HEALTH EQUITY INTERNATIONAL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School
- Pediatrician at Boston Children 's Hospital
Dr. Epee-Bounya is a pediatrician at Boston Children's Hospital and an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Epee-Bounya is a pediatrician at Boston Children's Hospital and an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School.
Alexandra Epee-Bounya, MD, is a pediatrician at Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Epee-Bounya is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School where she supervises and teaches Residents during their Pediatric Residency at Boston Children's Hospital. She was awarded the Community Pediatrician Award in 2015 and was recognized on the Boston Combined Residency Program Teaching Honor Roll in 2017. She is the author of several publications.
Dr. Epee-Bounya started her Pediatric career by working for five years in Pediatric Emergency Medicine before moving to General Pediatrics. She has been the Clinical Director of Pediatric and Adolescent at Boston's Children Primary Care clinic at Martha Eliot for the past decade, combining a busy clinical practice and administrative responsibilities.
She spent her childhood in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa, before moving to the United States to attend university. She obtained her medical degree from George Washington University Medical School in Washington, DC and completed her pediatric residency at Children's National Medical Center, also in Washington, DC. Her love for Africa has remained intact, and her passion to ease the burden for families to find care for their children has grown into a mobile health initiative to provide trusted, timely pediatric advice for families in Africa.
Dr. Epee-Bounya founded Daktari, an mHealth app designed to enable the connection of parents living in Africa to trusted Pediatricians who can put their mind at ease by providing trusted information on common pediatric health conditions. She is developing Daktari to serve families much like her own.
Dr. Epee-Bounya lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband Sam, and is the proud mother of three children. She enjoys spending time with her family and traveling around the world.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Secretary
- Vice Chair
Beth is a leader in the Boston-area philanthropic community, supporting a number of international and domestic causes.
Beth is a leader in the Boston-area philanthropic community, supporting a number of international and domestic causes.
Beth Floor, Vice Chair/Secretary, is a leader in the Boston-area philanthropic community, supporting a number of international and domestic causes. She served as the Chair of the Board of the Maranyundo Initiative, which funds and operates the Maranyundo Girls School in Nyamata, Rwanda. The school graduated its first high school class in November 2017, and its students rank in the top 2% in the country. Beth is the former Chair of the Mother Caroline Academy and Education Center, and served on the boards of Project Healthy Children and the New England Regional Board for UNICEF. Beth also served on the New England International Donors (NEID) Steering Committee. She was a part of LeadBoston, and currently serves on the board of Humanity Rises. She is extremely dedicated to her role on the board of Health Equity International, and is the chair of the board's Development Committee.
Conor oversees HEI/SBH's operations, development, and finances, and leads its overall strategy.
Conor oversees HEI/SBH's operations, development, and finances, and leads its overall strategy.
Conor Shapiro, MPH, assumed the position of President and CEO at Health Equity International in 2011, leading the organization's operations in Haiti and the United States. Under his tenure, St. Boniface Hospital has emerged as the leading referral hospital in southern Haiti. Mr. Shapiro has overseen the expansion of St. Boniface Hospital to include new buildings dedicated to spinal cord injury, maternal and neonatal health, surgery, an expanded laboratory, and a soon to be constructed infectious disease center. During this time, Health Equity International transformed into a leading NGO in Haiti and has partnered with USAID, the CDC, the GE Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, among others. He holds a Master's Degree in Public Health from Boston University and over 13 years of experience with Health Equity International. During his first seven years with the organization, Mr. Shapiro worked from Fond des Blancs in various capacities, including as Director General of the St. Boniface Hospital. In 2013, Mr. Shapiro was awarded the Young Alumni Achievement Award by the Boston University School of Public Health in recognition of his commitment to advancing development in Haiti.
"My favorite thing about my job is helping people realize their autonomy-just like I have."
