BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES OF UNAIDS STAFF
ATTENDING XV INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE
BANGKOK, 11-16 July 2004
Executive Office
Peter Piot
Kathleen Cravero
Julian Lob-Levyt
Michael Iskowitz
Office for Monitoring and Evaluation
Paul De Lay
Nicole Massoud
Lisa Regis
Country and Regional Support Department
Michel Sidibe
Jantine Jacobi
Rik Peeperkorn
Bob Verbruggen
Meskerem Grunitzky-Bekele
Roger Salla Ntounga
Kizito Bishikwabo Nsarhaza
Geoff Manthey
Suman Mehta
Mari Ortega
Luiz Loures
Nina Ferencic
Henning Mikkelsen
Advocacy, Leadership and Resource Mobilization
Achmat Dangor
Leyla Alyanak
Cheryl Bauerle
Dominique De Santis
Abby Spring
Social Mobilization and Information
Purnima Mane
Miriam Maluwa
Bai Bagasao
Catherine Anita Hankins
Anindya Chatterjee
Julian Fleet
Peter Ghys
Robert Greener
Aurorita Mendoza
Françoise Renaud-Théry
Karen Stanecki
Ulf Kristoffersson
Programme Development, Coordination and UN System Relations
Werasit Sittitrai
Gillian Holmes
Pradeep Kakkattil
Intercountry Team and Country Programme Advisers
Tony Lisle
Carol Livingston
Swarup Sarkar
Tony Bates
Sompong Chareonsuk
Emelia Timpo
Angela Trenton-Mbonde
Mark Stirling
Oussama Tawil
UNAIDS Country Coordinators
Kenneth Wind-Andersen
Kristan Schoultz
Eamonn Murphy
Executive Office
Peter Piot
Executive Director, UNAIDS
and Under Secretary-General of the United Nations
Nationality: Belgian
Languages: Dutch, English, French
Executive Director of UNAIDS since its creation in 1995 and Under Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dr Peter Piot comes from a distinguished academic and scientific career focusing on AIDS and women's health in the developing world. Dr Piot has a medical degree from the University of Ghent, Belgium and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Antwerp, Belgium. He has held Professorships in Microbiology and Public Health at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, the Free University of Brussels, and the University of Nairobi, Kenya, and has done research at the University of Washington, Seattle. He was one of the discoverers of the Ebola virus in Zaire in 1976. Born in 1949 in Belgium, Dr Piot is the author of 15 books and over 500 scientific articles.
Kathleen Cravero
Deputy Executive Director, UNAIDS
Nationality: American
Languages: English, French
Kathleen Cravero is currently Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS. She assists the Executive Director in overseeing both the programme and administrative operations of UNAIDS, as well as UNAIDS’ relationships with a broad range of international and UN partners. Dr Cravero has special responsibilities in the areas of governance, resource mobilization, advocacy and leadership initiatives.In over two decades of experience in international development, primarily working within the United Nations system, she has served as UNICEF Programme Coordinator in Chad, UNICEF Representative in Uganda and as UN Resident, Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Burundi. Dr Cravero has a doctorate in Political Sciences from FordhamUniversityand a Masters in Public Health from ColumbiaUniversity.
Julian Lob-Levyt
Senior Policy Adviser, UNAIDS
Nationality: British
Languages: English, French
Julian Lob-Levyt is Senior Policy Adviser to the Executive Director at UNAIDS. For the past five years he was the Chief Health and Population Adviser (latterly Chief Human Development Adviser) at DFID, with overall policy responsibility for health, HIV and recently education. He has extensive experience in development. Prior to his position at DFID, Mr Lob-Levyt spent more than 15 years living and working in the Pacific Region, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. During this time he worked in the field of health and development for Overseas andDevelopment Assistance (ODA), WHO, the European Commission (EC) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Mr Lob-Levyt has also worked in the academic field, notably as a lecturer in maternal and child epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Michael Iskowitz
Senior Policy Adviser, Washington, DC, UNAIDS
Nationality: American
Languages: English
Michael Iskowitz is an attorney, clinical psychologist and policy/strategy/public relations specialist who has been engaged in the fight against AIDS for more than
15 years. Prior to joining UNIADS, he co-founded the International AIDS Trust (IAT), aUS non-profit organization created to mobilize the will, funding and action needed to effectively fight AIDS worldwide. He served for three years as Senior Policy Advisor to the White House Office of National AIDS Policy during the Clinton Administration, where he helped to enhance the US government’s response to the global epidemic. In addition, Mr Iskowitz served for a decade as Chief Counsel on Poverty, Disability and Family Policy to Senator Ted Kennedy, Chairman of the
US Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. In this capacity, he was the lead Senate staff person on AIDS and authored most of the US government’s AIDS legislation.
