CHA Global Summit
Leadership for Healing in International Outreach — Ensuring Quality, Fulfilling our Mission

June 5, 2012
Philadelphia Downtown Marriott

FACULTY

Michele Broemmelsiek Chief of Party AIDSRelief Consortium Catholic Relief Services

Michele Broemmelsiek serves as Global Chief of Party of the AIDSRelief Consortium, which provides care and treatment to people living with HIV in ten countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. In this role she manages a global team, oversees the financial and grants compliance requirements and works to build and strengthen relationships with US government agencies, local ministries of health and other key stakeholders.

Ms. Broemmelsiek grew up on a farm near Plains, Ga., attending high school in the neighboring town of Americus. She received a full merit scholarship to Emory University in Atlanta, spending a year at Madras University (India) on an International Rotary Club Fellowship. She graduated from Emory in 1991 with a BA in Religious Studies and a Minor in Cultural Anthropology. That same year, she received the Marion Luther Brittain Award, Emory's highest student service award.

After graduating from Emory, Ms. Broemmelsiek served for two years as Catholic Campus Minister at the University of Houston. In 1995, she obtained an MA in International Development and Cross-Cultural Communication, with an award for Outstanding Scholarship at the Graduate Level, from American University in Washington, DC.

She began her career with CRS in 1995 as an intern in the Philippines. In 1996, she became Project Manager for Peace and Reconciliation for CRS Philippines. She designed the CRS Peace and Reconciliation program for the island of Mindanao, which included a forum for Muslim clerics, Catholic bishops and Protestant leaders to discuss strategies for peace. In 1997, she became Assistant Country Representative for CRS, Indonesia and helped to develop the Central Java Interfaith Program for Peace Initiatives. 

Ms. Broemmelsiek moved to Southern Africa in 2001 as CRS' first Country Representative for Zambia. She greatly expanded CRS' program on HIV/AIDS in that country before becoming Regional Director for Southern Africa.

Subsequently, she was appointed Regional Director for Catholic Relief Services in Southern Africa in June 2006. Based in Lusaka, Zambia, she was responsible for CRS country programs in Angola, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

 

Ismael Cordero Clinical Engineer and Consultant Technical Advisor, World Health Organization

Ismael Cordero is a clinical engineer with extensive experience building capacity to support health care technology in many countries around the world.

Mr. Cordero served for over 15 years as senior clinical engineer with ORBIS International, an international humanitarian organization, headquartered in New York City. Mr. Cordero earned a bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering technology from Temple University in 1989, and subsequently served as biomedical engineer in several companies and hospitals in the Philadelphia area, prior to joining ORBIS.

Mr. Cordero has worked in more than 30 countries in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, South America and the Caribbean, where he has helped organize many international training and consultative activities for hospital managers, biomedical and clinical engineers, biomedical equipment technicians and clinical personnel. These activities include collaborations with the American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE) and with the World Health Organization (WHO).

Mr. Cordero is a technical advisor for the WHO and is a member of ACCE's International Committee as well as a member of the Board of the Clinical Engineering Division (CED) of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE)

He was the winner of the 2008 ACCE Professional Achievement in Management Award/Managerial Excellence and has authored articles and conducted many presentations and workshops on health care technology management around the world.

 

Christopher Dorval Senior Advisor, Strategy and External Relations Global Health Initiative — U.S. Department of State

Christopher Dorval currently serves as Senior Advisor, Strategy and External Relations for the Global Health Initiative at the U.S. Department of State.

Dorval previously served as President of Dorval Strategies, a Washington, DC-based business that provided strategic communications, political counsel, media relations and marketing services to commercial, non-government and government entities in the US and the global marketplace. Clients include a mix of Fortune 500, governments and non-profit organizations.

Dorval was appointed by President Clinton to serve at the White House as the Director of Communications at the National Economic Council under Dr. Laura Tyson, responsible for trade, economic communications and day-to-day media relations. He also served as a senior communications advisor under William Daley and Rahm Emanuel in the Nafta war room; as White House spokesman at the Summit of the Americas in 1994 for Mack McLarty, and as senior White House counsel to USTR Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky at the first WTO Ministerial in 1996. He was appointed by President Clinton as the Vice President of Communications at the Export-Import Bank under the leadership of former Goldman-Sachs partner, Kenneth D. Brody.

