health, Baraka Impact Finance, BCG, Friends of the Global Fight, Google, IDEO.org, Kainomyx, PSI, UC Berkeley, University of Global Health Equity, and YLabs.

“We’re at a turning point in global health, forcing us to rethink how we fund, how we lead, how we collaborate to tackle some of the world’s most urgent health challenges. The systems and structures that we’ve relied on for years are under pressure like never before. The capacity we thought that we had developed on the ground deep within countries is vanishing right before our very eyes,” said one member. “We can’t continue to do more with less going forward. It’s going to be about focusing on what really matters most, working together, working smarter, and building solutions that truly last.”

What follows are key highlights and takeaways from each session. Quick links: Global Health at a Crossroads: What We’re Hearing, What Comes Next | Fireside Chat with Arati Prahakar, Possibility at a Precarious Time | New Models, New Strategies: Financing in a New Era of Global Health | Mind the Gap: AI’s Role in a New Era of Global Health | Photo Gallery | Speaker Bios

Global Health at a Crossroads: What We’re Hearing, What Comes Next

“Governments are ready to lead — and they’re not just open to innovation, they’re driving it. But they need partners they can trust, who won’t just drop in with short-term projects, but will co-design practical, resilient solutions that align with country priorities and can withstand funding shocks.”

Top Takeaways:

1. Funding fragility is eroding hard-won progress — Years of global health gains are at risk as budget cuts, strained systems, and collapsed digital infrastructure threaten service delivery in many countries.
2. Shifting power toward local leadership is both urgent and promising — Drastic U.S. cuts are forcing an overdue push for stronger national ownership, with countries like Ghana and Nigeria already stepping up domestic investment, innovation, and control.
3. Resilient health systems require trusted, long-term partnerships — True resilience depends on co-designed, context-driven solutions that align with local priorities, not just short-term projects or emergency infusions of funding.

The meeting opened with an overview of the current global health landscape, shaped by sobering developments from the World Health Assembly (WHA), sharp policy shifts in Washington, D.C., and firsthand perspectives from African health leaders. Across all contexts, the message was clear: funding fragility and health system strain are threatening years of progress. 

Lives are being lost and decades of progress are being undone. “Perhaps most concerning is that the capacity we thought we had developed on the ground, deep within countries, is vanishing right before our very eyes,” one speaker warned, noting that digital health systems supporting primary health care in 21 countries have already collapsed due to budget shortfalls.

Proposed U.S. budget cuts, such as slashing PEPFAR by 38% and maternal and child health funding by 92%, sparked deep concern but also opened a broader conversation about shifting power. “I do think there are a lot of opportunities in front of us. When you have big cuts like this, it becomes a motivator — it accelerates the conversation about country leadership and partner countries taking on more responsibility, putting in more of their own financing, and managing services themselves,” one panelist emphasized. 

In response to growing uncertainty, countries like Ghana and Nigeria are ramping up domestic investments and exploring new approaches, from AI integration to alternative financing models. “Governments are ready to lead — and they’re not just open to innovation, they’re driving it. But they need partners they can trust, who won’t just drop in with short-term projects, but will co-design practical, resilient solutions that align with country priorities and can withstand funding shocks,” shared one speaker.

Speakers also emphasized that partnerships need to be smarter: the private sector is asking to show up differently — not just as funders but as equal partners at the table — and called for an end to duplicative, siloed efforts and a shift toward collaborative, coordinated action. Additionally, there was consensus that the way money moves must be rethought; tools like blended finance, debt swaps, and impact bonds can unlock new resources but must be used in ways that truly serve national priorities.

These reflections reinforced a shared call to reimagine global health with stronger national leadership, more equitable financing, and durable, long-term collaboration at its core. “Health system resilience isn’t just about more money,” a speaker noted. “It comes from smarter, locally led, scalable solutions.” 

Possibility in a Precarious Time: What This Moment Means for Innovation and Health

Fireside Chat with Arati Prabhakar

Watch recording

“We are on track to destroy the biggest, most phenomenal engine of innovation that the world has ever seen.” – Arati Prabhakar, former White House OSTP Director and President Biden’s Science and Technology Advisor.