Office for Monitoring and Evaluation
Paul De Lay
Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, UNAIDS
Nationality: American
Languages: English, French
Dr Paul De Lay is Director of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) at UNAIDS since February 2003. His current responsibilities include directing UNAIDS’ role in monitoring the status of the epidemic and the impact of the response,harmonizing indicators and methodologies for data collection andanalysis and tracking of resource flows from global donors and expenditure within countries. Prior to this appointment, he served as Senior Advisor to USAID on HIV/AIDS and as Chief of USAID’s HIV/AIDS Division. Dr De Lay practiced clinical medicine for 13 years and has training and experience in family practice, infectious and tropical diseases, epidemiology, preventive medicine and public health.In 1988, Paul De Lay joined the World Health Organization’s Global Programme on AIDS, working primarily in Malawi. He received his MD from the University of California and a Diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He is Board Certified in Preventive Medicine and Public Health.
Nicole Massoud
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, UNAIDS
Nationality: Lebanese and French
Languages: French, English, Arabic and Spanish
In her present position as a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Nicole Massoud is involved in the preparation of global reports on progress made towards implementing the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS. She also provides advice to countries on their monitoring and evaluation strategies and ensures that monitoring and evaluation activities of major UNAIDS partners are properly coordinated for harmonization purposes. Previously, Ms Massoud worked with UNICEF and CIET International for more than ten years, focusing on community-based research.She conducted numerous surveys in Asia, Africa, Europe and North America on social issues such as education of young girls; caring practices; health and hygiene; smoking among young people; food security; support networks in emergency situations and opinions about public services. Ms Massoud holds a Master’s in Law and Management and a Master’s of Science in Management of International Public Service Organizations fromNew YorkUniversity.
Lisa Regis
Technical Officer, UNAIDS
Nationality: Trinidad and Tobago
Languages: English, Swedish
Lisa Regis joined UNAIDS in 2000, working specifically on the monitoring of global AIDS financial resources. Prior to joining UNAIDS she was at WHO, dealing with environmental health and chemical safety issues and later on with globalization and cross-sectoral policy issues. Her previous experience was with her national Government where she specialized in sustainable development issues.
Country and Regional Support Department
Michel Sidibe
Director, Country and Regional Support, UNAIDS
Nationality: Malaian
Languages: French, English
Before joining UNAIDS as Director of the Country and Regional Support Department in October 2001, Michel Sidibe, worked with the NGO “Terre des Hommes” in Mali and then for UNICEF as a Country Representative in Burundi, Swaziland, Uganda and Zaire.Besides managing programmes of cooperation and assistance, he devoted considerable energy to awareness-raising amongst local and international leaders with regard to women and children and the issues of malnutrition, abduction and the AIDS epidemic. He then focused on fundraising, particularly for AIDS in Uganda where he was Chair of the UN Theme Group on HIV/AIDS. Mr Sidibe has post-graduate degrees in Economic Sciences, International Development and in Social Planning from the “Faculté des Sciences Economiques” and the “Faculté des Lettres et Sciences Humaines”, University of Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Jantine Jacobi
Senior Adviser, CountrySupport Care and Treatment, UNAIDS
Nationality: Dutch
Languages: English, Dutch
A health systems specialist and physician, Jantine Jacobi pursued advanced studies in child development and preventive health care of infants, applied epidemiology, gender and reproductive health and health systems management at universities in her native Netherlands, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. She worked for WHO on the integrated management of childhood illnesses, reproductive health and AIDS in Namibia, Nepal and Zambia. As the UNAIDS Country Coordinator in Uganda, Ms Jacobi played a key role in the establishment of the HIV/AIDS Partnership, a Uganda-led HIV/AIDS coordination system, and in the subsequent refocusing of the UN Theme Group on HIV/AIDS. During her assignment as UNAIDS Country Coordinator for Belarus, Moldovaand Ukraine she was key in advancing the comprehensive care agenda and the joint establishment of national M&E systems. She is currently Senior Adviser for country support for care and treatment within the UNAIDS Secretariat and is focusing on country-led processes to scale up treatment. This includes facilitating involvement of people living with HIV, multi-sectoral support for treatment access, harmonized action among partners, and effective support from the UN Theme Groups on HIV/AIDS for the implementation of national treatment plans.