Previous public and political service includes five years as Chief of Staff to the House Majority Leader in the Oregon Legislature, senior staff positions in four presidential campaigns and dozens of state legislative and issues campaigns. Dorval was a senior press and communication advisor for then Governor Clinton in Little Rock in the primary and general election, and then the transition. Dorval also advised Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) on his 2008 presidential bid and advised Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan in her bid for the US Senate.

Dorval is a graduate of School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and has been an adjunct professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the National Building Museum; the National Advisory Board of the McGovern Library and Center for Public Service; and the Junior Tennis Champion Center in College Park.

 

J. Salvador Garcia de la Torre, MD, MPH Senior Medical Advisor Catholic Medical Mission Board

J. Salvador Garcia de la Torre, MD, MPH has recently been appointed CMMB's Senior Medical Advisor and Regional Coordinator in Africa. In this capacity, he will examine and identify favorable opportunities for CMMB's further growth in Kenya, and will serve as Kenya chief of party for CMMB's antiretroviral work. Formerly, he served as CMMB's Kenya Country Director. In that capacity, he was responsible for overseeing the execution of all in-country activities, including the management of two offices and 30 staff members. In addition, Dr. Garcia de la Torre leads CMMB's HIV and AIDS programs, its involvement as a member of AIDSRelief and Born to Live. He also serves as a mentor to volunteers and is responsible for the distribution of CMMB's Healing Help pharmaceutical donations.

Prior to joining CMMB in 2004, Dr. Garcia de la Torre was a professor in epidemiology at the National University of Mexico and coordinator and professor of the Continuing Medical Educations Program.

Throughout his career, Dr. Garcia de la Torre has worked to contribute to the progress of health care information and access in Haiti, Mexico, Kenya and Zambia. He is fluent in three languages and conversational in several others.

Concurrent with his work at CMMB, Dr. Garcia de la Torre also serves as chairman of the Nairobi, Coast and Central Region office for the Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK) as well as a consultant in the design and construction of health facilities in developing countries for Medical Missions, Incorporated.

Dr. Garcia de la Torre attended medical school at the National University of Mexico. He received his master's degree in public health from the National Institutes of Health in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

 

Debbie Hamilton Special Projects & Events Coordinator Saint Alphonsus Medical Center

Debbie Hamilton currently serves as Special Projects & Events Coordinator for Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center (Boise, Idaho). A fundraising specialist with more than 20 years of experience, Debbie has led Saint Al's in its efforts to expand its mission beyond southwestern Idaho and into Haiti, the most impoverished country in the Western hemisphere. Saint Al's Project Haiti provides financial, materiel and volunteer resources in support of medical and humanitarian efforts led by Father Rick Frechette, DO. Since her first visit to Port-au-Prince in 1995, Debbie has led 20 relief missions, and has coordinated Idaho-based fundraising efforts in support of Fr. Rick's tireless efforts to advance healthcare in Haiti. Debbie has helped to raise more than $1.5 million through 2,000 individual donors, but says her proudest accomplishment is working with a 6^th grade classroom in a rural elementary school, which has raised $6,000 in just 3 years. Every penny raised over 17 years has been reinvested in care provided to Haitian patients and orphaned children.

During numerous relief missions, including those in response to the 2010 earthquake and subsequent cholera epidemic, Debbie has rolled up her sleeves to take on whatever was required to meet the urgent needs of Haitian children and adults. For a fundraising professional with no formal medical training, this has meant conquering clinical learning curves in the field — from treating burn wounds to draining abscesses (under the guidance of a physician). In addition to lessons learned as a lay field medic, Debbie has learned what it takes to build an enduring collaborative relationship: take your lead from the locals. Project Haiti is committed to responding to needs as they are identified by those living and working in Port-au-Prince — and to abide by Father Rick's directive to accept nothing but the highest quality for those in his care.

