Cheryl Cashin is a managing director at R4D, she provides strategic and technical leadership for roughly half of the organization’s portfolio of programs. She has more than 30 years of experience in academia, and policy design and implementation, primarily focused on improving knowledge and practice to better leverage health financing for UHC. Before joining R4D, she served as a health financing policy adviser for a range of countries and has been engaged as a health financing expert by the World Bank, WHO, OECD and other global technical partners. Cheryl holds a PhD in economics, a master’s degree from Cornell University. She also majored in chemistry.

Zohra Patel Balsara is a Senior Health Specialist with the World Bank’s Global Financing Facility (GFF) and a global health leader with more than two decades of experience advancing health systems across Africa and Asia. Prior to joining the GFF, she served as Director of Health, Population, and Nutrition at USAID/Ghana and held leadership roles with USAID in Nigeria, Indonesia, Tanzania, and Ghana, as well as at the Gates Foundation. Her work sits at the nexus of health financing, supply chains, and service delivery, with deep expertise in primary health care and community health. Zohra holds a Master of Health Sciences and a PhD.

Abdulkedir Gelgelo is Director General of the Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Service (EPSS), where he leads national efforts to strengthen the pharmaceutical supply chain and improve equitable access to quality-assured medicines and health commodities. Under his leadership, EPSS has advanced supply chain modernization, digital transformation and strategic procurement, while expanding collaboration with government institutions, development partners and the private sector to improve the availability and resilience of Ethiopia’s health commodity supply system. A medical doctor by training, Abdulkedir holds a Doctor of Medicine degree and a Master of Science in Global Health Supply Chain.

Ruby Aileen Mensah is Director of Strategic Health Purchasing at the National Health Insurance Authority in Ghana, where she oversees the management of the National Health Insurance Scheme’s benefit package, medicines list, service tariffs and provider payment mechanisms. She has contributed to national efforts to strengthen evidence-based priority setting and health technology assessment, supporting the sustainability of the National Health Insurance Scheme and progress towards universal health coverage. Pharmacist by training, Ruby holds a Master’s degree in International Healthcare Management.

Pili Mmbaga is a pharmacist and a senior Public Health and Market Shaping Specialist with over 13 years of experience in health systems strengthening, market shaping, supply chain management, and the sustainable introduction and scale-up of life-saving health commodities. As a Senior Program Officer at R4D, she partners with governments, donors, and development partners to strengthen health systems, improve commodity security, and advance sustainable financing. Pili holds a masters of science in Pharmacy.

Bruno Meessen is a senior health financing adviser at WHO HQ. He joined WHO Financing and Economics Department in 2020, after 20 years in academia and 6 years in humanitarian aid (including two years as a manager of a central medical store). His main domains of expertise are health sector reform and provider payment mechanisms. Besides his contributions in the health financing area, he developed a passion for knowledge management and collective intelligence. Bruno holds a Master and a PhD in economics.