Rik Peeperkorn
Associate Director, Strategic Support Division, UNAIDS
Nationality: Dutch
Languages: English, German, Dutch, French and Spanish
Rik Peeperkorn (MD, MPH) is the Associate Director of the Strategic Support Division at UNAIDS. The Strategic Support Division focuses on the following areas:operationalisation of regional technical support facilities and capacity development; mainstreaming of AIDS; humanitarian affairs; partnerships and policy guidance. Before joining UNAIDS in August 2002, Mr Peeperkorn worked over 15 years in the field of public health in Asia and Africa.
Bob Verbruggen
Technical Adviser,Mainstreaming AIDS in Development, UNAIDS
Nationality: Dutch
Languages: Dutch, French, English and basic Spanish, German Italian
As Technical Advisor, Mainstreaming AIDS in Development, Mr Verbruggen coordinates the UNAIDS Secretariat's work to support effective mainstreaming of AIDS into national development instruments and processes. He is also the focal point for the partnership between UNAIDS and GTZ, facilitating collaboration between the two institutions at both central and country levels. In 2000 he obtained an interdisciplinary Master’s of Science in Applied Development from TulaneUniversity, New Orleans. He then coordinated GTZ’s Regional AIDS Programme for Africa based in Ghana. He also assisted the Ghana AIDS Commission in developing its monitoring and evaluation system and pushing the national mainstreaming agenda. Mr Verbruggen has obtained his medical degree and diploma in Tropical Medicine in Belgium.
Meskerem Grunitzky-Bekele
Associate Director, Africa Division, UNAIDS
Nationality: Ethiopian and Togolese
Languages: Amharic, English, French
Born and raised in Ethiopia, Meskerem Grunitzky-Bekele completed her medical studies at the Université d’Aix in Marseilles, France. Widely experienced as a researcher, educator and administrator she has worked and taught in many countries in West Africa, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo. From 1981 to 1991, she was Head of Department of Infectious Diseases at the UniversityHospital and lecturer at the MedicalSchool in Togo. She was Director of Togo’s National AIDS and STDs Programme from 1992 to 1996. Prior to taking up her current post as Associate Director in the Africa Division at UNAIDS, she was the team leader of the UNAIDS Intercountry Team for West and Central Africa, based in Côte d'Ivoire.
Roger Salla Ntounga
Deputy Associate Director, Africa Division, UNAIDS
Nationality: Cameroonian
Languages: French, English and a good understanding of German
Roger Salla Ntounga is currently the Deputy Associate Director of the UNAIDS Africa Division, providing support to 45 countries in Africa, supporting the Theme Group mechanism and building partnerships at country level.He joined UNAIDS in July 1998 as Programme Development Adviser and later became Sub-Regional Coordinator for West and Central Africa.After graduating from the Faculty of Medicine, Saint Etienne, France, Mr Salla Ntounga completed a Master’s of Science in Community Health from HeidelbergUniversity. He set up the National AIDS Programme in Cameroon in 1989 and continued to work full-time on AIDS programme development and management as National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) Manager in Cameroon until 1994. He then became Team Leader of the GTZ Regional AIDS Programme for West and Central Africa, covering over 18 countries.
Kizito Bishikwabo Nsarhaza
Programme Development Adviser, Africa Division, UNAIDS
Nationality: Congolese (DR Congo)
Language: English, French, Swahili
A graduate of Université Hassan II in Morocco, Kizito Bishikwabo Nsarhaza holds degrees in International Economics and Development Cooperation and a PhD on “Health sector reform and its impacts on the market” from the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium. Since 2000, Kizito Bishikwabo Nsarhaza is working as Programme Development Adviser in the UNAIDS Africa Division. Prior to joining UNAIDS, he worked with the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development on several economic, social and sustainable development projects. Between 1998 and 1999, Mr Bishikwabo Nsarhaza assisted WHO (departments of Intensified Support to Countries in Greatest Needs and the Health Service Delivery) in the organization’s work on the approach to the informal health market, including access to HIV care and treatment, health care financing and access for medically underserved populations.
