Dr. Paul Farmer and Leaders from Chevron, Johnson & Johnson and Merck Join GBCHealth’s Board of Directors

March 4, 2015 /3BL Media/ - GBCHealth, a prominent business coalition with a long history of catalyzing private sector activities and investments in global health issues, today announced that it has recently elected four new members to serve on the organization’s Board of Directors.

GBCHealth welcomes Dr. Paul Farmer, Chief Strategist and Co-founder of Partners In Health, and Kolokotrones University Professor at Harvard University; Dr. Huma Abbasi, General Manager of Global Health and Medical at Chevron Corporation; Joy Marini, Executive Director, Maternal and Child Health, Women and Girls at Johnson & Johnson; and Dr. Naveen Rao, Lead for Merck for Mothers at Merck & Co, Inc. Working closely with the rest of the GBCHealth Board and staff, these new Directors will provide strategic leadership and oversight for the organization’s suite of activities.

GBCHealth is transitioning to support more work in the social impact space, and is excited to add exceptional Board talent during this opportune moment. The appointment of these new Directors demonstrates how GBCHealth is continuing to expand its network of trusted advisors and partners across leading companies, donors, foundations, social philanthropists, governments, and social impact organizations.

“It’s an honor to join Ray Chambers and the board of GBCHealth as they help to engage the private sector in the fight for global health equity,” said Dr. Farmer. “We have the tools and the knowledge to save lives, revitalize communities, and transform global health: now we need to deliver.”

“Dr. Farmer is one of the world’s most passionate and influential champions of global health equity,” said Ray Chambers, Co-chair of the GBCHealth Board. “GBCHealth will benefit immeasurably from his experience, deepening our knowledge and supporting programs that improve health outcomes for all.” Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, also Co-chair of the GBCHealth Board, noted: “The additions of Dr. Abbasi, Ms. Marini, and Dr. Rao bring stellar corporate leadership to the GBCHealth Board during the final push to achieve the MDGs and transition to a new era of multi-sector engagement in health under the next set of goals.”

“GBCHealth Acting CEO Gary Cohen and I are excited to partner with our new board members, as we chart the path forward during this important year for global health. We share a common vision and commitment to tackle issues at the core and to create a new landscape. In the final push to achieve the MDGs and in the ramp-up towards the launch of the SDGs, our collective expertise and commitment will ensure that GBCHealth is well positioned to accelerate and leverage business engagement in global health,” noted Nancy Wildfeir-Field, President, GBCHealth.

The new members of GBCHealth’s Board of Directors are: 

• Dr. Paul Farmer, Chief Strategist and Co-founder of Partners in Health, Kolokotrones University Professor at Harvard University, and Chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Dr. Paul Farmer has dedicated his life to improving health care for the world’s poorest people. He is a founding director of Partners In Health (PIH), an international non-profit organization that since 1987 has provided direct health care services and undertaken research and advocacy activities on behalf of those who are sick and living in poverty. Dr. Farmer holds an M.D. and Ph.D. from Harvard University, where he is the Kolokotrones University Professor and the Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is also Chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston. Dr. Farmer serves as the United Nations Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Community Based Medicine and Lessons from Haiti.

• Dr. Huma Abbasi, General Manager of Global Health and Medical, at Chevron.

Dr. Huma Abbasi is General Manager, Global Health and Medical, for Chevron Corporation, working out of the company’s headquarters in San Ramon, California, since June 2011. In this capacity, Dr. Abbasi is Chevron’s chief medical officer. She oversees the design and implementation of programs and services to meet the health and medical needs of the company’s 61,000 employees, and addresses health and medical services associated with operations. Dr. Abbasi began her career at Chevron in a lead role in Occupational Health and has over 18 years of increasing responsibility and experience at Chevron including successfully managing the Americas, Europe, Eurasia, Middle East and Africa regional medical portfolios, management and development of the GH&M Center of Excellence (COE), leading the deployment and implementation of Operational Excellence Management System and working in central advisory and regional positions in the U.S., Asia Pacific, Africa, Middle East and Pakistan regions. Dr. Abbasi also facilitated the development and implementation of Health, Environment and Safety Programs and developed tools and processes to help regions attain superior performance. She has worked in many countries around the globe on prevention and treatment of infectious diseases with a focus on tuberculosis, hepatitis and HIV/AIDS.

• Joy Marini, MS, PA-C, Executive Director of Corporate Contributions, Johnson & Johnson.

Joy Marini is Executive Director, Corporate Contributions, Johnson & Johnson, a position she assumed in 2007 following six years with the Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute. Marini leads the Company’s global philanthropy focused on improving health for women and girls. Prior to working with Johnson & Johnson, Marini held positions in marketing and communications with Bristol-Myers Squibb; Kallir, Philips, Ross, Inc.; Phase V; and a clinical position as a Physician Assistant. She is responsible for Johnson & Johnson’s international programs on maternal, infant and child health, as well as women’s and girls’ empowerment as part of the company’s commitment to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Marini leads the Johnson & Johnson commitments in several multi-sectoral partnerships including the Survive & Thrive Global Development Alliance and Helping Save 100,000 Babies. She also forged the first private sector partnership with the Health 4+, a joint United Nations initiative.

• Dr. Naveen Rao, Lead, Merck for Mothers, Merck & Co.; Vice-Chair of Maternal Health, MDG Health Alliance.

Dr. Naveen Rao leads Merck for Mothers, Merck’s 10-year, $500 million initiative to reduce maternal mortality around the world. In this capacity, Dr. Rao is responsible for leveraging the company’s science and business expertise to accelerate progress in reaching Millennium Development Goal 5 and advancing Merck & Co., Inc. mission to improve and save lives. Dr. Rao has held numerous leadership positions at Merck & Co., Inc. and was previously Head of Medical Affairs for Merck's Asia-Pacific region and Managing Director of Merck’s subsidiary in India. Dr. Rao is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. He was Associate Director of the Department of Medicine at Beekman Downtown Hospital and practiced Internal Medicine in New York City for 10 years prior to joining Merck in 1993. Dr. Rao is a member of the Board of Overseers of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and Chairs the Maternal Health Pillar of the MDG Health Alliance, an effort supporting UN agencies to improve the health of women and children.

About GBCHealth
GBCHealth promotes private sector participation in achieving the highest-priority global health goals. Drawing on its active network of companies and public sector partners, GBCHealth drives progress in the areas of greatest need and where the assets of the business community can have maximum impact. GBCHealth’s central focus is the final push to achieve the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by their December 31, 2015 deadline. GBCHealth also helps coordinate private sector input to shape the transition from the MDGs to the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals.