Team

Archives: Team Members

Team Member

Ana Mocumbi, MD, PhD, FESC

Prof. Dr. Ana Olga Mocumbi (MD, PhD, FESC) is a cardiologist with a particular interest in neglected cardiovascular diseases specifically rheumatic heart disease, cardiomyopathies, heart failure in young people, and women’s cardiovascular health. She is Professor of Cardiology at the Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), Mozambique and is Head of the Division of Non-Communicable Diseases at the National Public Health Institute (INS), at the Ministry of Health in Mozambique.

Dr. Mocumbi obtained an MD in 1992 at UEM. She worked in several rural areas of Mozambique from 1992 – 1997 acting as a general practitioner and health manager, gaining experience on management of National Control Programs for major endemic diseases.

Her post-graduate training in cardiology was done in Mozambique (Central Hospital of Maputo and Instituto do Coração) and France (Hospital Necker-Enfants Malades). She holds a Diploma in Pediatric Cardiology from the University René Descartes, Paris V – France.

Dr. Mocumbi worked as a Research Assistant at the Imperial College London (from 2004 until 2008) where she obtained her PhD investigating the Epidemiology of Neglected Cardiovascular Diseases. Under this program she launched a research project on Endomyocardial Fibrosis, which included large-scale community-based studies and clinical research in a rural endemic area of Mozambique (Inharrime), involving collaboration with the Heart Science Centre and Magdi Yacoub Research Institute in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Mocumbi is involved in several local and international research projects and partnerships including international registries and clinical trials. She is Editor of the Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy Journal and has published original papers in peer-reviewed journals and didactic publications.

She is currently Vice President of the Pan African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) South Region (and Member of the PASCAR Taskforce on Hypertension), Co-Leader of the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute for the Sub-Saharan Region and Member of the World Heart Federation’s Scientific Policy and Advocacy Committee.

Piniel Nadege Ade

Piniel Nadege Ade joined the NCDI Poverty Network and the Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital as policy coordinator in October 2024.

Ade is a health systems specialist with 13 years of experience dedicated to strengthening health systems across the African continent. She has collaborated with African ministries of health and international organizations such as UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank on initiatives to improve health information systems at the district level and to develop more evidence-based national health strategic plans. She has also contributed to programs aimed at aligning development assistance for health with countries’ national health plans, adhering to the principles of “one plan, one budget, one report.”

In addition to her technical work, Ade has been deeply involved in advocacy, working for many years with the Engage Africa Foundation to promote awareness and support evidence-based interventions addressing noncommunicable diseases across the continent. Her passion lies in advancing health equity, health justice, and realizing health as a fundamental human right.

Ade holds an MSc in Global Health and Public Policy and a bachelor’s in medical science from the University of Edinburgh.

Daphne Nakawesi, MPH

Daphne Nakawesi, MPH, joined the NCDI Poverty Network as PEN-Plus coordinator in November 2024. She holds a master of public health with a concentration in global health monitoring and evaluation from the Boston University School of Public Health and a bachelor of science in biology from the University of Massachusetts Boston.

With extensive experience in global health, Nakawesi is passionate about health-system strengthening and advocacy across Africa. She has contributed to research and implementation projects, including while serving as a research assistant with Duke Global Neurosurgery and Neurology, where she focused on neuropsychology and epilepsy medication adherence. Additionally, she worked on a study examining the utilization of postnatal care among pregnant women in Rwanda.

Nakawesi has supported diverse initiatives, including an annual medical camp providing free healthcare services to a rural Ugandan village, and she has implemented a women’s economic empowerment program to promote sustainable livelihoods. Nakawesi also serves part-time as a capacity-building fellow with Doctors for Global Health, where she continues to leverage her expertise and passion to drive sustainable healthcare solutions.

Gedeon Ngoga, MPH

Gedeon Ngoga, MPH, is a Clinical Advisor for the NCDI Poverty Network. Over the last decade, his work has focused on the implementation of noncommunicable disease care delivery models in low-resource settings including developing a dedicated training and mentoring program for PEN-Plus health care workers, principally nurses and clinical officers in clinics supported by Partners In Health. This has involved clinical duties as well as a wide programmatic and leadership role for the NCD program which eventually led to national implementation of the model and scale-up of NCD services to all district hospitals of Rwanda.

Ngoga holds a master’s of public health in international health and development.

Remy Nkwiro Bitwayiki, MD, MMed

Remy Nkwiro Bitwayiki, MD, MMed, is the Regional Advisor for West Africa for the NCDI Poverty Network and the Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is also an internal medicine specialist with more than ten years of clinical practice in diverse African healthcare settings, particularly in managing noncommunicable diseases.

As the internal medicine consultant and NCD lead at Partners In Health in Sierra Leone, he has significantly contributed to the implementation of the PEN-Plus project at Koidu Government Hospital. He has also helped the initiation of a bachelor’s program in internal medicine for local health officers.