Top Takeaways:

1. Public investment is a crucial driver of innovation — and it’s at risk. Proposed cuts to U.S. science, research, and foreign aid threaten decades of progress behind everything from smartphones to medical advances. Sustained public funding is vital to tackle health crises, fuel discovery, and keep the U.S. competitive.
2. Big challenges require trusted, cross-sector collaboration. Every major breakthrough requires government, academia, companies, and communities to come together, align around shared goals, respect different incentives and roles, and build trust by creating win-win collaborations that enable achievements no one sector could reach alone.
3. AI holds huge promise for health — if we manage its risks. Generative AI can lighten workloads, speed new treatments, and expand access, but without guardrails, it can scale up old biases. Good data, clear governance, and local context turn potential into real impact.
4. Hold two truths: crisis and possibility. Profound crises threaten science and democracy, but they don’t erase what’s still possible. We must fight today’s setbacks and build tomorrow’s solutions at the same time.

In a fireside chat with Alliance Executive Director Sara Anderson, Arati Prabhakar — former White House OSTP Director and President Biden’s science and technology advisor — urged global health and innovation leaders to face today’s precarious moment for global health and science without losing sight of what remains possible. She described today’s context as a dual reality: a moment of profound crisis marked by sweeping cuts to science, technology, and foreign aid — and yet also a time that still demands big ideas, bold coalitions, and hope.

“We are on track to destroy the biggest, most phenomenal engine of innovation that the world has ever seen,” Prabhakar said, pointing to drastic cuts to U.S. agencies. “It’s putting our future at risk in a very dangerous way.” Prabhakar underscored that decades of bold public investments in research and development have driven the breakthroughs people now take for granted, from smartphones to medical advances. She warned that no amount of private or philanthropic capital can match the scale or risk-taking needed to tackle the biggest health and societal challenges without continued government leadership and public funding.

Yet she balanced this warning with real hope, sharing how cross-sector collaboration with public investment can translate research into real-world impact. 

“When I look back at every big thing that we’ve ever been able to do as a country, as a society, we do astonishing things. And every single one of them takes people from all different sectors coming together,” said Prabhakar. “We have the American mythology of the lone hero entrepreneur, or in the science community, the one dude in a white lab coat who does it all. Those are good stories, but that’s not actually how big change happens. My personal experience maps directly to how this Alliance thinks about the power of bringing people together from all their different perspectives.”

She pointed to the Cancer Moonshot as an example of how setting ambitious goals, coordinating research, addressing access, and tackling prevention together can save millions of lives. Part of the success was due to the system approach to changing cancer outcomes, focusing on implementation and how to scale, not just new science – and with robust multi-sector collaboration.

“We have the American mythology of the lone hero entrepreneur, or in the science community, the one dude in a white lab coat who does it all. Those are good stories, but that’s not actually how big change happens. My personal experience maps directly to how this Alliance thinks about the power of bringing people together from all their different perspectives.” 

On GenAI, Prabhakar called it one of the most powerful technologies of our time, with the potential to ease  clinicians’ workload, speed drug discovery, and expand access to healthcare services. But she cautioned that unchecked AI can replicate harmful biases: “If we just train an AI on extremely biased medical decisions from the past, our imperfect past, we’ll create a future that makes the same bad decisions, but at scale. That is completely unacceptable,” she warned. Guardrails, good data, and shared infrastructure will be essential to unlock benefits responsibly.

“And the reason you manage the risks [of AI] is so that you can seize its benefits,” Prabhakar said. “Where I get really excited is the prospect of being able to radically change the way and the pace at which we can design and approve new drugs with AI. We’re starting to see glimmers of possibility.”

She described how AI can accelerate how we design and approve new drugs, moving from models trained just on language to models built on biological and clinical data. Despite all of our scientific and pharmaceutical advances, the U.S. still approves only a few dozen new drugs each year, while thousands of diseases remain with no effective treatment. She spoke of a future where her daughters might never have to fear Alzheimer’s because AI-powered innovation could finally make cures possible for diseases that have long had none.

