Board of Directors ​

William Burdick, MD, MSEd, is Secretary General of The Network: Towards Unity for Health, an organization of community oriented health professions schools and Professor of Emergency Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. As the former Vice President for Education at FAIMER, he was responsible for creation of global faculty development programs for health professions educators. He has received awards for excellence in teaching, including the Lindbach Award and the Trustees Award in his capacity as Professor of Emergency Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine. A graduate of Oberlin College, Weill Cornell University College of Medicine, and University of Pennsylvania, he completed residency training in Internal Medicine and is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine and American Board of Internal Medicine.

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Associate Professor Lionel Green-Thompson was appointed dean and took up the role from 15 March 2020.

He has held multiple roles at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), including being the assistant dean for Teaching, Learning and Undergraduate Affairs in the Faculty of Health Sciences. He was also the clinical coordinator for the MBBCh degree in the Centre for Health Science Education from 2004, during which time he engaged in numerous student development initiatives, including the supervision of MMed (Anaesthesia) students.

He graduated from Wits with an MBBCh in 1988. He is a Fellow of the College of Anaesthetists of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa. He obtained his MMed (Anaesthesia) at Wits in 2011 and completed a two-year Wits Carnegie Clinical PhD Fellowship.

He was national chairperson for the South African Association of Health Educationalists for the 2010 to 2013 triennium and chaired the national conference held at Wits in 2010 titled “Making Education Matter”.

Associate Professor Green-Thompson is an occasional reviewer for academic journals such as the South African Journal of Surgery, South African Journal of Psychiatry, South African Journal of Anaesthesia and Analgesia, African Journal of Health Professions Education and, internationally, Medical Teacher and BMC Medical Education. He is a member of the Research Committee of the Association for Medical Education in Europe for the term 2018 to 2022.

He is currently the chair of the network for Medical Education in Resource Constrained Situations. 

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Ala Khalid is a medical graduate from University of Gezira, Sudan.

She has been a loyal member of SNO since 2018, last year she was working as acting president for SNO local chapter at her institution and also as international Mentorship coordinator.

She’s passionate about Global Health issues, Gender Equity, and Interprofessional Education.

Ala enjoys cooking, gardening and photography, she is aspiring to become a global surgeon and a researcher.

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Nicholas Torres, M.Ed, has over 25 years of experience in executive management, Nicholas works at the cross section between the private sector, government, and not-for-profits to align them toward collective social impact and change public policy. Nicholas has led and founded multiple for-profit and not-for-profit social ventures that are driven both by social impact and financial sustainability measures. Some of his launched social ventures include charter schools, an early literacy technology platform; school-based health centers; and community-based satellite college sites.

Nicholas serves in the capacity of Executive Director of The Network: Towards Unity for Health where he provides governance, strategy, and financial oversight. He also serves as CEO and President (Interim) for The Alliance for Health Equity Foundation. He is Co-Founder and manager of Social Innovations Partners which publishes the Social Innovations Journal. He teaches Nonprofit Leadership, Social Policy, and Social Entrepreneurship at University of Pennsylvania.

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Alejandro is a Physician and general surgeon, specialist in epidemiology and master in public health, university professor and researcher. He has experience in epidemiology and public health with municipalities, departments and districts, as well as in public hospitals and private clinics. He is currently working as a researcher in human longevity and International health care consultant.

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Vishnu priya Vijayalekshmi is a medical doctor currently doing Masters in Public Health (Social Epidemiology) at Tata Institute of Medical Sciences, Mumbai. She has been in the leadership team of Student Network Organization since 2016 and was the President of SNO Team 2018-19. She is a passionate and enthusiastic person who is constantly striving to dedicate herself for the empowerment of women ,youth and the marginalized sections of the community.

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Björg Pálsdóttir is co-founder and CEO of the Training for Health Equity Network: THEnet, a global partnership of health workforce education institutions committed to reducing health inequities and increasing social accountability. She is the project lead in the USAID-funded Local Health System Sustainability Project’s work on social determinants of health and human resources for health. Björg is the technical lead of a Working Group on Equity at the Data and Evidence Hub of the World Health Organization and member of the Africa – Europe Foundation’s Strategy Group on Health. She participated in strategy development for WHO’s Global Strategy on HRH2030 and was commissioned to write a policy brief on education for the UN High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth. Prior to founding THEnet, she co-founded the Center for Global Health at New York University. Björg serves as a consultant to international organizations and governments and has published numerous articles and book chapters.

