The Board of Directors of the American International Health Alliance (AIHA) announced today an upcoming leadership change at the organization.

After serving 11 years as AIHA’s President & CEO, David Greeley will retire at the end of October and be replaced on an interim basis by Dr. Inna Jurkevich, who has been with AIHA for more than two decades and served as Mr. Greeley’s deputy. The change in leadership will go into effect on November 1.

On behalf of AIHA’s Board of Directors, Board Chair Charles Evans thanked Mr. Greeley for his service and welcomed Dr. Jurkevich to her new position. “Mr. Greeley transformed AIHA in profound and long-lasting ways while keeping true to the organization’s mission of developing sustainable local capacity, expanding access to critical health services, and improving health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries around the world,” Evans said.

In announcing his retirement, Mr. Greeley remarked, “My time at AIHA has been an amazing capstone to a career in global health that included more than three decades working at international development nonprofits and a decade in the pharmaceutical industry. I have learned so much at AIHA and am grateful for the many opportunities I’ve had to lead our amazing staff and collaborate with so many partners – both in the United States and globally.”

During his tenure, Mr. Greeley overhauled AIHA’s operations, revitalized the Board of Directors, developed and implemented two five-year strategic plans, brought in new donors and partners, increased AIHA’s geographic footprint, enhanced the organization’s visibility, and expanded AIHA’s technical and programmatic expertise.

AIHA’s Board of Directors has tapped Dr. Inna Jurkevich – whose extensive experience at AIHA includes leading major programs from Eastern Europe and Asia to sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean – to assume the position of Interim Executive Director. For the past six years, Dr. Jurkevich has served as AIHA’s Program Director and worked closely with Mr. Greeley to address a wide range of corporate issues.

Praising the Board’s selection of Dr. Jurkevich, Mr. Greeley said, “I cannot be more delighted that the AIHA Board has chosen Dr. Jurkevich to serve as my interim replacement. She has all the requisite skills, experience, and innovative mindset necessary to lead AIHA to new heights.”

AIHA is a nonprofit organization that advances global health by strengthening human and institutional workforce capacity and health systems through locally driven partnerships and sustainable solutions. AIHA works in most disease areas and public health interventions. We develop the capacity of and partner with a wide array of health and allied professionals. In its almost 35 years, AIHA has established and managed hundreds of twinning partnerships, programs, and other initiatives in more than 40 countries. For more information about AIHA, please visit our website at www.aiha.com.

Dr. Roger Bulger (1933-2025)

The AIHA family is saddened by the passing of Dr. Roger Bulger, a founding member of our Board of Directors. Dr. Bulger passed away at his home in Tacoma, Washington, on June 13, 2025, surrounded by his immediate family.

“Roger had a storied career as a physician, educator, author, and public health leader,” said David Greeley, AIHA’s President and CEO. “He served on the AIHA Board for more than two decades, several times as Board Chair, and was such a wonderful Board member and boss. He was also a tremendous advisor to me when I took the helm at AIHA nearly 11 years ago.”

As head of the Association of Academic Health Centers from 1988 to 2006, Dr. Bulger was instrumental in AIHA’s launch in 1992 and our efforts to harness the U.S. health sector’s expertise to build capacity in countries spanning Central and Eastern Europe following the collapse of the former Soviet Union through a unique institutional partnership model.

Charles R. Evans, current Chair of AIHA’s Board of Directors, expressed condolences stating, “Dr. Bulger was a true champion of AIHA and its programs, which represented not only highly effective sharing of clinical knowledge and technologies, but also the citizen diplomacy that helped break down many of the walls built throughout the Cold War era. He recognized the value of peer-to-peer technical assistance went beyond training and yielded lasting personal and institutional relationships.”

A memorial service for Dr. Bulger will be livestreamed at 2:00 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.

AIHA recently conducted a learning exchange that brought a team of five medical professionals from Philippine General Hospital (PGH) to NYC Health + Hospitals at Elmhurst,  Bellevue, and Kings County through the Dr. Joseph R. Masci Legacy Project. The exchange focused on sharing best practices in two critical public health disciplines: HIV and infectious diseases and emergency and pandemic preparedness (EPP).

Rooted in AIHA’s signature twinning methodology, the Dr. Masci Legacy Project in the Philippines is supporting institutional collaboration and peer-to-peer technical assistance to build capacity to address gaps in healthcare services over the course of two years.

“This experience has truly changed how I view healthcare, especially in resource-limited settings,” said Dr. Orlando Ocampo, Head of PGH’s COVID Response Task Force, Coordinator for Emergency and Ambulatory Services, and Head of the Emergency Room Management Action Team. “I plan to use what I’ve learned to advocate for stronger emergency preparedness programs, develop protocols for managing special pathogens, and organize training sessions for healthcare workers in my community,” he continued.

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Washington, DC, 15 October 2024 – The American International Health Alliance (AIHA) announced today the launch of a new project to build institutional and human resource capacity at Debre Berhan Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Ethiopia and Philippine General Hospital in Manilla, Philippines.

With the generous support of his family, the Dr. Joseph R. Masci Legacy Project will honor the life of Dr. Joe Masci, an infectious disease specialist and public health leader who spent more than 40 years working to improve the lives of patients in New York City and around the world.

“AIHA is grateful for the privilege of implementing this two-year project that will honor Dr. Masci’s legacy as a physician, teacher, mentor, public health leader, and highly respected AIHA partner,” said AIHA President and CEO David Greeley.

Dr. Masci was a leading figure in New York’s response to HIV/AIDS, post-911 emergency planning, and preparations for Ebola and other possible emergencies. He also served as chief medical advisor on COVID for the city’s Health and Hospitals Corporation.