Amid today’s turbulence, she urged everyone to keep fighting for the public role in R&D and global engagement, even while building tactical solutions in the present. “What I find is I really need one part of my brain to fight the crisis and a different part to figure out what we will build going forward. Whether it’s R&D, innovation, or global health, we didn’t fight for resources because we thought the systems we had were perfect; we did it because they were absolutely indispensable. And now we don’t want to go back. We’ve always been fighting to move forward, crafting what the world looks like and how we actually achieve it. That is what’s still calling us. That is the hopeful work I do to give myself strength, in order to keep using the other part of my brain to fight the crisis, stop this destruction, and get back on a healthy track.”

Her parting message to the Alliance community was a clear call for resilience and collective hope. “First and foremost, thank you. It’s through this kind of work that we generate hope, and those trying to drag us backward count on us losing it. So nurturing hope is vital. We must keep doing the work to make things better now and for the future, without losing sight of the fact that part of our identity as a country is to do these things as a nation pulling together as a people. And I think fighting for that is equally important at this time.”

New Models, New Strategies: Financing in a New Era of Global Health

“More programs are being designed in collaboration with governments, involving national and regional actors and taking a bottom-up approach. Domestic financing is a key part of this shift.”

Top Takeaways:

1. Global health financing is shifting away from traditional donor aid toward more country-led, co-created models. Panelists agreed that the old model of large donor grants is no longer enough. Organizations are partnering directly with governments, aligning investments with national priorities, and encouraging countries to match donor funds with domestic resources.
2. Local innovators, especially in Africa and Asia, face significant funding gaps to scale early-stage solutions. Creative partnerships, blended finance, and stronger regional investment networks are key to closing this gap
3. The challenge is securing smarter, context-specific capital. While digital health attracts most investment, other critical areas like infrastructure, supply chains, and insurance remain underfunded. Catalytic capital, including blended finance, outcome-based funding, and patient capital, is essential to support resilient health systems and local innovation.

In the face of mounting financial pressures, panelists called for a bold rethinking of how global health is funded — and who leads the charge. The conversation underscored a shift from traditional aid models to smarter, more inclusive financing approaches centered on national priorities and long-term resilience.

“Across many countries, we’re co-creating with governments and aligning with donors who are funding them [governments] directly,” one speaker noted, describing how their organization had shifted from private-sector roots to government-led partnerships. “More programs are being designed in collaboration with governments, involving national and regional actors and taking a bottom-up approach. Domestic financing is a key part of this shift, and it’s encouraging to see governments stepping up to match donor contributions and allocate their own resources.”

“It’s not a lack of capital, but a lack of smarter capital,” another speaker emphasized. “While digital health and data receive the bulk of investment, there is an opportunity to mobilize funding toward other critical enablers of global health transformation, bringing in more catalytic financing and integrated solutions that support the full ecosystem, including infrastructure, insurance, and supply chains.”

Echoing this, another speaker noted the unique financing challenges in places like East Africa. “The venture capital model hasn’t fully supported early innovators, especially in MedTech and infrastructure, where trust remains low. Digital health draws much of the investment, but this narrow focus leaves many innovators struggling for funding. The ‘Valley of Death’ (a critical funding gap where early-stage companies struggle to secure necessary capital to transition from initial concept to a viable, revenue-generating business) for early-stage ventures is wider and harder to navigate. To accelerate progress, we must broaden investment approaches to include more locally developed innovations and mobilize smarter, catalytic financing that meets the needs of the whole health ecosystem.”

From the biotech front, a speaker shared how moving operations to India unlocked new financing avenues. “We took a bold step by moving our malaria program to India, where the government is actively funding early-stage startups, biotech investors are emerging, and new capital sources like high-net-worth individuals are starting to engage. Over the next five to ten years, this growing ecosystem will create unique opportunities that can significantly benefit global health.”

Mind the Gap: AI’s Role in a New Era of Global Health

“Generative AI can be powerful and useful, but these successes don’t come from speed alone. They come from listening to communities, ethical design, and local leadership.”