 

Dianne Jean-Francois, MD, MPH Country Director — Haiti and the Dominican Republic Catholic Medical Mission Board

Dr. Dianne Jean-Francois serves as Catholic Medical Mission Board's (CMMB) Country Director — Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In this capacity, she leads all CMMB initiatives in those countries. CMMB traces its roots back to Haiti, in 1912, when the founder of CMMB, Dr. Paluel Flagg, first went there to minister to lepers. The organization has worked there ever since.

Given its long tradition of service to Haiti, it is no surprise that Dr. Jean-Francois galvanized CMMB staff into immediate action in a matter of hours following the Haiti earthquake. She led the organization's emergency efforts that included the placement of more than 66 tons of donated medicines and medical supplies with 41 hospitals and clinics, and the deployment of more than 250 medical volunteers. In the long term, she will coordinate CMMB recovery efforts, focusing in three areas: provision of health care services and medical volunteers, provision of pharmaceutical supplies and medical equipment and, physical rehabilitation for the disabled and reconstruction of related health facilities.

Dr. Jean-Francois joined CMMB in 2003 and moved quickly to initiate major programmatic activities in Haiti. Since then, these programs have focused on the provision of maternal and child heath, HIV/AIDS, malaria and leprosy. In addition, she has directed the placement of donated medicines and medical supplies and CMMB volunteers throughout the two countries. In 2009, for Haiti alone, CMMB provided more than $65 million in donated medicines and medical supplies.

Throughout her tenure, Dr. Jean-Francois has developed partnerships for collaborative work with Catholic health care networks in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and with other NGOs, such as UNICEF and Family Health International (FHI). Under her leadership, CMMB has received its first grant from the Global Fund. She has also worked closely with the Ministries of Health in both countries. Since its establishment, Dr. Jean-Francois has represented CMMB as a member of the TWG, a working group to lead national efforts, in Haiti, to prevent, manage and treat HIV/AIDS.

Dr. Jean-Francois brought 10 years of progressive clinical and preventive health care responsibility to CMMB. This included serving as a pediatrician consultant to the Development des Activities de Santé en Haiti (Development of Health Activities in Haiti). In that capacity, she managed both the outpatient and mobile clinics, and designed and implemented education programs for maternal and child health, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV, immunization and nutrition.

Other positions that Dr. Jean-Francois has held in the field of medicine include general practitioner for Center of Health La Madeleine where she implemented nutrition, maternal and child health programs. Dr. Jean-Francois was also a general practitioner for the Center of Health, Carrefour Poy, Arcahaie in Haiti. While there, she supervised all aspects of the health center, coordinated mobile clinics and developed immunization and family planning programs in the community.

Dr. Jean-Francois received a medical degree from Faculte de Medecine et de Pharmacie in Haiti and a master's degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Jean-Francois is proficient in a number of languages, including English, Spanish, French and Creole. She resides in Port-au-Prince with her husband and two children.

 

Diane Jones Vice President, Healthy Communities Catholic Health Initiatives

As Vice President, Healthy Communities, at Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), Diane is responsible for leading CHI's strategy to promote healthy communities and provide community benefit. She has management responsibility for CHI's Mission and Ministry Fund, which provides grants to CHI facilities and participating congregations of women religious to support domestic and international healthy community development. In 2012, the Fund is celebrating its 15^th year of awarding grants. It has awarded 311 grants totaling more than $38 million.

Presently, Diane provides guidance and support for CHI facility international health ministry relationships in Tanzania, Vietnam, Philippines, Haiti and Belize.

Diane's background includes more than 25 years in nonprofit health care public affairs, communication and community development. She received a master of public management degree with a concentration in health systems management from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh and a bachelor of arts degree in communication and psychology from Chatham College, also in Pittsburgh.

Diane is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Association for Community Health Improvement of the American Hospital Association, and the Advisory Councils for International Outreach and Community Benefit of the Catholic Health Association.