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Eleanor is a Professor in Nursing and Associate Dean International, and Engagement, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Co-director of the Centre For Migrant and Refugee Health Research, has a Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology, from HKU, as well as being a nursing alumna of AUT. She has 30 years of experience working in the international university sector, predominantly in Asia (the Chinese University of Hong Kong, National University of Singapore, University of Hong Kong campus Shenzhen) and Australia (Head of Nursing, RMIT, and Edith Cowan University ), as well as more recently in East Africa, (Aga Khan University). Her research and teaching focus on health equity, human rights, and social justice has spanned nursing, public health, and social sciences academic disciplines, A key focus of her work is with international PHD students Her publication platform has focused on marginalized populations, using a human rights perspective. She is currently Co-Director of the AUT Centre for Migrant and Refugee Research, she has contributed to forming a Steering Committee, hosting a re-launch event, building relationships and partnerships with key community organizations, and writing joint publications and proposals.

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She is acknowledged as the pioneer of medical education in Pakistan. Currently in In Leadership position and serves as senior advisor on health professions education. She has immense contribution to the faculty development programs for health professionals, community- based curriculum, best practices in teaching learning and assessment. Active member of TUFH since 1991. In 2011, elected to serve as the TUFH Chair for four years’ term. Presently is TUFH Board member. Founding, and Board member of the Women and Health Together for Future (WHTF). Is Education Coordinator of the National Committee of Maternal and Neonatal Health (NCMNH). Served on the Selection Committee of Charles Boelen International Social Accountability Award, Canada. . Invited speaker for national and international conferences in Pakistan. Authored publications in peer reviewed journals. Contributes as a reviewer to national and international journals, and institutional projects. She has special interest in preparing next generation of health care providers particularly for remote areas, and working with organizations to develop competency-based programs . Has keen interest that Pakistan creates social accountability and inter-professional education models, promote women’s health, and patient-centered care.

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Dr Anshu, MBBS, MD, DNB, MNAMS, MHPE, is Director-Professor of Pathology at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram, India. She has been awarded Commonwealth Academic Staff Fellowship (2007), CMCL-
FAIMER Fellowship (2007), FAIMER-Institute Fellowship from Philadelphia (2009), and DBT Clinical Fellowship in Genetics Diagnostics (2021). Dr Anshu was awarded the International Fellowship in Medical Education (IFME) from FAIMER, USA in 2012. The award allowed her to pursue her Masters in Health Professions Education (MHPE) from Maastricht University, which she completed with distinction. She was the President of the Academy of Health Professions Educators, India for the year 2022. Dr Anshu is the Coordinator of the Medical Education Unit and the Internal Quality Assurance Cell at her institute. She designs and conducts faculty development workshops both in India and abroad. She has been a faculty member and resource person at four Indian FAIMER Regional Institutes—CMCL-FAIMER, Ludhiana; GSMC-FAIMER, Mumbai; PSG-FAIMER, Coimbatore, and MAHE-FAIMER Institute, Manipal. She is global faculty, lead faculty for Education Methods and Assessment, and quality assurance member for the FAIMER-Institute at Philadelphia. She has edited a book along with Dr Tejinder Singh titled ‘Principles of Assessment in Medical Education’ which is into its second edition. Her interests are: oncopathology, cancer epidemiology and genetics, faculty development, educational methods, assessment, and quality assurance. She also pursues creative writing and blogging as a hobby.

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Associate Professor Firdouza Waggie is the Deputy Dean: Clinical and Community Engagement in the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). She is also physiotherapist and has worked in hospital and community settings. Currently she plays an important role in the leadership and strategic decision-making in the faculty. Her portfolio encompasses all matters related to the training on the clinical and community platforms for all the professional programmes in the faculty. She is also responsible for ensuring that the university is anchored in various communities through establishing partnerships and relationships with stakeholders that benefits the the community and the university. She is an advocate for collaborative practice and community engagement in higher education and in the health and social services. She aims to build personal and leadership capacity amongst faculty staff which is needed for sustainability and success in the higher education sector. Her post-graduate supervision and research record reflects in several national and international publications and conference presentations.