Top Takeaways:

1. AI is delivering early impact but faces a ‘scale gap’ — From improving ultrasounds and patient outreach to generating training content, AI is already strengthening frontline care. Yet many innovations stall between pilot and scale, especially in Africa, due to funding gaps, fragmented systems, and limited real-world validation.
2. Good data, evidence, and community trust are essential — AI can amplify bias if built on poor or non-representative data. High-quality local data, rigorous evaluation, and real-world evidence are critical for safety and impact. Tools must be designed in local languages and co-created with communities to ensure cultural relevance, build trust, and drive adoption.
3. AI is not a silver bullet — It’s a tool, not the answer to every problem. Effective use means staying anchored in real needs, testing what works through robust evaluation, and ensuring AI complements strong systems and skilled health workers, not replaces them.
4. Scaling AI requires context-fit models — Silicon Valley approaches won’t work everywhere. Innovators need longer funding runways, shared infrastructure, supportive policies, and genuine local co-design to build trusted, sustainable solutions that meet communities’ needs in their own contexts and languages.

Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly, but panelists emphasized that global health systems must move just as intentionally. The conversation focused on deploying AI in ways that reflect real-world needs, are governed responsibly, and elevate the voices of those closest to the challenges. “AI reflects the values we build into it, so we need to design with communities, in their languages, on their terms,” one speaker noted.

In low-resource settings, AI is already making an impact, enabling novices to perform fetal ultrasounds, boosting prenatal care retention through targeted outreach, and generating training materials in minutes. Generative AI is helping frontline workers access real-time guidance and build tools tailored to their communities. 

“We’re already seeing faster response times and improved healthcare worker satisfaction,” one speaker shared. “Early results show real-world impact, but there’s a clear need for better shared infrastructure — for both languages and health-specific contexts — along with improved data quality and more iterative product development and evaluation.”

Still, innovation alone isn’t enough. “If we want AI and deep tech to scale in Africa, we need a model that fits the continent,” said one speaker. “There are incredible mission-driven entrepreneurs, but they’re capital-starved, infrastructure is constrained, and there are multiple stakeholders, so fragmentation is a real challenge.” 

Panelists highlighted that while many promising AI pilots exist, too many solutions stall before reaching real-world scale in LMICs. Bridging this “scale gap” will require patient capital, shared infrastructure, and supportive policies that enable testing, evidence generation, and regulatory trust. Speakers underscored that successful AI must meet four critical tests: it must be accessible in local contexts, available where it’s most needed, affordable and sustainable for health systems, and acceptable to both providers and communities.

They cautioned that simply replicating Silicon Valley models won’t work; instead, AI must be adapted to fit diverse health systems and realities on the ground. 

“In many areas, we need human-centered approaches,” continued another panelist. “The recent funding cuts highlight that AI will not be the solution for everything. This is not about tech for tech’s sake.” 

Amid tightening resources and shifting global health priorities, panelists emphasized that meaningful progress is still possible — but only when solutions are grounded in the realities of the communities they aim to serve. “Scaling to support accessibility isn’t just about a technical solution, it’s about understanding the cultural, linguistic, and institutional context where the work is being implemented,” shared one panelist. “When we talk about availability, we have to ask: Can the solution be deployed where it’s most needed? Is it approved by policy guidelines? Is it actually implementable?” 

“Generative AI can be powerful and useful, but these successes don’t come from speed alone. They come from listening to communities, ethical design, and local leadership,” emphasized another speaker.

Conclusion and Call to Action

“Funding cuts and the policy changes have really ravaged our sector. The old ways are not coming back, and the appropriate response to a tragedy like that is grief. But we are a community that has to be resilient. The magic of the Alliance is really the network. So it’s possible that if we work together, we can work to build a new model for the future that’s more innovative, more equitable, more efficient, and ultimately more impactful.”  – Alliance Board Chair Colin Boyle, UC Berkeley.

A central thread throughout the Alliance’s Annual Meeting was the need for collaboration and community as a form of resilience. “To survive this moment and continue fighting to end the crisis, our work must be deeply strategic, not just tactical,” said one member. “We need to clarify our true goals and build thoughtfully for the future. It’s essential to segment our focus, keep different parts of our mind engaged, and be very clear about our values and the boundaries we won’t cross.”