Job Titles:
- Principal at Currier Law Offices
Diane Currier is Principal at Currier Law Offices, a "boutique" trusts and estates law firm. Ms. Currier counsels high net worth individuals and families on all aspects of estate planning. She also represents charitable organizations and foundations, providing them with tax advice on activities and investments and helping them develop and implement planned giving programs. Before forming Currier Law Offices LLC, Diane spent over thirty years at Goodwin Procter LLP, where she was a partner in the firm's Tax, Trusts & Estate Planning and Nonprofit & Charitable Organizations groups. Diane serves on the Boards of The Maranyundo Initiative, a nonprofit that funds the operation of a girls' school in Rwanda, and of the Friends of Imbuto Foundation USA, Inc. which supports women and families in Rwanda.
Diane has enjoyed a lifetime full of community service, including serving as Chairman of the Board of Massachusetts Eye and Ear.
Diane has enjoyed a lifetime full of community service, including serving as Chairman of the Board of Massachusetts Eye and Ear.
Diane Kaneb has enjoyed a lifetime full of community service, supporting many hospitals and social service agencies both domestic and international. Her most notable venture, with Massachusetts Eye and Ear, started over 30 years ago. She is an active member of the Board of Directors and served as Chairman of the Board from 2006 to 2009. Diane has experience leading fundraising efforts within this capacity and lead the team through their largest fundraising campaign in the hospital's history. In 2011, Diane's long-term commitment to Massachusetts Eye and Ear was commemorated when she received the New England Association for Healthcare Philanthropy Distinguished Service to Philanthropy Award. Diane and her husband Al are both long-term supporters of healthcare in Haiti. Their active support of Partners in Health began in 2001, as part of a self-defined shift in their philanthropic focus. Their interest in supporting humanitarian work in a global context was motivated by a desire to help end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Both Diane and Al hold lengthy and active positions on PIH's Board of Trustees and have seen healthcare delivery in Haiti first-hand through their visits to PIH's University Hospital in Mirebalais. Diane and Al currently reside in Weston, MA and have four children and 18 grandchildren
"My favorite thing about my job is helping people realize their autonomy-just like I have."
Job Titles:
- Key Staff Member
- Supply Chain & Logistics Manager
Job Titles:
- Head of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Dr. Guerrier leads the maternal health program and trains all OB/GYN residents.
Dr. Guerrier leads the maternal health program and trains all OB/GYN residents.
"I am healthy, my baby is healthy, and I am happy to return to my home."
Dr. Saintilien is responsible for supervising all medical training and medical services at SBH.
Dr. Saintilien is responsible for supervising all medical training and medical services at SBH.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director General - Haiti Operations
- Deputy Director General of St
Dr. Clermont oversees all community health activities, including nutrition education, family planning, vaccinations, and WASH.
Dr. Clermont oversees all community health activities, including nutrition education, family planning, vaccinations, and WASH.
Dr. Clermont is the Deputy Director General of St. Boniface Hospital. She began working for St. Boniface Hospital in 1995 as a nurse. Later, St. Boniface helped her fulfill her girlhood dream of becoming a doctor by subsidizing her medical education in Port-au-Prince. She returned to Fond des Blancs after graduating with a medical degree in 2006 and was eventually promoted to second-in-command at the hospital. Miliane grew up in a small, tin-roof house in rural southern Haiti. She earned her medical degree from the State University of Haiti and her nursing degree from the National School of Nursing in Les Cayes. Dr. Clermont's passion is maternal and child health.
Job Titles:
- Key Staff Member
- Head of Emergency Medicine
Dr. Jules leads the surgical program and trains all surgical residents.
Dr. Jules leads the surgical program and trains all surgical residents.
Job Titles:
- Family Physician
- Key Staff Member
Job Titles:
- Key Staff Member
- Senior Physician
Job Titles:
- Commissioner, Treasurer, Member of the Executive Committee, and Member of the Annual Report
- President of the College of Our Lady
Dr. Dumay is the 11th President of the College of Our Lady of the Elms.
Dr. Dumay is the 11th President of the College of Our Lady of the Elms.
Dr. Dumay became the 11th President of the College of Our Lady of the Elms on July 1, 2017. He has served in higher education finance and administration at senior and executive levels for 19 years. He holds a PhD in higher education administration from Boston College, an MBA from Boston University with a graduate certificate in corporate finance, and a master of arts degree in public administration from Framingham State University. He earned his bachelor of science degree, magna cum laude, from Lincoln University.
