Scaling Nutrition:

Advancing the conversation

As Editorial Director, Richard oversees content for digital series, reports and events, leading a talented team of writers and editors, conducting high-level video interviews and moderating panels at events. Previously partnerships editor and an associate editor at Devex, Richard brings to bear 15 years of experience as an editor in institutional communications, public affairs and international development. Based in Barcelona, his development experience includes stints in the Dominican Republic, Argentina and Ecuador, as well as extensive work travel in Africa and Asia.

Ellen Piwoz joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2007 and currently leads the Nutrition Strategy Evidence to Action Initiative.  Over her 12 years at the foundation, she has shaped and managed a diverse portfolio of grants including research on healthy birth, growth, and development; testing new delivery models for improving maternal nutrition, breastfeeding, and complementary feeding at scale (Alive & Thrive); costing and financing of interventions to achieve the 2025 World Health Assembly nutrition targets; developing and using analytic modeling tools for improved nutrition decision-making; evidence syntheses and guidelines for use in policy and program decision-making; and strengthening the global nutrition architecture. Prior to joining the foundation, Dr. Piwoz was a senior advisor on nutrition, advising the Africa Bureau Office of Sustainable Development at USAID, and co-investigator on numerous clinical trials and behavioral studies on prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.  She held adjunct faculty appointments in the Schools of Public Health at the Johns Hopkins University and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  Dr. Piwoz has a Doctor of Science degree in Human Nutrition and a Master of Health Science degree in International Health from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Debora Gervas Niyeha has been the the Nutrition Lead and Project Manager for the RISE RCT at Helen Keller International in Tanzania since 2018. Prior to that, Debora worked as a Resident Advisor for the National Evaluation Platform, supported by the Institute for International Programs at Johns Hopkins University. She has also worked with Aga Khan Foundation as a Health and Nutrition Program Officer managing implementation of the Joining Hands MNNCH program under the Canadian Muskoka Initiative. Debora has also worked with World Vision Tanzania as National Nutrition Coordinator for over 7 years. She possesses 13 years’ experience in program implementation, management, and oversight specifically in areas of Health and Nutrition, Food Security, Food fortification and Large-scale Evaluation of Health and Nutrition Policies and Programs. She has participated in several qualitative and quantitative research studies within and outside Tanzania. Debora is an international trainer of Positive Deviance (PD) Hearth Model & Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF). Debora holds a Master’s Degree in Food Nutrition and Dietetics and a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Nutrition. She also holds Certificates in Grants Management, Food Security, HIV/AIDS, Early Childhood Development and Epidemiology.

Dr. Fekadu is responsible for leading global nutrition programs at Save the Children US. A nutritionist and pediatrician by training, Dr. Fekadu has been working in child health and nutrition for the last 20 years, with more than 10 years of nutrition program design, management, and leadership experience. He managed USAID’s nutrition work in Ethiopia for over eight years, including the Nutrition and HIV project and USAID’s two large scale multi-sectoral nutrition projects: ENGINE (Empowering New Generations to Improve Nutrition and Economic opportunities) and Growth through Nutrition. Dr. Fekadu led the design of the first multi-sectoral national nutrition plan of action for Ethiopia working with UNICEF, and was involved in the design of the Community Based Nutrition Program of UNICEF in Ethiopia. He contributed to the integration of nutrition into Integrated Management Childhood Illness (IMCI), ICCM and care of HIV affected children, and development/adaptation of training materials on IYCF and Community Management of Acute Malnutrition. He made substantial contributions to the integration of nutrition sensitive interventions into Ministry of Agriculture programs and strategies in the country. Dr. Fekadu presented nutrition program field experiences at international conferences such as the International Conference on Nutrition in Spain, Save the Children’s global nutrition symposium, and the Alive and Thrive stunting reduction workshop, among others. Dr. Fekadu co-authored two papers on multi-sectoral nutrition program, and delivered seminars on multi-sectoral nutrition programming.