Geoff Manthey
Chief, Country Response Information System Unit, UNAIDS
Nationality: Australian
Languages: English
As Chief of the Country Response Information System Unit at UNAIDSGeneva, Geoff Manthey is responsible for the overall development and implementation of the Country Response Information System (CRIS). This includes the database development process, as well as capacity development relating to the use of the System at country level. Prior to this position he was the UNAIDS Country Programme Advisor in Cambodia (1998 - 2002) and the Philippines (1996 - 1998).
Suman Mehta
Associate Director, Asia, Pacific and Middle East Divsion, UNAIDS
Nationality: Indian
Languages: English, Hindi
As UNAIDS Director for the Asia, Pacific and Middle East Division, Suman Mehta is responsible for providing policy and programmatic support on AIDS to countries in Asia, Pacific and Middle East and North Africa. Dr Mehta has more than 30 years of professional experience in reproductive health, AIDS, gender and health policy. Prior to joining UNAIDS, Dr Mehta served as the Global AIDS Coordinator at UNFPA. She was instrumental in defining UNFPA’s institutional policy on AIDS and providing strategic guidance to the agency’s work at country level. She is a gynecologist and obstetrician from India. Her professional training includes a Doctorate in Public Health from JohnsHopkinsUniversity and a Master’s of Science in Demography and Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Mari Ortega
Programme Development Adviser, Asia, Pacific and Middle East Division, UNAIDS
Nationality: Filipino
Languages: English, Filipino
Mari Ortega is responsible for coordinating Secretariat activities in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, supporting UNAIDS Country Coordinators, Theme Groups, and the UNAIDS Intercountry Team based in Bangkok. These activities include leadership mobilization, partnership development, and resource mobilization. Before joining UNAIDS, he served as the Chief of Staff of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography in the Philippines. He has been given recognition as the "architect" of the Philippine AIDS Law. Mari Ortega is a medical doctor.
Luiz Loures
Associate Director, Europe and Americas Division, UNAIDS
Nationality: Brazilian
Languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish
Luiz Loures is a physician and public health specialist. Before joining UNAIDS in 1996, he worked for Brazil's National AIDS Programme. For over a decade - from the creation of UNAIDS - he was involved in different technical and programmatic aspects of the UNAIDS Programme, ranging from surveillance to care. From 1992 onwards, Dr Loures helped plan and implement a comprehensive national project on AIDS based on a World Bank loan. A graduate of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, DrLoures received his Master’s of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley, and has a specialization in internal medicine and intensive care.
Nina Ferencic
Regional Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and Americas Division, UNAIDS
Nationality: Croatian and Venezuelan
Languages: Spanish, English, French, Croatian
After working as a researcher and teaching assistant on communication and development, Nina Ferencic joined the WHO Global Programme on AIDS as a Communications Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at the Health Promotion Unit and later at the Department of Research and Intervention Development. She started working at UNAIDS in 1996 where she was part of the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) team working on the development of policies, programmes and partnerships in the region, with particular emphasis on the Caribbean. Ms Ferencic has been involved in various key initiatives, including the establishment of the Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS. In May 2003 she was appointed Regional Coordinator for the LAC region. Nina Ferencic has degrees in sociology, a Master’s degree in Communications Research and a Doctorate in Communication, Arts and Sciences.
Henning Mikkelsen
Europe Regional Coordinator, Europe and Americas Division, UNAIDS
Nationality: Danish
Languages: Danish, English, German
Since 1996, Henning Mikkelsen has been part of the Europe team in the UNAIDS Secretariat, and is now the Regional Coordinator for the European region. Until 1996, he worked with WHO’s Global Programme on AIDS to help develop national AIDS prevention programmes in Europe, particularly in Central and Eastern European countries and the Newly Independent States. A main area of concentration has been forging institutional relationships with non-governmental and community-based organizations, particularly those representing or reaching out to vulnerable populations including injecting drug users, migrants, ethnic and sexual minorities, and prison populations. With a background in social sciences and working with homeless people, Mr Mikkelsen ran an AIDS helpline and advised the Board of Health’s AIDS Secretariat in his native Denmark from 1986 to 1988.