 

Claudia Llanten, MD, MPH Project Director Catholic Medical Mission Board

Dr. Claudia Llanten is CMMB's Project Director and Country Representative for Peru. Dr. Llanten leads the Unidos Contra La Mortalidad Infantil (United Against Infant Mortality) project with CMMB partners: Bon Secours Health System, CHRISTUS Health and Caritas del Peru. The new US $1.1 million initiative aims to decrease morbidity and mortality in children under five years of age in three regions of Peru: Trujillo, Huancayo and Chimbote, where Catholic health care networks have established health ministries.

Dr. Llanten comes to CMMB with an impressive public health and medical practice background, including physician responsibilities at Santa Margarita Hospital in La Cumbre, Colombia. In her most recent role as Program Evaluator for CUNY- Community Partnership for Public Health, Lehman College, New York, she developed data collection instruments for the analysis and evaluation of local health care reports. As a Project Coordinator and Graduate Research Assistant at Columbia University, New York, she conducted research on poverty and AIDS in Colombia and health services for refugees in Kenyan and Ethiopian camps.

Dr. Llanten has a medical degree from Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia and a master's degree in public health (MPH) from the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Her publications include, The Public Health Context of Violence in Colombia, Pan American Journal of Public Health, 2003 and Health Conditions in Five Communities: People Behind Colombian Coal Mining, Multinationals and Human Rights, 2007. Professional presentations include, "Nicaragua: Cultural and Structural Barriers Affecting HIV/AIDS Policies" at the 2006 American Public Health Association Conference in Boston.

 

Sister Mary Jo McGinley, RSM Executive Director Global Health Ministry Catholic Health East

Sister Mary Jo McGinley serves as Executive Director, Global Health Ministry at Catholic Health East. In this position, Sr. Mary Jo is responsible for planning, directing, implementing and evaluating the Global Health Ministry's program of healthy community development, volunteer management and fund development. She is also be responsible for communicating to in-country leaders of the community and church and promoting the mission of the organization.

Previously, Sr. Mary Jo was Chief Development Officer for Mercy Health System, Southeastern Pennsylvania, a regional health corporation of Catholic Health East, where she revitalized the Mercy Health Foundation and its Fund Development function. Prior to this, Sr. Mary Jo served on the administrative teams for Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital and Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia (formerly known as Misericordia Hospital.) In addition to her previous health care experience, Sr. Mary Jo has expertise in business development, marketing and education. She has been a Leader for GHM teams and is currently involved in many community and board roles.

Sr. Mary Jo has a master's degree in public health from Yale University, a MS Ed. from Fordham University in New York, and a BS Ed. from Gwynedd Mercy College.

 

Beth McPherson Vice President, Mission Integration St. Joseph of Orange

Beth McPherson currently serves as Vice President of Mission Integration at St. Joseph Health System (SJHS) in Orange, Calif.. In this role, she provides the strategic thinking and process consulting to develop, deliver and provide ongoing integration of mission and values with the operational aspects of the health system. One passion is companioning leaders as they strengthen their capacity to lead the ministry, and articulate the integration of business with mission and values. McPherson serves as a professionally certified coach for leaders in the organization. She designed and implemented a Values Review and Development Process that has now become an essential link at the system level for integrating values with operational plans. She also designed and implemented SJHS' foundational formation program, Mission & Mentoring, and co-leads the CSJ Pilgrimage to France for leaders.

McPherson served as Vice President of Strategic Planning and Mission Services at Holy Cross Medical Center and Regional Director, Mission Leadership, at Providence Health System Los Angeles Service Area, before joining St. Joseph Health System. She gave leadership to the strategic planning process, community benefit planning, marketing and communications and the mission areas of leadership development, spiritual care, ethics, parish nursing and community outreach. In 1996, the Violence Prevention Program developed at Holy Cross Medical Center won the Catholic Health Association Achievement Citation Award.

McPherson holds a bachelor's degree from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., and a master's degree in business administration (MBA) from Boston University. She has completed Leadership for Collective Intelligence sponsored by Dialogos, and is a certified Integral Coach through New Ventures West.

