Magda Robalo

President

Ariam Rosina Kibrom

Research Associate

Madhumita Varma

Policy and Advocacy Associate

Pokuaa Oduro-Bonsrah

Project Management and External Relations Associate

Purity Wambui Nyaikamba

Research and Policy Analysis Associate

Fabio Batista Gomes

Administration and Finance Associate

Sandra Fritsewa Abruquah

Governance Associate

Magda Robalo

Dr Magda Robalo is the President and co-founder of The Institute for Global Health and Development (IGHD). She is a public health physician and infectious disease expert, whose career spans for over 30 years in the global health ecosystem. She held senior leadership positions at the domestic and international level in various professional settings, working with Government, multilateral, and civil society organizations. She has a track record in promoting gender equality and equitable access to quality health care, social justice, ethics, and accountability.
She has solid knowledge and robust experience on a broad range of public health issues, and actively works on gender equality, ethics, and governance. She spearheaded successful initiatives as former Minister of Health, High Commissioner for the COVID-19 response in Guinea-Bissau, as WHO Representative and WHO Director of Communicable Diseases and as the Global Managing Director of Women in Global Health.
She serves on several Boards and Councils.
Dr Magda Robalo is a medical doctor (Universidade do Porto, Portugal) with a Postgraduate Certificate in Public Health and Tropical Medicine (Universidade Nova, Portugal) and a Master of Sciences degree in Epidemiology (Université Laval, Canada). 

Ariam Rosina Kibrom

Ariam is an International Relations student at the Global Studies Institute of the University of Geneva. As a former health sciences student, her journey began with a desire to support mothers and babies, which has evolved into a commitment to addressing healthcare disparities, particularly among women and marginalized populations. Through her experience with Enfants du Monde, her resolve to improve healthcare access has grown stronger. Ariam is dedicated to making a meaningful impact in the field of healthcare and she aims to pursue a master degree in public health.

Madhumita Varma

Madhumita is a PhD Candidate in International History and Politics at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. Prior to this, she completed an interdisciplinary Masters programme in International Affairs at the same institute and acquired some experience with NGOs dedicated to youth empowerment, with one being women-led. Her research has and continues to combine her interests in equity, human rights, justice, equal access to economic and social opportunities, and policy analysis. 

Pokuaa Oduro-Bonsrah

Pokuaa is in the middle of her PhD, conducting research on the History of Science. Before this, she completed her Master in Development Studies specialising in conflict and global health. Outside her academic career, Pokuaa has worked for numerous NGOs on peace, elections, and social issues generally. She also has experience as a global health journalist and has experience in the field of health regulation in the UK. 

Purity Wambui Nyaikamba

Purity Wambui is a Pharmacist who is passionate about increasing equitable access to essential medicines and vaccines in low-and-middle-income countries. She has over 7 years of experience in managing health projects, designing policy and advocacy strategies, and building strategic partnerships at both local and global levels.
She is currently pursuing an MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Financing at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Fabio Batista Gomes

Fábio Alexandre Gomes is a Business and Finance Manager, with a bachelor degree from the Faculty of Economics and Management, at the Catholic University of Guinea-Bissau (UCGB, 2014). He has 9 years working experience in different organizations in the areas of finance and accounting management, payroll processing, budgetary planning and controls and financial reporting. He is also the founder and CEO of SATIC SARL, working in the field of finance and technology.
Since April 2022, he is the Accountant of the Bandim Health Project, having previously worked as Accountant of the High Commission for COVID-19 from July 2020. He held the position of Administrative and Finance Director at the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports – Guinea Bissau, and Accountant for the Humana People to People (ADPP) from September 2018 to September 2019. He has also worked as the Administrative and Finance Manager at the Association of International Solidarity – ESSOR from April 2016 to May 2018. He was an intern at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He is fluent in Portuguese and has working knowledge of English and French.

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