The Alliance’s theory of change is based on the assumption that collaboration across sectors, expertise, and geographies is necessary to solve today’s complex global health challenges. We believe in the catalytic power of shared knowledge and cross-sector collaboration, that together we can shift what is possible and achieve better and more sustainable health outcomes for all. A dedication to working together for innovation and impact for all is what unites us and is our strength. Now more than ever, being part of a community is crucial. 

“Funding cuts and the policy changes have really ravaged our sector. The old ways are not coming back and the appropriate response to a tragedy like that is grief. But we are a community that has to be resilient. The magic of the Alliance is really the network. So it’s possible that if we work together, we can work to build a new model for the future that’s more innovative, more equitable, more efficient, and ultimately more impactful,” said Alliance board chair Colin Boyle, UC Berkeley. He continued that he hoped today’s meeting helped provide some glimmers of hope, and some “greenshoots” of models and ideas to take forward.

“We are grateful to all of our members and our speakers for sharing their insights and being part of our trusted network, our resilient community,” said Sara Anderson, Alliance executive director. “We appreciate the leadership and service of our entire board, and especially to board member Natasha Sunderji and Accenture for providing us the space to come together in person and virtually at this pivotal moment for global health.”

The call to action for our Alliance community is to stay engaged, stay connected, be willing to rethink how you work and partner, and continue to show up with candor and an open mind. Reach out and let us know how we can support you. Looking ahead, the Alliance will continue to have AI and global health programming, as well as other virtual convenings, over the next few months. Follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to the Connections newsletter. 

Mark your calendars: We hope to see many of you in person during UNGA in New York City in September, at the Africa Health Tech Summit in Kigali and SOCAP in San Francisco in October, and at the Global Digital Health Forum in Nairobi in December. 

Photo Gallery

Speaker Bios

Yusuf Babatunde, Growth and Partnerships Coordinator, YLabs

Yusuf Babatunde is a pharmacist, implementation researcher, and human-centered designer with over 4 years’ experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of public health programs in the fields of SRH, HIV/AIDS, antimicrobial resistance, and digital health.Yusuf is also currently nurturing a career in growth and partnerships for non-profits. At YLabs, he helps conduct due diligence research on partnerships and funding opportunities while also developing grant proposals. He also conducts market research to understand key trends, opportunities, and the competitive landscape. He has vast experience in creating externally shareable documents to support partnership development, including one-pagers and decks and also supports YLabs in this capacity. 

Carolina Batista, Head of Global Health Affairs, Baraka Impact Finance

Carolina Batista, MD is the Head of Global Health Affairs at Baraka Impact Finance. She holds expertise in global health, access, R&D, infectious and neglected diseases and international development. During the span of her career, she has been able to design frameworks and guidelines that have ultimately impacted public policies in countries and vulnerable communities around the globe. Clinically trained in Brazil, Carolina started her career working in her country, including with indigenous communities in the Amazon. In 2007, she joined Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), working on a project in Somalia and has remained connected with the humanitarian organization ever since. In 2011, she became the director of the Brazilian Medical Unit (BRAMU) of MSF in Brazil, supporting field operations treating neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and emerging infectious diseases. After three successful years with MSF-Brazil, Carolina joined the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) Latin America as the Head of Access and Medical Affairs. Carolina is currently an elected International Board Member for MSF and serves as a Latin America Strategic Advisor for ISGlobal. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Carolina has worked closely to support grassroots groups in various countries, leading the MSF medical response to COVID-19 in the Navajo Nation, in the United States.

Colin Boyle, Lecturer, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley; Alliance Board Chair

Colin Boyle, MPP, MBA, is a member of the professional faculty at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, where he teaches graduate courses on leadership and strategy for social enterprises and nonprofit organizations. Recently, he was Deputy Director of UCSF’s Institute for Global Health Sciences, dedicated to improving health and reducing inequities worldwide. Colin joined UC in 2012, after 15 years with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he was a partner and managing director, leading many of the firm’s social impact projects, helping industry and non-profit innovators develop new products to combat disease and bring them to market for health impact. At UCSF, Mr. Boyle focused on analyzing the case for investments in health, playing a supporting role in the Lancet Commission on Investing in Health and contributing to other investment cases for specific conditions. He has also supported or led efforts at UCSF related to malaria, TB, neglected infectious diseases, maternal health, health systems strengthening, and regulatory sciences. He also serves on the board of the Oakland Museum of California.