Dr. Dumay currently serves as a commissioner, treasurer, member of the executive committee, and member of the Annual Report on Finance and Enrollment (ARFE) for the New England Commission for Higher Education (NECHE); a member of the board of directors for the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM); treasurer for the Association of Colleges of Sisters of St. Joseph; a member of the Student Aid Policy Committee for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU); a board member for the Boston Foundation's Haiti Development Institute; a board member for Pope Francis Preparatory School in Springfield, MA; a board member for Build Health International; a board member for Health Equity International; and serves on the Board of Trustees of Endicott College.
Ikpindi oversees program development and implementation across the organization.
Ikpindi oversees program development and implementation across the organization.
Job Titles:
- Key Staff Member
- Accounting
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- CEO of Enterprise Equipment Co
Jeff is the CEO of Enterprise Equipment Co., a full-service mechanical contracting firm in Weymouth, MA.
Jeff is the CEO of Enterprise Equipment Co., a full-service mechanical contracting firm in Weymouth, MA.
Jeff Lynch, Treasurer, is the CEO of Enterprise Equipment Co. in Weymouth. Enterprise is a full service mechanical contracting firm that specializes in upgrading and the modernizing of mechanical systems in public building and universities throughout the Boston area; the company has been in business for over 60 years. He has served on Health Equity International's Board for over 15 years, and has made numerous trips to St. Boniface Hospital in Fond des Blancs to work on mechanical and electrical upgrades. Jeff resides in Hingham with his wife Gerry, four married children, and 11 grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Key Staff Member
- HR Manager - Haiti
Jim is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Build Health International.
Jim is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Build Health International.
Jim Ansara works on the front lines to build global health infrastructure where it's needed most. Founder and former CEO of Shawmut Design and Construction-one of the top 25 construction companies in the US-Jim has pursued "boots-on-the-ground" philanthropy since his retirement in 2005, giving to and participating in programs that make tangible differences in the lives of underprivileged people. After the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Jim volunteered to oversee construction of a 350-bed national teaching hospital. At 240,000 square feet, Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais remains one of the only large construction projects successfully completed in Haiti since the earthquake. Today, Jim is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Build Health International (BHI), where he leads a multi-disciplinary team to bring resilient and sustainable healthcare infrastructure to some of the poorest and most marginalized communities in 20 countries across Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa.
"This is the first hospital I've been to that has welcomed me like this."
Job Titles:
- Key Staff Member
- Head Midwife
Job Titles:
- Director of Accounting - Haiti
Judi oversees financial transactions and budgets, and provides financial guidance to all departments.
Judi oversees financial transactions and budgets, and provides financial guidance to all departments.
Job Titles:
- Development Coordinator
- Key Staff Member
Job Titles:
- Key Staff Member
- Accounting & HR Manager
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications
- Key Staff Member
Job Titles:
- Key Staff Member
- Senior Program Manager
Dr. Black is a clinical staff at Massachusetts General Hospital and a faculty member of Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Black is a clinical staff at Massachusetts General Hospital and a faculty member of Harvard Medical School.
Lynn Black, MD, MPH is on the clinical staff at Massachusetts General Hospital and on the faculty of Harvard Medical School. At MGH, she is a Physician Director for Network Development and Integration. She serves as the Chief Medical Officer of the International Medical and Surgical Response Team for the National Disaster Medical System. While Chair of the Board of Directors for Last Mile Health in Liberia, she helped lead the organization's Ebola response while working with the Liberian government to bring healthcare to those in the most remote areas. Her international work has included projects involving disaster response, refugee health, access to care, maternal-child health, and gender-based violence in Africa, Haiti and Micronesia. She also serves on the Massachusetts General Hospital Ethics Committee and as an evaluator for asylum seekers with Physicians for Human Rights.
Job Titles:
- ALESIDA ( HIV ) Program Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chief of Clinical Quality and Safety
Dr. David is the Chief of Clinical Quality and Safety at MIT and a member of the Massachusetts Public Health Council.
Dr. David is the Chief of Clinical Quality and Safety at MIT and a member of the Massachusetts Public Health Council.