Working with the Masci family, AIHA selected the two hospitals based on our existing relationships with both institutions and our local presence, which will support effective management of the project.

In close collaboration with stakeholders at Philippine General Hospital, AIHA will support the reconstruction of the resident-fellow training hall, which was destroyed by two devastating fires this past year; provide scholarships that will enable 10-15 residents to complete a mandatory specialty study abroad course each year; provide technical assistance to strengthen the hospital’s pandemic and emergency preparedness; and establish an HIV and infectious diseases mentorship program.

“By addressing these key areas, the project will contribute significantly to service, training, and research,” said Dr. John C. Añonuevo, Chairman of Philippine General Hospital’s Department of Medicine. “As trainees and faculty serve in various capacities throughout the country, the knowledge, skills, and perspectives gained through these initiatives will have a ripple effect, enhancing healthcare delivery across the Philippines,” he explained.

In Ethiopia, AIHA will work hand-in-hand with the Debre Berhan Comprehensive Specialized Hospital team to improve access to continuing professional development training opportunities for health workers at the referral hospitals, as well as the cluster hospitals it supports. Other priorities include improving the quality of nursing services by enhancing and expanding skills-based competencies of nurses; implementing quality improvement initiatives designed to address significant gaps identified in infection prevention and patient safety; and refurbishing and upgrading the hospital’s Continuing Professional Development Center and Nursing Skills Lab to better support quality training and upskilling activities.

Discussing the importance of establishing a well-organized Continuous Professional Development Center, Debre Berhan Comprehensive Specialized Hospital CCO Dr. Nigussie Tefera said, “Our goal is to expand training to develop a skilled, multidisciplinary health workforce to help ensure patient safety and combat hospital-acquired infections and antimicrobial resistance. The staff we will train will in turn train other hospital staff, along with those working at nearby health facilities.”

Explaining the rationale for supporting the project, Elizabeth Bass, Dr. Masci’s widow, said, “Joe thought everyone should get the kind of care you’d want for a member of your own family. Over the decades, he tried to instill these values in the many young doctors he taught and mentored. After his death, we were truly surprised at how many of these doctors – now no longer so young – contacted us from around the world to tell us how much he inspired them.”

Stressing her vision for the project, she said, “We hope the project’s impact will be multiplied as the health workers trained through it not only treat patients, but also share their skills with other workers and serve as mentors themselves. This would be right in line with what Joe tried to do – learning from others and teaching and mentoring generations of young physicians.”

Washington, DC, and Addis Ababa, 26 August 2024 – The Oromia Health Bureau recently opened a Staff Clinic in Addis Ababa to promote prevention, early screening, detection, and treatment services that help mitigate noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) among some 9,600 employees of its various sector bureaus.

The initiative was developed by three Oromia Health Bureau employees who participated in the sixth cohort of the Leadership Incubation Program for Health (LIP-H), a capacity-building collaboration of AIHA, Ethiopia’s Federal Ministry of Health (FOMH), and the International Institute of Primary Health Care-Ethiopia (IPHC-E).

As part of their LIP-H training, Meaza Hailu, Healthcare Quality Specialist and Improvement Adviser; Yonas Mekonnen, Regional Senior HIV/AIDS Expert; and Ayane Wakjira, Health Extension Program Officer, designed a capstone project that investigated NCD prevalence rates among employees of Oromia Health Bureau’s regional sectors and developed comprehensive strategies to address this public health challenge effectively and promote employee health and well-being.

Celebrating the opening of the Staff Clinic.

Based on their research, hypertension, diabetes, and cervical cancer, as well as need for emergency care, emerged as the key health concerns among employees screened. The team determined that lack of early detection, inadequate awareness and health-seeking behavior, work-related stress, poor dietary habits, and lack of workplace health screenings, surveillance, and health education programs contributed to rising NCD cases for staff.

Speakers at the Oromia Regional Health Bureau Staff Clinic opening included Dr. Gusha Belako, Deputy Bureau Head and Chief of the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Wing; Alemu Chanyalew Dejen, Deputy Bureau Head and Advisor for Urban Development and Housing Bureau; and Gemu Tiru, FMOH Health Equity and Leadership Improvement Desk Leader and a graduate of the first LIP-H cohort.

Gemu Tiru, FMOH Health Equity and Leadership Improvement Desk Leader and a graduate of the first LIP-H cohort.

“I want to congratulate the team for successfully completing the project and initiating these services, as well as the American International Health Alliance and the IPHC-E for collaborating with Ministry of Health in implementing the LIP-H since 2019,” Gemu Tiru said, noting that the new Staff Clinic will be a primary first point of contact for NCD screening, first aid, and referrals to secondary and tertiary care.

The initiative reflects the Oromia Regional Health Bureau’s commitment to work collaboratively to strengthen the screening and early management of NCD cases and promote employee health and well-being.

Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, AIHA’s LIP-H project supports the FMOH, its agencies, and Regional Health Bureau staff to develop a cadre of highly trained public health leaders in Ethiopia at all levels so that they can equitably deliver quality health services to improve health outcomes. It is a competency-based, six-month in-service training program whose participants are professionals currently working in the health sector or health science education graduate interns who aspire to work in public health leadership, program management, or supervisory roles. Participants are also early-career professionals who are looking to prepare themselves for higher-level leadership roles. More than 240 professionals have completed LIP-H training to date and the seventh and final cohort is slated to graduate in the fall.

For more information, please contact: Kidest Hailu, Country Director, AIHA Ethiopia Tel: +251 116 188 932 E-mail: khailu@aiha-et.com

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