Chris Collins, President and CEO, Friends of the Global Fight

Chris joined Friends in 2016 and serves as its President & CEO. He leads the organization’s efforts to engage U.S. decision makers on the lifesaving work of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the importance of expanding global health investment. At Friends, Chris has played a central role in two major global health financing wins: in 2019, achieving the first increase in U.S. support to the Global Fund in six years in the face of opposition from the then presidential administration; and, in 2021, approval of $3.5 billion in emergency COVID-19 funding for the Global Fund, the largest ever single appropriation to the organization. Chris also helped secure U.S. hosting of the 7th Replenishment of the Global Fund and the largest pledge to the organization in history. At Friends he has written widely on the connection between disease-focused programs and broader health goals. Previously, as Chief of the Community Mobilization Division at UNAIDS, Chris helped make the case for investment in civil society as an essential part of the AIDS response. As Vice President and Director of Public Policy at amfAR, Chris defended global AIDS research and program funding and worked to advance domestic HIV policy and global key populations programming. Chris authored the monograph that inspired the effort to create the first comprehensive US National HIV/AIDS Strategy, then coordinated the successful advocacy push to establish the Strategy, leading to important policy reforms. He helped develop and manage the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) Missing the Target series of reports on global HIV treatment scale-up, which received international attention. Chris co-founded and served as Executive Director at AVAC, an internationally recognized HIV research and prevention advocacy group. As appropriations staff to Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in the late 1990s, Chris designed the first legislation to provide incentives for developing and delivering vaccines against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, which helped advance the global dialogue on tackling major infectious diseases. He holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Shola Dele-Olowu, Director of Regional Initiatives, Amp Health

Dr. Shola Dele-Olowu is a seasoned public health leader with 15 years of experience advancing health systems across Africa. As Director of Regional Initiatives at AMP Health, she provides strategic oversight and cultivates government partnerships in several countries. For the past decade, she has led multi-country programs that address the complexities of public sector reform and health system strengthening, often in collaboration with ministries of health and global partners. Her work bridges policy and implementation, with a strong focus on building sustainable, locally owned solutions within donor-funded initiatives.

Kang-Xing “KX” Jin, Advisor, Advancing Health Online

Kang-Xing (“KX”) Jin held various leadership roles at Meta over 17 years of significant technological change. He managed ads engineering through the IPO and later was a VP responsible for many of Facebook’s products, including Groups. In 2018, he shifted his professional focus to social impact. As Meta’s Head of Health, his team helped organizations use Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp to improve access to services, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. He left Meta in 2023. He continues advising organizations in the social impact sector, is a board member of the Civic News Company, and is on the Stanford Center for Digital Health advisory board

Michelle Kreger, CEO, IDEO.org

Michelle Kreger is the CEO of IDEO.org, where she leads a global team of designers and strategists dedicated to creating life-changing solutions. From products that enable new behaviors to services that foster belonging, and strategies that scale impact, Michelle guides our community of changemakers to realize a more just and inclusive world. In her nine years at IDEO.org, Michelle’s strategic initiatives have spanned reimagining global vaccine delivery, enhancing TB, HIV, and reproductive healthcare, and creating spaces for collective action. As the former Partnerships Director of the global health portfolio and later as Managing Director, Michelle has driven the development of solutions that have impacted over 64 million people across 45 countries. Before IDEO.org, Michelle spent the first decade of her career leading Kiva.org’s global portfolio, where she was responsible for expanding to new markets and championing innovation through their social enterprise investment team, Kiva Labs. She has worked in over 50 countries and speaks Spanish and some French. The best promotion she’s ever received was becoming a mom.

