Introducing

Our Team

Project Fenot

Leadership

Peter Berman

Principal Investigator

Professor Peter Berman (M.Sc, Ph.D) is a health economist with over forty years of experience in research, policy analysis and development, and training and education in global health. Professor Berman is and Adjunct Professor in Global Health atHarvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and Professor Emeritus at the School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia. He is also affiliated as Adjunct Professor at the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI)in New Delhi, India and as advisor to the China National Health DevelopmentResearch Center for health care financing and health accounts.
Professor  Berman’s specific areas of work include analysis of health systems performance and the design of reform strategies; assessment of the supply side of health care delivery and the role of private health care provision in health systems and development of strategies to improve outcomes through public-private sector collaboration. He pioneered the development and use of national health accounts as a policy and planning tool in developing countries. Professor Berman has worked extensively on health system reform and health care development issues in a number of countries including Egypt, India, Colombia, Indonesia, and Poland.
For more information about Professor Berman, please visit:

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/profile/peter-berman/

https://spph.ubc.ca/faculty/emeritus-faculty/peter-berman/

Tsinuel Girma Nigatu

Project Director

Professor Tsinuel Girma is a pediatrician with 25 years of experience in clinical practice, research, and medical education. He received his Doctor of Medicine from Jimma University, a Certificate of Specialty in Pediatrics from Addis Ababa University, and a Ph.D in Pediatrics and International Nutrition from theDepartment of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

He is recognized for his leadership in improving the management of acute malnutrition in children within health care facilities and the community. He is also known for his contribution to research capacity development for nutrition and health in Ethiopia. He is the founder and Principal Investigator of the Clinical andNutrition Research Centre (JUCAN - https://ju.edu.et/jucan) at Jimma University, which has been instrumental in evidence generation, Ph.D training, and improving research infrastructure for conducting high-caliber research in priority areas.

Professor Tsinuel serves as a member of several national and international technical and advisory groups. He holds positions as a Visiting Scientist at the Department of Global Health andPopulation at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in the USA and a visiting Professor of Pediatrics and Nutrition at the Department of Nutrition,Exercise, and Sports at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and HonoraryProfessor of Public Health at Addis Continental Institute of Public Health andHonorary Professor of Pediatrics at Jimma and Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia.He is a member of the Ethiopian Pediatrics Society, the Ethiopian Public Health Association and the DOHaD Society.

Mirkuzie Woldie Kerie

Deputy Director, Evidence to Policy

Professor Mirkuzie Woldie is a well-published health policy and systems researcher, educator, and health policy advisor with 20 years of experience. He is a lead and co-investigator in several health policy and systems research projects. Professor Woldie is highly experienced in generating, synthesizing, and translating the best available research evidence for health policy and practice. Other than serving as Deputy Director,Evidence to Policy of the Fenot Project, he is also the Health Policy andSystems Senior Advisor at the Ethiopian Ministry of Health. His area of research includes community health systems, health care quality, equity, and efficiency, For a complete list of his peer-reviewed publications, visit: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1777-0816.

Girmaye Deye Dinsa

Deputy Director, Health Financing

Dr. Girmaye serves as a health financing advisor to the Minister of Health of Ethiopia as well as Amhara and Oromia Regional Health Bureaus. Prior to joining the Fenot project, Dr. Girmaye worked at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine as a Research Fellow on two projects implemented in Ethiopia. Dr. Girmaye has several years of experience managing public health projects and teaching at universities. He is an Honorary Associate Professor of Health Economics in Jimma and Haramaya universities in Ethiopia. Dr. Girmaye holds a PhD in Health Economics from the Norwich School of Medicine, and a Master’s in Development Economics from the School of International Development in the University of East Anglia, UK, as well as Bachelor’s in Economics from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.

Evidence-to-Policy Team

Bereket Yakob Yota

Evidence to Policy Research Scientist

Dr. Bereket Yakob Yota obtained his Ph.D in Public Health with concentrations on health systems from the School of Public Health,University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He specializes in developing and formulating effective strategies, technical documents, guidelines, and protocols informed by cutting-edge evidence. His expertise ensures that these resources significantly contribute to improving the robustness, relevance, effectiveness, and over all functionality of the health system in Ethiopia.

Dr. Yota plays a vital role in the training and mentoring health system staff, researchers, and academics by providing targeted training programs to equip these individuals with the essential skills to bridge the gap between research and practice in health care settings.

As a senior technical advisor to the Health System, Quality, and Innovation Lead Executive Office at the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, Dr. Yota offers strategic insights into research, innovation, and health care quality. His guidance supports the ministry in making informed decisions to enhance health care delivery. In addition to advisory roles, he designs and conducts research studies aimed at understanding and implementing innovative practices within the health system, and identifying successful models that can be replicated across various regions.

