Dr. Berhanu Bulcha, an Ethiopian-born space scientist, is notably recognized for his contributions to instrument development for investigating water on the moon at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He earned his undergraduate degrees in physics and electrical engineering, and his PhD in applied physics from the University of Virginia.

Following his academic pursuits, Dr. Berhanu worked as a staff scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) before joining NASA as a Principal Investigator. He holds several patents and has pending patents in space and communication-related technologies. Dr. Berhanu has been acknowledged

as one of the Photonics 100, "the industry’s most innovative people," for his contributions to photonics technologies, instruments, and devices that utilize light spectrums.

Beyond his professional achievements, Dr. Berhanu is dedicated to mentorship and empowering future innovators and leaders. He co-founded the Brighter Generation platform along with his wife Dr. Tsega Solomon, a program that educates youth in Ethiopia and East Africa by connecting them with diaspora and global volunteers.

Dr. Wubrest Bekele is a physician and Yale-trained public health professional with a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Medical Law and Ethics. She has experience across clinical care, health systems, biotechnology, and policy, and has led cross-sector initiatives in collaboration with ministries of health, academic institutions, and private sector partners, contributing to programs that have reached over 100 million people. Her current work focuses on advancing genomics research and its application to improve patient care in resource-limited settings. 

Dr. Wondwossen A. Gebreyes is an internationally recognized global health leader, scientist, and educator. He earned a DVM from Addis Ababa University and a PhD from North Carolina State University. Currently, he is the Hazel C. Youngberg Distinguished Professor and founding Executive Director of the Global One Health initiative at The Ohio State University, as well as CEO of the One Health Global Alliance. An elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Gebreyes is a renowned molecular epidemiologist specializing in antimicrobial resistance. He has secured over $65 million in funding from organizations like the NIH, CDC, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and authored over 260 peer-reviewed publications. In 2012, he founded the Global One Health Summer Institute, which has since trained over 8,500 people from 75 countries. He also serves on prominent international boards, including the Science for Africa Foundation and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). Through his leadership, he continues to shape global capacity-building efforts to address epidemic threats and pandemic preparedness worldwide.

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Dr. Abimbola Famuyide is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mayo Clinic Rochester.
He has been a consultant at Mayo Clinic for over 22 years. Dr. Famuyide completed medical
school at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and OB/GYN residency training in England and Mayo Clinic in Rochester. He is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology with focused practice certification in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. His areas of interest include outcomes research in abnormal uterine bleeding, benign gynecologic endoscopic surgery and obstetric safety.

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Dr. Famuyide has served as chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, chair of the Division of Gynecology, chair of the Division of Obstetrics, and Vice Chair of Practice & Quality within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and has chaired several enterprise leadership search committees. He currently serves as chair of Mayo Clinic in Rochester Personnel Committee.

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He is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in London. He is the immediate past President of the Society for Academic Specialists in General Obstetrics and Gynecology and serves on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is a member of their certifying exam development committee and an oral board examiner. He is secretary of the American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society. Dr. Famuyide is an Editorial Board member of the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology (JMIG). He has published peer-reviewed manuscripts, and non-peer reviewed articles in leading journals including the Harvard Business Review.

Eva Gubern is an engineer and healthcare executive recognized for her leadership in global health and pharmaceutical innovation. With more than two decades of experience, she has managed teams and organizations across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, consistently working at the crossroads of technology and patient impact. Early in her career, she collaborated with NGOs, private companies, and multilateral institutions to raise over $10 million, enabling the launch of sub-Saharan Africa’s first cancer care center—an achievement that underscored her commitment to equitable access to healthcare.

She later advanced into senior leadership roles at multinational pharmaceutical firms, including Celgene, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Johnson & Johnson, where she directed operations in Taiwan, Mexico, and Southeast Asia. Her work often involved pioneering the use of machine learning to accelerate access to lifesaving therapies, contributing to transformative market shifts and major industry mergers.

Currently, Eva is CEO of Predictheon, a company applying AI to operating rooms to improve surgical safety. She also founded Sparsa Health, serves on advisory boards, and mentors entrepreneurs through programs like IESE WeGrow. Academically, she holds a master’s in Industrial Engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and an MBA from the University of Navarra.

Yoko Shimada is a global health strategist and currently a Research Scientist at the Center for Global Digital Health Innovation at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She leads economic and financial evaluations of digital health and AI-enabled interventions across low- and middle-income countries, with a focus on strengthening primary health care systems and advancing universal health coverage. With over 20 years of experience spanning the World Bank, UNAIDS, WHO, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), and other leading global health organizations, Ms. Shimada has advised governments and partners across Africa, Asia and the Middle East on digital transformation, health financing, and health system strengthening, including market-shaping work at CHAI designing public–private partnerships with global pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies.Her current work focuses on evaluating national-scale digital platforms, including electronic health insurance claims systems, and generating evidence on the cost-effectiveness and broader economic implications of digital and AI technologies in healthcare. Through this work, she aims to inform policy and investment decisions while supporting both public sector institutions and health technology startups as a strategic advisor. She brings a multidisciplinary perspective to AI in healthcare, bridging economics, implementation science, and policy to support scalable, equitable, and sustainable innovation in global health systems.

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Ms. Barbara

Prof. Solomon Negash