Arati Prabhakar, former White House OSTP Director and President Biden’s Science and Technology Advisor

Arati Prabhakar served as a member of President Biden’s cabinet, his science and technology advisor, and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Her work focused on artificial intelligence, health outcomes, climate and clean energy, and the innovation ecosystem to enable a prosperous and secure America. She had previously served as Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and as Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). In the private sector, she was chief technology officer for a specialty materials manufacturer, a venture capitalist investing in startups in semiconductors and cleantech, and the founder of an innovation nonprofit. Arati holds a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Texas Tech University and a Ph.D. in applied physics from the California Institute of Technology.

Malcolm Quigley, Director, Strategic Partnerships, Population Services International (PSI)

Malcolm Quigley began his career at the European Commission President’s office in Brussels, Belgium and subsequently moved on to the private sector where he worked on communications strategies for a large multi-national telecommunications company operating in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. After completing his MBA, he volunteered with VSO in Bosnia and Herzegovina, working with a local refugee return organization on their sustainability strategy. In 2004, he returned to Ireland where he established VSO and, over the subsequent years, facilitated over 400 highly skilled Irish expert volunteers to work with local partners in Africa and Asia on capacity-building programs. Malcolm has worked on development projects in Southern and Eastern Africa, Southeast Asia, post-Tsunami response in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and peace programs in Sri Lanka and the Philippines. Before joining PSI he acted as Country Director for VSO in Mozambique, overseeing a large women’s economic development program and a girls’ school program. At PSI, Malcolm leads Strategic Partnerships and works to develop shared value relationships with corporate and foundation partners.

Mike Reid, Associate Director of the Center for Global Health Diplomacy, Delivery & Economics at UCSF & Chief Science Officer, PEPFAR

Mike Reid is a global health leader, physician, and policy expert committed to advancing HIV and TB program innovation, sustainable health financing, and health system integration. With over two decades of experience spanning academia, multilateral organizations, and government agencies, he has worked at the intersection of policy, research translation, and large-scale program implementation to drive impact in global health. Currently, he serves as Chief Science Officer for PEPFAR in the U.S. State Department, where he leads scientific strategy, and spearheads investments in long-acting therapeutics, AI-driven health innovations, and sustainable service delivery models. Previously, he directed the Center for Pandemic Preparedness & Response at UCSF, where he oversaw $40 million in global health security investments, strengthening infectious disease surveillance and laboratory systems in low-resource settings. His experience also includes serving as Associate Director for the UCSF Center for Global Health Diplomacy & Delivery, where he led the Lancet Commission on TB, led policy research on sustainable TB financing, and supported UN-level advocacy to advance domestic resource mobilization for TB care. His work has consistently focused on bridging implementation science and policy, leveraging digital health tools, AI, and innovative financing mechanisms to accelerate the HIV and TB response. He is passionate about building multi-sectoral partnerships, translating research into action, and ensuring that global health investments yield lasting impact.

Natnael “Nat” Shimelash, Head, Stanford East African Biodesign (EAB) Program

Natnael Shimelash is the Head of the East African Biodesign (EAB) Program and an Academic Faculty member at the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) School of Medicine (SOM). In his role at EAB, Dr. Shimelash focuses on contextualizing, designing, and instructing the Biodesign process to a multidisciplinary team of Health Technology innovators. He also plays a pivotal role in managing the Biodesign program and establishing partnerships with HealthTech stakeholders in East Africa and beyond. As a faculty member of SOM, Dr. Shimelash contributes by assisting in developing, testing, and implementing simulation scenarios for medical students and disseminating UGHE’s simulation initiatives. With his dual role encompassing healthcare innovation and medical education, Dr. Shimelash is committed to advancing the East African HealthTech ecosystem and medical education. Before joining UGHE, Dr. Shimelash served in various healthcare leadership and clinical roles, such as a primary care physician, deputy medical director, quality and clinical governance officer, and clinical system mentor in Ethiopia. Dr. Shimelash earned his Bachelor of Medicine from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, his Master’s in Global Health Delivery, specializing in the One Health Track, from UGHE, and a Global Faculty in Training certificate from the Stanford Biodesign program.

