Speakers

Trevor Mundel

President of Global Health, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Trevor Mundel leads the foundation’s efforts to develop high-impact interventions against the leading causes of death and disability in developing countries. He manages the foundation’s disease-specific R&D investments in HIV, Tuberculosis, Malaria, Pneumonia, Enteric and Diarrheal Diseases, and Neglected Tropical Diseases. He also manages cross-cutting product development programs, including Discovery & Translational Sciences, Innovative Technology Solutions, Integrated Development, and Vaccine Development & Surveillance. This work relies on close collaboration with an international network of grantees and partners. Prior to joining the foundation in 2011, Trevor was global head of development with Novartis and previously was involved in clinical research at Pfizer and Parke-Davis. Born and raised in South Africa, Trevor earned his bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He also studied mathematics, logic, and philosophy as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, and he earned a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Chicago.

Sarah Des Rosiers

Associate Director of Population Health, The Novartis Foundation

Sarah joined the Novartis Foundation in 2020 and in her role is responsible for implementing CV population health initiatives and for building cross-sectoral partnerships on data and digital health in low-middle income countries. Prior to joining Novartis, Sarah worked as a management consultant for PwC’s healthcare practice and advised major pharmaceutical companies on their strategy & operations, market access strategies and digital transformations. She worked on several assignments with global health organizations to monitor the implementation and performance of programs in HIV, TB, malaria and essential medications. Sarah held various roles at WHO, UNAIDS and CHAI in the areas of access to medicines, health systems strengthening and monitoring & evaluation. She has extensive experiences working with local health authorities and partners in Brazil, Senegal, Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon and Haiti. Sarah holds an MSc in International Health Policy & Economics (LSE) and an MBA (University of St. Gallen, Switzerland). She is a Haitian-Canadian national and lives in Basel, Switzerland with her family.

Catherine Cheney

Senior Reporter, Devex

Catherine Cheney is a Senior Reporter for Devex. She covers the West Coast of the U.S., focusing on the role of technology, innovation, and philanthropy in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. And she frequently represents Devex as a speaker and moderator. Prior to joining Devex, Catherine earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University, worked as a web producer for POLITICO and reporter for World Politics Review, and helped to launch NationSwell. Catherine has reported domestically and internationally for outlets including The Atlantic and the Washington Post. Catherine also works for the Solutions Journalism Network, a non profit that trains and connects reporters to cover responses to problems.