Zenebu Begna Bayissa

Senior Scientific Advisor

Dr. Zenebu Begna is an assistant professor at the Department of Public Health College ofMedicine and Health Sciences, Ambo University. At Fenot, Dr. Begna works with the Maternal and Child Health Directorate of the Oromia Health Bureau, supporting the evidence to policy activities and facilities for the ScientificAdvisory Panel at the directorate and the nutrition team. She has a B.Sc.degree in clinical nursing from Addis Ababa University and MPH in epidemiology from Jimma University. She earned her Ph. D in epidemiology from India Jawaharlal Nehru University. She has conducted research, taught, and supervised master’s students. She also has different experiences coordinating research projects with national and international organizations. Most of her research works mainly focus on maternal and child health, Nutrition, NCDs, cancer care, the health system, and HIV/AIDS. Before joining the Fenot project, Dr. Begna was a postdoctoral fellow at the HaSET maternal and child health research project.She is also interested and experienced in the evaluation of the final term of the project.

Abdulhalik Workicho Bushra

Evidence to Policy Specialist

Dr. Bushra brings several years of teaching and research experience in various areas of public health such as maternal and child health, nutrition, and communicable diseases.At Fenot, Dr. Bushra supports the evidence to policy activities at the Maternal and Child Health directorate of the Ethiopian Ministry of Health by coordinating and working with the Research Advisory Council in generating and synthesizing evidence to facilitate decision-making. He also supports research projects conducted by Fenot in formulating questions, data collection, research analysis, publication, and knowledge translation. Before joining Fenot, Dr. Bushra worked as a research manager at Tufts University, FriedmanSchool of Nutrition Science and Policy and HaSET Maternal and Child HealthResearch Program. Dr. Bushra holds a Ph.D in Public Health Nutrition from GhentUniversity in Belgium and a Master of Public Health with a specialty inEpidemiology from Jimma University, Ethiopia. 

Alem Desta Wuneh

Evidence to Policy Specialist

Dr. Wuneh is supporting the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia. Before joining the Fenot project, Dr. Wuneh was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow on sustained evidence use and digital health in a joint program between Mekelle University and John Snow, Inc. He holds a Ph.D in public health focusing on health equity and a master’s degree in Health Monitoring and Evaluation. Dr. Wuneh is an Assistant Professor at Mekelle University and serves in different health care system positions including managing community-based projects. His research focuses primarily on implementation science, program evaluations, including process and impact evaluations, and digital health in maternal, neonatal, and child health services and outcomes.

Mohammed Hussien Adem

Health Systems Analyst

Based in BahirDar, Dr. Hussien provides technical assistance to the Amhara Regional Health andthe Amhara Public Health Institute in improving health financing and usingevidence for policy and program decisions. Dr. Hussien holds a Ph.D in PublicHealth with a concentration in health systems from Bahir Dar University and a MPHin Health Systems Management from Jimma University, Ethiopia. Dr. Hussien hasover 11 years of experience in training, education, and health systemsresearch, with an emphasis on health care financing and quality.

Gebeyehu Tsega Nebeb

Health Policy and Research Technical Assistant

Mr. Tsega is an Assistant Professor and fourth-year Ph.D student in Public Health at Bahir Dar University. He has 14 years of experience in teaching and research in Health Policy and Management. He holds a Master of Public Health in HealthService Management from Jimma University. At Fenot, he supports evidence generation, synthesis and utilization, policy development and analysis within the Health Policy, Strategy, and Research Lead Executive Office of the EthiopianMinistry of Health.

Kevin Croke

Co-Investigator

Dr. Croke is Assistant Professor of Global Health in the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Director of the International Health Systems Program. He is a faculty affiliate of Harvard’s Center for International Development and the Center for Population and Development Studies. His research focuses on the politics of health and health systems, and on evaluation of large-scale health programs and policies. He received his Ph.D from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Health Financing Team

Edmealem Admasu Tiruneh

Health Financing Specialist/Analyst

Based in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, Mr. Tiruneh provides technical assistance to the Amhara RegionalHealth Bureau for the Partnership Corporation Directorate's efficiency analysis of the primary health care system. He also supports the Amhara Public Health Institute in using data and evidence for health policy analysis and translation into policy and planning. Before Joining the Fenot project, Mr. Tiruneh worked as a Senior Health Financing Advisor at Amhara Regional Health Bureau, managing public health and logistics. Mr. Tiruneh holds a Master of Business Administration, and a Master of Public Health from Bahir Dar University and B.Pharm degree from Gondar University, Ethiopia.

Mideksa Adugna Koricho

Health Care Financing Specialist

Mr. Adugna is aPh.D candidate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. He served inthe Ethiopian health sector for over 15 years in the fields of health economics,health financing, and system strengthening. Having worked at the Ministry ofHealth in Ethiopia for a decade, Mr. Adugna held various positions at differentlevels, including the Acting Director. During his tenure, he made significantcontributions to health financing in Ethiopia and other health systemimprovement initiatives. With Fenot, Mr. Adugna is supporting the Oromia HealthBureau by providing expert guidance on health financing interventions tofacilitate effective and equitable health care delivery in the region.