Michele David, MD, Chair, currently serves as the Chief of Clinical Quality and Safety at MIT. Previously, Dr. David was an Associate Professor of Medicine at the BU School of Medicine until 2011, Co-Director of the Haitian Health Institute at Boston Medical Center, and Director of Community Health Programs at Boston University, Center of Excellence in Women's Health. She has focused her career on addressing issues of health disparities and cross-cultural medicine, and she has conducted educational campaigns on diverse health topics. Dr. David has participated in the development of a cultural competence curriculum. Throughout her career, she has taught medical students, residents in training, graduate students, and mentored junior faculty.
Dr. David has been the recipient of several awards including the Massachusetts Health and Human Services William A. Hinton Award in 2010 in recognition of her commitment to public health, especially the improvement of health care for communities of color. She also received a leadership Award in 2012 from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. In 2014, Dr. David won a "Patient Safety Award" from Atrius Health. She was named "Boston Super Doctor" thrice. She has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters. Dr. David had partnered with Health Care For All to work on Legislative measures to reduce racial and ethnic health care disparities in MA as a Columbia University advocacy Fellow. She is a member of the Massachusetts Public Health Council, the policy arm of the Massachusetts DPH appointed by the Governor of the Commonwealth in 2007. In addition to her work as a physician, Dr. David is a creator of fine art quilts for which she has won many awards.
Job Titles:
- Director of Development
- Key Staff Member
Job Titles:
- Operations Director - Haiti
Militza oversees all operations at SBH including information systems, facilities, and financial management.
Militza oversees all operations at SBH including information systems, facilities, and financial management.
Militza Michel was born in Jacmel, Haiti, and moved to Canada at the age of 7, where she later graduated from the Université du Québec à Montréal with a degree in biochemistry. She returned to Haiti in 1996 to work for the UN Development Project. She then spent six years working as the assistant for two First Ladies of Haiti. Her projects included coordinating with the Global Fund on Haiti's fight against HIV/AIDS, and acting as liaison to the Ministry of Health for national vaccination programs, among many other high-level responsibilities. From the government Militza transitioned to working directly with the American Red Cross on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. She continued working with the Red Cross through 2013, assisting with post-Earthquake disaster response coordination, and then joined the Haitian Ministry of Health as Director of Administration and Finance at University Hospital Mirebalais. Prior to joining the St. Boniface Hospital team she spent 18 months as Chief of Operations in a management support project at Hôpital la Providence des Gonaïves.
Job Titles:
- Head
- Nurse
- Head Nurse / Nurse Laguerre Oversees the Nursing Staff across All Services and Ensures Only the Best Possible Care Is Provided to Every Patient
Nurse Laguerre oversees the nursing staff across all services and ensures only the best possible care is provided to every patient.
Miss Rachelle Laguerre earned her degree in nursing sciences from Université Lumière MEBSH in Les Cayes, Haiti, and first came to St. Boniface Hospital as an intern for two months in 2013. The compassionate treatment of patients, the hospital's cleanliness, and the dedication of staff all made a significant impression on her. Miss Rachelle joined SBH as a maternity nurse in 2017 before moving to internal medicine. She earned steadily increasing responsibility, becoming assistant to the nurse responsible for internal medicine in 2019. She was chosen to manage the COVID treatment center in 2020, and also served as initial field coordinator of our 2021 earthquake response. Now Head Nurse, Miss Rachelle has a vision of providing holistic care, including psychosocial support, for every patient.
Nannette Canniff, President Emerita and Board Member Emerita, co-founded St. Boniface Haiti Foundation with Rev. Jerry Osterman. She has been traveling to and working in Haiti for nearly 30 years. For the first 24 years of the organization's history, Nannette ran the operations out of her home. In July 2011, Nannette retired as president and CEO. She continues to work in a development capacity for the organization. She is a native of Quincy, Mass. and a mother of ten.
Dr. Prudent is Emeritus Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Boston University School of Medicine.
Dr. Prudent is Emeritus Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Boston University School of Medicine.
