COVID-19 vaccines are here, but how do we get them into everybody’s arms, not just people in wealthier countries? How can we leverage technology and innovation to support an equitable, global vaccine rollout? How will our current experiences inform the future of vaccine distribution and health equity? Join global public health leaders for an update on vaccine distribution and learn about strategies to support vaccine and health equity around the world.
This session was curated in partnership with Project ECHO.
Lead Design and Operationalisation, Office of the COVAX Facility, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, The
Sanne Wendes is Lead Design and Operationalisation at the Office of the Covax Facility at Gavi. Prior to her current role she was Chief of Staff of Unitaid for 6 years. In this role she led the organisations participation in Interagency Initiatives such as the Interagency Coordinating Group on Antimocrobial Resistance and the Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives (SDG 3 Action Plan). She led the Executive Office team which covers functions such as Risk Management, Information Management, Organisational Strategy Development and Grant Applications. She was a member of the Senior Management Team.
Prior to this she spent 6 years in the Private Sector working for Vestergaard in various roles. During this time she was an elected Board member for the Private Sector on the Roll Back Malaria Board and has an in-depth knowledge of the Private Sector and their involvement in Public Health. She has also led the company efforts in Innovative Financing focusing on developing pay for performance models to create new revenue streams for the company’s products and services.
Sanne has spent 20 years working in Public Health within HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB and Water & Sanitation and prior to joining Vestergaard, she worked for the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, UNDP and Danish Red Cross and as a consultant working for eg Danida and the World Bank.
She has a M.Sc. in Economics from the University of Copenhagen with a focus on development economics.
Founder & Director, Project ECHO; Professor of Medicine, Univ. of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Project ECHO
Sanjeev Arora, MD, is the founder of Project ECHO and the Executive Director of the ECHO Institute. A pioneer in democratizing specialized medical knowledge for the good of humanity, Dr. Arora launched Project ECHO at the University of New Mexico in 2003 as a solution for helping all patients receive quality care faster.
Today, the ECHO Model is being applied around the globe, with programs in North America, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and Asia and partnerships with the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control. ECHO topics have expanded beyond health care to include K-12 education, climate change, public safety and more.
Medical Director, Special Pathogens Unit, Boston University, Boston Medical Center
Dr. Nahid Bhadelia is an infectious diseases physician and the medical director of Special Pathogens Unit at Boston Medical Center, a medical unit designed to care for patients with highly communicable diseases. She is an Associate Professor at Boston University (BU) School of Medicine. She oversees the medical response program for BU’s maximum containment research program at National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories.
She has prior and ongoing experience in health system response to pathogens such as H1N1, Zika, Lassa fever, Marburg Virus Disease, and COVID-19 at the state, national, and global levels, including supply chain evaluation, diagnostic positioning, infection control policy development, and healthcare worker training. She serves on state, national, and interagency groups focused on biodefense priority setting, development of clinical care guidelines, and medical countermeasures research.
She has previously provided direct patient care, and participated outbreak response and medical countermeasures research during multiple Ebola Virus Disease outbreaks in West and East Africa. During the West African Ebola epidemic, she served as a clinician in several Ebola treatment units, working with World Health Organization and Partners in Health. She currently as medical lead of US Department of Defense (DoD) funded viral hemorrhagic fever research center in Uganda, entitled Joint Mobile Emerging Disease Intervention Clinical Capability (JMEDICC) program. She co-directs NIH’s Fogarty International Center funded research training program in Liberia entitled “Boston University and University of Liberia Emerging and Epidemic Virus Research” program (BULEEVR).
She has served as a subject matter expert to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Defense, Global Fund and World Bank.
Dr. Bhadelia is also an Associate Professor at the Institute of Human Security at the Tufts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
Fred de Sam Lazaro is a correspondent for the PBS NewsHour and executive director of the Under-Told Stories Project. He was a regular contributor and substitute anchor for PBS’ Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. Fred also has directed films from India and the Democratic Republic of Congo for the acclaimed documentary series, Wide Angle.
Fred has reported from 70 countries with a focus on the myriad issues that underlie poverty and human suffering. He founded the Under-Told Stories Project, now located at the University of St. Thomas, designed to use storytelling to enhance students’ understanding of the pressing global issues of our time.
Fred has received three honorary doctorates, numerous journalism awards and fellowships from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the University of Michigan. He serves on the board of Sahan Journal, a non-profit news service focused primarily on the affairs of Minnesota's BIPOC and immigrant communities