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With over 20 years of experience working across the world, the individual has found their ‘sweet spot’ in using data as a storytelling device to assist others in doing more good, making informed decisions, and amplifying their impact through meaningful change. They collaborate with individuals to foster fresh insights by investigating social issues using data and evidence, ultimately contributing to global expertise by sharing knowledge and crafting impactful narratives.

They have had the privilege of addressing complex health challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic, vaccine hesitancy, antibiotic resistance, diabetes, air pollution, and the enhancement of intricate health systems. Their experience extends to working within prominent organizations such as the OECD, NHS, NSW Health, and The George Institute to drive substantial transformations. Additionally, they serve as a board member of TUFH, representing the Western Pacific region.

Their overarching goal is to rectify the world’s inherent unfairness and inequality, striving to enhance the quality of life for all, irrespective of race, location, or financial status. They aspire to collaborate with fellow problem solvers who share a commitment to leaving no one behind, recognizing the immense potential for collective action.

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Dr. Mohamed Hassan Taha, MB.BS, PG Dip, MHPE, PhD, FAcadMEd is an Assistant Professor of Medical Education at the Medical Education Centre and College of Medicine University of Sharjah. With over 15 years of experience in Medical/Health Professions Education and educational research. He is currently the director of the Medical Education Centre and the coordinator of the Master of Leadership in Health Professions Education at the University of Sharjah, as well as the chair of the College of Medicine’s curriculum committee. Before joining university of Sharjah, he served as the head Of Faculty Development Unit at college of Medicine, University of Qassim, Saudi Arabia, and director of Medical Education Unit, at Public Health Institute and Academy of Health Sciences in Sudan. He also act as member several international organizations of The Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) and The Network: Towards Unity for Health TUFH and he serves as a consultant for various undergraduate and postgraduate medical curricula in the region Eastern Mediterranean region (EMRO region). Dr. Mohammad H. Taha has authored numerous articles on curriculum development, social accountability, online learning, students and residents learning environment, and residency training, and he is working as editorial board member in several medical educational journals.

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European Regional Board Member, The Network: TUFH Professor in Nursing, VIVES University of Applied Science, Belgium Coordinator VIVES LiveLab: Interprofessional Education Researcher Centre of Expertise for Care Innovation, VIVES

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Medical doctor from Nueva Granada Military University, specialist in Psychiatry from National University of Colombia, specialist and master’s degree in Bioethics from University of La Sabana. Management training in PDD – Executive Program from Inalde Business School, of La Sabana University.

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Amy Clithero is a faculty member in the Department of Family & Community Medicine (FCM) at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. Dr. Clithero has a PhD in Family Medicine from the University of Kwazulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa as well as a Masters of Business Administration with a health systems concentration and a Masters level certification in Medical Education from the University of New Mexico. In addition to teaching medical students about social determinants of health, health policy, and health services research, Dr. Clithero participates in numerous educational research initiatives focusing on educational best practices, health services research, and social accountability within medical education. As of December 2022, Dr. Clithero has written two book chapters, has over two dozen peer reviewed papers and has presented at almost 60 conferences worldwide.

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Elsie Kiguli-Malwadde MBChB, MMed, MscHPE is the Deputy Director and Director Health Workforce Education and Development at the African Center for Global Health and Social transformation (ACHEST), Kampala, Uganda. Before this, she was the Director of the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Coordinating Center at the African Center for Global Health and Social Transformation (ACHEST). Until December 2010 she was an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Radiology at the College of Health Sciences, Makerere University. She is an Honorary Associate Professor Of Radiology at the same University. She has served as external examiner at universities in Uganda, and Tanzania. She is a Fellow of the Foundation for the Advancement of Medical Education and Research (FAIMER). She is the Secretary General of the Network TUFH and President, African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth). Her main research interest is Health Professions Education and Body and Breast Imaging.

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Previous Secretary Generals

Elsie Kiguli-Malwadde – 2019 – 2023

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Henry Campos – 2019 – 2015

Jan De Maeseneer – 2015 – 2007

Arthur Kaufman – 2007 – 1999

Esmat S. Ezzat – 1999 – 1995

Zohair M. Nooman​ – 1995 – 1988

Jacobus M. Greep – 1988 – 1980