 

Sister Maureen O'Connor, OSF Provincial Vicaress Hospital Sisters of St. Francis

Sister Maureen O'Connor currently serves as Provincial Vicaress of Hospital Sisters of St. Francis. She currently serves on the board at Hospital Sisters of St. Francis-USA, Inc., Hospital Sisters Tanzania, Hospital Sisters Health System and Hospital Sisters Services, Inc. Sr. Maureen received a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Marillac College in St. Louis, a master of science degree in nursing from the University of Colorado and a master of business administration degree from the University of Illinois, Champaign, Ill.

 

Shannon Senefeld Global Director Health and HIV

Dr. Shannon Senefeld is the global director of Health and HIV, based in the Program Quality Support Department in Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Baltimore. She manages the health and HIV unit and staff at headquarters and guides agency strategy in related areas. Dr. Senefeld began her career with CRS in 2000 as an international development fellow in Haiti. She remained in Haiti for the next several years and served as part of the senior management team. Dr. Senefeld also was a regional technical advisor for CRS for health and HIV in southern Africa, where she provided technical support and oversight of related programs in eight countries. Prior to joining CRS, Dr. Senefeld worked as a program coordinator for international affairs at George Washington University in Washington, DC. Dr. Senefeld completed her clinical residency at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital with rotations in diabetes, evaluation, inpatient rehabilitation, pediatric obesity, and outpatient care. She also worked as a therapist at Kennedy Krieger Institute and as a psychology associate at Neuropsychology Associates, an affiliate of Georgetown Hospital. Dr. Senefeld also completed a research internship with the State Department in Lusaka, Zambia during her graduate studies. Prior to beginning international work, Dr. Senefeld worked as a residential counselor and a literacy instructor for low-income populations in the US.

Dr. Senefeld's primary professional interests include behavioral health, behavior change, mental health, vulnerable children, HIV, non-communicable diseases, and monitoring and evaluation of health programs. She has created several tools and resources for programs focused on orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) that are now used internationally by various organizations. Dr. Senefeld led the development of the OVC well-being tool for adolescents and is in the process of validating a similar tool for younger children in Rwanda and Kenya. She is currently engaged in research with Duke University in Malawi exploring how child and adult reports of well-being converge and diverge. She also created the Circles of Care for OVC interactive tool for program design, an innovative approach that overlays an ecological model of child development with OVC programs. Dr. Senefeld also regularly conducts training on psychosocial support, counseling, and behavioral health. She has also presented multiple lectures and presentations on the role of culture in adherence and health outcomes. She co-chairs the HIV Working Group for the CORE group. She serves as an abstract reviewer for several major conferences, including the International AIDS Society, and as an ad hoc reviewer for several journals.

Dr. Senefeld holds two BA degrees from Indiana University, where she was a McNair Scholar, in French and Political Science. She also holds a master's degree in international development from George Washington University, a master's degree in clinical health psychology from Argosy University in Washington, DC, and a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Argosy University.

 

Anastasia L. Thatcher Global Health Lead Accenture Development Partnership

Anastasia Thatcher brings ten years' experience in domestic and international economic development, including six years management consulting experience in Strategy. Currently, she is Accenture's global health lead and serves on the global management team for Accenture Development Partnerships, a not-for-profit practice serving international development organizations.

At Accenture, Anastasia has focused on Growth and Innovation strategies for healthcare, pharmaceutical, retail and development sector clients. She has led teams to conceive, design, and deliver over 20 multi-stakeholder and corporate responsibility initiatives across 11 countries to alleviate poverty, build clean water systems, address food security and nutrition challenges, strengthen health care infrastructure, and create sustainable livelihoods. She looks to help her clients significantly address global health and poverty by working at the intersection of NGOs, policy, and companies that most impact the lives of vulnerable people.

Core competencies include: strategic visioning, business planning, market and stakeholder analysis, operating model and organizational design, partnership and alliance strategy and implementation planning.

Prior to Accenture, she managed strategic planning and forecasting for United Health Group's public sector business covering more than one million members. She holds a bachelor of arts in economics from University of Virginia and a master's of business administration in strategy and international business from New York University – Stern.