Nicole Prudent MD, MPH is Emeritus Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Boston University School of Medicine. In addition to her large clinical practice at Boston City Hospital/Boston Medical Center, she led the Haitian community in the development and implementation of several public health campaigns, funded by the City of Boston, the MA Department of Public Health, and several federal US agencies including increasing the participation of new immigrant women in prenatal care; mobilizing the community in the fight against HIV/ AIDS and its related stigma; developing a special music program for children orphaned by HIV; preventing teenage pregnancy; creating after school programs to increase school success and decrease dropout among adolescent immigrants; promoting effective parenting; and mentoring and collaborating on the creation of a path for youth interested in health careers.
She is the co-founder of the Haitian Family Support Center, funded by the State of Massachusetts to deliver case management, skills acquisition, recreation, and inclusion activities for Haitian families with children with developmental disabilities. In 2003, Dr. Prudent was the recipient of the BU Faculty Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award. She has contributed to public health literature, including a chapter on "Health Care Access for Children of Immigrants" in the book Multicultural Medicine and Health Disparities (David Satcher, ed.).
Dr. Farmer was the Co-Founder of Partners in Health and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical.
Dr. Farmer was the Co-Founder of Partners in Health and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical.
Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, was one of HEI/SBH's closest partners and mentors; his decades of leadership, insight, and experience played a critical role in guiding and shaping our organization. Dr. Farmer was a longtime member of our board and believed deeply in our shared mission of providing quality care to everyone in need. His impact on our organization, and in health care in Haiti and around the world, is incalculable. We will honor Dr. Farmer's memory and legacy by continuing the important work of fostering global health equity and eliminating the social, racial, and economic barriers that have left too many people behind.
Dr. Farmer was the Kolokotrones University Professor and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and Co-Founder and Chief Strategist of Partners In Health. Dr. Farmer and his colleagues pioneered novel, community-based treatment strategies that demonstrate the delivery of high-quality health care in resource-poor settings. He wrote extensively on health, human rights, and the consequences of social inequality, and he was a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Job Titles:
- Chief Development Officer
Rachel leads our fundraising efforts, develops funding strategies, and coordinates donor relations.
Rachel leads our fundraising efforts, develops funding strategies, and coordinates donor relations.
Job Titles:
- Key Staff Member
- Director Vehicle Logistics
Job Titles:
- IT Director
- Key Staff Member
Job Titles:
- Emeritus
- Member of the Board
Rev. Osterman is an ordained priest who co-founded St. Boniface Haiti Foundation with Nannette Canniff.
Rev. Osterman is an ordained priest who co-founded St. Boniface Haiti Foundation with Nannette Canniff.
Rev. Gerald Osterman, Board Member Emeritus, is an ordained priest currently serving two parishes, St. Katharine Drexel in Roxbury/Dorchester and Immaculate Conception in Everett. He first travelled to Haiti in 1982, a trip that resulted in the co-founding of St. Boniface Haiti Foundation with Nannette Canniff a year later. He entered the seminary directly out of high school, and has devoted his life to serving parishes in the Boston area.
Rev. Unni has served as pastor of St. Cecilia Parish in Boston for the past ten years.
Rev. Unni has served as pastor of St. Cecilia Parish in Boston for the past ten years.
Rev. John Unni was born in Maine, grew up in North Reading, Massachusetts and attended St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont. After graduating in 1983, he taught English at Christopher Columbus High School in Boston's North End. Fr. Unni attended Brighton's St. John Seminary and was later ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Boston in 1992. As a priest, he served at St. William Parish in Dorchester, St. Richard Parish in Danvers, and was Catholic chaplain at Northeastern University while serving as pastor at St. Ann University Parish in Boston. He has served as pastor of St. Cecilia Parish in Boston for the past ten years. Fr. Unni serves on the Board of Directors at the Pine Street Inn as well as the Board of Advisors at Build Health International. Following a transformative experience with the poor in Haiti almost thirty years ago, and inspired by wonderful parish experiences over the last twenty-five years, Fr. Unni's parish ministry embraces a commitment to gospel values and spiritual growth in the community, especially with those who are marginalized or impoverished in any way.
Job Titles:
- Key Staff Member
- Physical Therapist
Job Titles:
- Key Staff Member
- Communications and Development Manager
Job Titles:
- Chief Biomedical Engineering Technician