Dr. Bitwayiki’s previous challenging roles have included supporting Ebola and COVID-19 management with the World Health Organization in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Early in his career, he established the Department of Internal Medicine at Aweil State Hospital in South Sudan, where he focused on quality improvement, the development of clinical protocols, and healthcare provider training.

In addition to his MD, Dr. Bitwayiki holds a master’s degree of medicine in internal medicine from the University of Rwanda. His work is driven by a deep commitment to equity and compassionate care.

Lhakpa Nyinjee, MA, MPA

Lhakpa Nyinjee, MA, MPA has a decade of experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating development policies related to public finance and fiscal strategy, tax reforms and regulations, municipal finance, and public administration. She has held various roles at the Ministry of Finance in the government of Bhutan, including policy analyst, manager, and trainer. Throughout her career, she has contributed to formulating fiscal policies, enhancing public service delivery, and mobilizing domestic resources to achieve the development philosophy of Gross National Happiness.

Additionally, Nyinjee served as a research/program associate at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. There she also gained experience as a teaching assistant for the Adaptive Leadership course. Recently, she was an African Bridge Network fellow in the Grant Administration Division at the Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard University.

Nyinjee holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Delhi University, a master’s degree in international economics and finance from Chulalongkorn University, and a master of public administration degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Marta Patiño Rodriguez, MD

Marta Patiño Rodriguez, MD, is an internal medicine physician who serves as the Associate Director of Education and Training for the NCDI Poverty Network and the Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr Patiño has more than 20 years of work experience in Spain with the National Health System and in Sierra Leone with Partners In Health. Through this work she has had extensive involvement in a broad range of activities from clinical practice to clinical education, research, and program implementation across multiple health system environments.

In her role as Clinical Projects Specialist for PIH–Sierra Leone, Dr. Patiño managed several large grants including MIND-TB, a gender-sensitive tuberculosis screening project and PEN-Plus funded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital, she conducted the National Assessment in Emergency Care for Sierra Leone, and led development of data management and evaluation in the Emergency Department at Koidu Government Hospital.

In her role as clinical educator, Dr. Patiño has trained and mentored clinical students throughout her career as well as supervised local and visiting trainees completing their research and implementation projects in Sierra Leone. She supervised the development and implementation of the Advanced Training Program for Emergency Care in conjunction with Chicago University and was part of the training faculty for Non-Communicable Diseases at Koidu Government Hospital.

Most recently, she co-led the development and implementation of a novel Bachelor Degree Program in Internal Medicine for Clinical Officers in Sierra Leone together with the Makeni School of Clinical Sciences. In her current role at PEN-Plus, she continues to build on her prior experience as she steers organizational efforts toward ongoing curriculum development, on-site training, cross-site collaboration and standardization, and cultivation of context-relevant learning resources.

Colin Pfaff, MD

Colin Pfaff, MD, is the Associate Director of Programs at the NCDI Poverty Network and the Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Pfaff is a family medicine and public health doctor from South Africa, where he is currently based. He has more than 25 years of experience in district-level primary health care services in South Africa, Nepal, and Malawi, including HIV, tuberculosis, and noncommunicable disease programs.

Whitney Puetz, MPH

Whitney Puetz, MPH, is a research specialist for the NCDI Poverty Network and the Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

In 2024, Puetz earned her master of public health in global epidemiology from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, where she also earned certificates in Humanitarian Emergencies and Social Determinants of Health. She obtained her bachelor’s in anthropology and public health sciences at Hamline University in 2015 and earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Eastern Gateway Community College in 2018.

Puetz’s prior experience includes collaborating as a research assistant with the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Emory University, and the Africa Health Research Institute to develop a cost analysis, time and motion study, and fidelity assessment for a study evaluating and implementing an in-person and mHealth intervention to address low transition readiness from pediatric to adult care services and maintain retention in care and viral suppression for adolescents living with perinatally acquired HIV in Durban, South Africa.

In addition, as a global violence epidemiology fellow, she has provided technical support on the Violence Against Children Surveys of the Field Epidemiology and Prevention Branch of the Division of Violence Prevention at the U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention. She has also assessed healthcare workforce supply as a data intern with the Georgia Board of Healthcare Workforce and served as a medical examiner technician for Hennepin County in Minnesota.

Puetz strives to make a meaningful impact as a public health professional, researching and implementing evidence-based solutions to improve the health outcomes of vulnerable populations.

Ramon Ruiz

Ramon Ruiz is an Instructional Designer in the Division of Global Health Equity at the Center for Integration Science. He collaborates with experts across the Global Health Delivery Partnership to design, develop, and launch courses for clinicians working at NCD clinics in rural health facilities within low- and lower-middle income countries.

Before joining the NCDI Poverty Network team, Ramon worked at Massachusetts Port Authority, State Street Global Advisors, and Natixis Investment Managers in learning and development, learning management system (LMS) administration, and graphic design. He has a BA in Visual Arts from Brown University.