Deep Dive with DFC’s Nafisa Jiwani & Monisha Ashok

The Bay Area Global Health Alliance invites members to join us on Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 8 AM PT for a virtual deep dive session with Nafisa Jiwani, Associate Vice President of Health Initiatives and Monisha Ashok, Director of Health Investments at the U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC), moderated by Krista Donaldson, Director of Innovation to Impact, Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign. Register here.

The DFC is the U.S. government’s development finance institution, providing debt, equity, guarantees, political risk insurance, and blended finance to support private-sector led development in low- and middle-income countries and other priority markets.

This conversation with Jiwani and Ashok comes at a pivotal moment for global health financing. As part of its recent reauthorization, the DFC announced a $205 billion investment cap, marking a significant expansion of its ability to deploy catalytic capital in emerging markets. Under this expanded authority, the agency will be able to invest in a broader range of countries — including select high-income countries — though with defined limitations and strategic priorities.

As traditional donor funding faces increasing constraints, this expansion positions the DFC as a critical source of long-term, risk-tolerant financing for scalable health solutions, across areas such as service delivery, manufacturing, digital health, and health systems infrastructure.

This timely session will help participants understand how DFC capital works in practice, what types of health projects and business models are most competitive, which organizations might be eligible, and how to position opportunities to align with DFC’s investment priorities and processes.

Designed as a candid, interactive conversation, the discussion with Jiwani and Ashok will offer members practical insight into DFC eligibility criteria and concrete guidance for engaging the agency more effectively as a financing partner.

Register here, and share your questions for Nafisa Jiwani and Monisha Ashok. Please note: this session is exclusive to Alliance members only.

Learn more about the Alliance’s financing and investing work, and find insights from our JPM 2024, 2025, and 2026 panels, featuring Jiwani, here.

Nafisa Jiwani, Associate Vice President, Health Initiatives, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)

Nafisa Jiwani is a seasoned global health leader with deep experience in development finance, health systems, and strategy. She has extensive expertise in translating complex development policies and regulatory frameworks into actionable, high-impact financial transactions such as vaccine manufacturing projects, regional productions hubs, and critical supply chain infrastructure-aligned with global health security and pandemic preparedness strategies. She is skilled in working with governments, development finance institutions, multilaterals and private sector partners to design blended finance solutions and public-private partnerships that accelerate access to health technologies while fostering local production capacity and long-term sustainability. Currently, Nafisa is the Associate Vice President and Head of Global Health initiatives at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, where she leads innovative health transactions and capital mobilization initiatives in emerging markets. Previously, Nafisa held senior leadership roles at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, advancing national priorities in value-based care, health innovation and public-private partnerships. Nafisa is passionate about creating scalable solutions that drive sustainability and resilience Worldwide. Ms. Jiwani’s career spans clinical and translational research, youth development, global health and development finance. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Southern Methodist University and a Master of Public Health in Management and Policy from Emory University’s Rollins Schools of Public Health.

Monisha Ashok, Director of Health Investments, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)

Monisha Ashok is the Director of Health Investments at DFC, where she leads health strategy, policy, and investments across the agency. Previously, she was a Senior Advisor for Market Access & Innovative Finance at USAID’s Center for Innovation and Impact (CII) in the Global Health Bureau. At CII, she led blended finance initiatives to catalyze investment for global health. Prior to CII, Monisha was a Project Leader at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Washington D.C., where she led strategy, organizational design, and operations for private and public sector clients. She has a deep passion for global health and previously worked with the World Bank on a national study on healthcare availability and quality in India. She holds an MPA in International Development (MPA/ID) from the Harvard Kennedy School and BAs in Economics and Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Krista Donaldson, Director of Innovation to Impact, Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign

As Director of Innovation to Impact at Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign, Krista Donaldson’s work focuses on ensuring that design tools and processes are broadly applicable across global markets. She is also part of the team establishing the East Africa Biodesign Program, which kicked off in early 2023. Stanford’s Biodesign program advances health outcomes and equity through innovation education, translation, and policy. As the former CEO of Equalize Health (formerly D-Rev), Donaldson led the design and scaling of disruptive medical devices to address global health inequities. To date, nearly 1M people – mostly children and young people – have been treated by one of Equalize Health’s products in 70+ countries. Peter Singer of the Effective Altruism movement called Equalize Health “one of the world’s best charities” because of its cost effectiveness and exemplary end-to-end processes. Donaldson has been recognized as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, TED speaker, and a GLG Social Impact Fellow. She was also named one of Fast Company’s “50 Designers Shaping the Future.” Prior to Equalize Health, she was an Economic Officer at the U.S. Department of State where she managed part of Iraq’s reconstruction portfolio. She also worked at KickStart International (Kenya), and the design firm IDEO (USA). Donaldson holds a master’s degree in Product Design and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.