Natasha Sunderji, Global Health and Nutrition Lead, Accenture Development Partnerships; Co-lead, Accenture Health Equity Center of Excellence

Natasha Sunderji is the Global Health and Nutrition Lead for Accenture’s social impact practice – Accenture Development Partnerships. She also co-leads Accenture’s Health Equity Center of Excellence. By engaging Accenture’s global workforce of over 700,000 employees, she works to address the world’s social, economic and environmental issues. Natasha is a visionary healthcare leader with over 18 years of experience advising multinational companies, nonprofits, foundations, and multilateral agencies on growth strategy, innovative business models, digital health, and cross-sector partnerships. She is a vocal advocate for vulnerable and underserved communities. Natasha strives to drive care delivery transformation for health care organizations through financially sustainable, consumer-centric, and data-driven business models. She has worked with leading digital health platforms to design patient-centric solutions, supported over 30 inclusive business models across low and middle-income countries, and advised policymakers on the regulations and investments needed to create robust digital health ecosystems. She was named a Top 50 Women Leader in San Francisco in 2023 and a Top 50 Innovator in 2020 by the World Summit AI community. Natasha holds a Bachelor’s in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toronto and a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School.

Kisimbi Thomas, PPL, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 

Kisimbi Thomas is a Partner and Project Leader (PPL) at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), with over 17 years of experience across global health strategy, financing, and implementation. He brings expertise in universal health coverage, primary healthcare, and community health systems to solve complex challenges and create social impact. He has worked with governments, multilaterals, foundations, and private sector partners to raise and deploy nearly $1 billion to other governments and programs so that they can strengthen public health systems, reach marginalized communities, and enhance life-saving access for tens of millions. He has served as a senior advisor to Cabinet Ministers in multiple governments, including Kenya, where he advised the Cabinet Secretary for Health and the Office of the President on Universal Health Coverage to advance the President’s Big 4 Agenda. Kisimbi is a clinician, entrepreneur, and investor, having founded This Generation Now and the African Century VC-Impact Fund, both focused on mobilizing and empowering young African leaders and innovators in the health sector. He is also an advisor to HER Heard, a startup amplifying women’s voices. He holds an MA in International Development & Policy from the University of Chicago, an MBA from MIT, an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School, and undergraduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.

Darshan Trivedi, Co-Founder, Co-President & Director of Business and Research Strategy, Kainomyx

Dr. Darshan Trivedi is a biotechnology entrepreneur, scientist, and strategic leader at the intersection of global health and innovation. He is the Co-Founder, Co-President, and Director of Business & Research Strategy at Kainomyx Inc., a Stanford spinout developing small-molecule therapeutics targeting cytoskeletal proteins to treat parasitic diseases. Through a OneHealth approach, Kainomyx addresses health challenges across human, animal, and agricultural sectors. Dr. Trivedi has over 17 years of experience in research and strategic leadership. He has been pivotal in expanding Kainomyx’s global reach by establishing a subsidiary at C-CAMP in Bengaluru, India—an initiative that accelerated the company’s malaria drug discovery platform within a world-class biotech ecosystem. Under his leadership, Kainomyx entered a potential partnership with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services to develop and commercialize affordable antimalarial drugs. He holds a Ph.D. in Physiology from Penn State and completed an American Heart Association-sponsored postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University, where his research led to the discovery of the molecular basis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a fatal cardiac disease. He also collaborated with a pharmaceutical company to uncover the mechanism of action of CamzyosTM, a first-in-class therapy for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He is also a co-founder of Cyntegron Therapeutics, which is focused on oncology. Dr. Trivedi brings a global perspective and a translational mindset to the biotech space, with a track record of turning cutting-edge science into scalable solutions for global health.

Nichole Young-Lin, Women’s Health Clinical Lead, Google

Dr. Nichole Young-Lin is a practicing board-certified, safety-net obstetrician-gynecologist and the Women’s Health Clinical Lead at Google. Her work includes product development (Fitbit), AI research projects (including generative AI), and supporting women’s health efforts across Google’s platforms. Dr. Young-Lin received her medical degree (MD) from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and her master’s in business administration (MBA) from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. She completed her residency training at Stanford University, where she continues to serve as adjunct faculty.