Asmamaw Ayalneh Atnafu

Health Care Financing Specialist

Dr. Atnafu isan associate professor of health systems and policy at the University ofGondar, Ethiopia. He received his Ph.D in Health care Management and Policy fromthe Seoul National University, South Korea in February 2018. He holds a Masterof Public Health in Hospital and Health Care Administration from Addis AbabaUniversity, and a bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory technology from Universityof Gondar (Ethiopia) in 2008. His research interests focused on the area of Healthsystems and policy focused health care financing (insurance), economicevaluation, health policy, health service utilization and Health systems of lowand middle-income countries. He has been teaching and advising postgraduatestudents in health policy and health economics area. Dr. Atnafu has publishedmore than 60 publications in peer-reviewed journals: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7B9VyO0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao.

Administrative Team

Akalu Atlaw

Organizational Development Consultant

Akalu Atlaw is a seasoned professional with 20 years of diverse experience inAccounting, Finance, Operations, and Supply Chain Management. His career highlights include Dalberg Global Advisors, ASLM, GE, and AMBERO ConsultingGmbH leadership roles. Akalu has also made significant contributions in various capacities at the Office of Federal Auditor General, one of Ethiopia’s eminentAudit institutes.

Akalu holds an MBA in Accounting and Finance and a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from Addis Ababa University (AAU). He is currently pursuing an MSC in Corporate Finance at AAU and will graduate in February 2025.

Frehiwot Tessema Getachew

Operations Manager

Frehiwot oversees the operational aspects of the project to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. These include coordinating project activities, optimizing resource utilization, budget management, and monitoring adherence to protocols and procedures. Frehiwot also supervises the administrative assistant and manages communications with team members and stakeholders.

Hanna Debele

Administrative Assistant

Ms. Debele supports the day-to-day operational need of Fenot project. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Unity University and has over three years of experience in the banking industry, specifically in foreign accounts and loan management.

Shelly Keidar

Senior Research Manager

Shelly is a passionate research manager with extensive experience in nutrition and public and global health. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nutritional sciences and dietetics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Master ofPublic Health from the University of British Columbia, Canada. She joined the Fenot project in April 2020, bringing her unique project management and research facilitation expertise to support and coordinate the Addis Ababa, Boston, and Vancouver teams.

Past Team Members

Margaret Kruk

Co-Investigator

Dr. Margaret E. Kruk is Professor of Health Systems at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Kruk studies how health systems perform in improving health and generating trust across countries.  Working with colleagues in Africa, India, South America, and Europe, she develops novel measures of health system quality and measures how system performance affects population demand for health care, health outcomes, and confidence. Dr. Kruk and her team use implementation science and econometric methods to design and evaluate large-scale health system reforms.

Dr. Kruk is Director of the QuEST Centers and Network, a multi-country research consortium working to produce a global evidence base for improving health systems. The QuEST Network responds to the findings of the Lancet Global Health Commission on High Quality Health Systems in the SDG Era (HQSS Commission), a global initiative chaired by Dr. Kruk. QuEST will develop new instruments to assess health system quality, test structural and policy solutions to health system deficits, and support expansion of high-impact health systems research in partner countries.

Prior to Harvard, Dr. Kruk was Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management and Director of the Better Health Systems Initiative at Columbia University. Previously, she was Assistant Professor of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan. She has held posts at the United Nations Development Program and McKinsey and Company and practiced medicine in northern Ontario, Canada. She holds an MD degree from McMaster University and an MPH from Harvard University.  

Tizta Tilahun Degfie

Senior Scientific Advisor

Prior to joining Fenot project, Dr. Tilahun worked as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at Africa Population Health and Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya. Dr. Tilahun holds a Ph.D. in Medical-Social Sciences from Ghent University, Belgium and a Master of Science in Population Studies from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. Dr. Tilahun brings more than 14 years of experience in planning, budgeting, monitoring, and evaluation research and program implementation to her role as a Senior Scientific Advisor for the Fenot project. Dr. Tilahun provides technical support to the Oromia Regional Health Bureau to improve the use of evidence in policymaking and program decisions, focusing on improving efficiency, equity, and quality (EEQ) of primary health care services and improving health financing. She provides technical support to Scientific Advisory Panels (SAP) to improve the use of evidence to policymaking, program decision, develop technical reports, policy briefs, and scientific papers.

Firew Bobo

Health Financing Technical Expert

Based in Ethiopia, Firew serves as a health financing technical expert for the Fenot project. He is contributing to health care financing development in Ethiopia, evidence generation, and evidence-to-policy activities. He holds a Master of Public Health in Health Service Management from Jimma University (Ethiopia) and has recently submitted his Ph.D. to the University of Technology Sydney (Australia). Firew brings a wealth of expertise to Fenot with several years of experience in teaching and research in global health, health equity, quality of care, and health systems. Previously, Firew worked as a project officer at the Faculty of Health at the University of Technology Sydney.