The United Nations Population Fund has a new Country Representative - Dr. Natalia Kanem. She presented her credentials to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bernard Membe, on Friday 4th of July 2014. at the Minister's office in Dar es salaam.
Dr. Natalia Kanem. She presents her credentials to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hon. Bernard Membe
Dr. Natalia Kanem smiles as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hon. Bernard Membe holds a small gift she has presented to him.
Dr. Natalia Kanem is a women and children's health advocate with over two decades of leadership roles in international philanthropy. In her early medical career she focused on maternal and pediatric HIV and AIDS research and clinical practice.
Dr. Kanem most recently was a senior associate at the Lloyd Best Institute of the West Indies, based in Trinidad and Tobago. From 2005-2011, she served as founding president of the ELMA Philanthropies, a major donor group promoting health and education for African children and youth.
During thirteen years at the Ford Foundation, Dr. Kanem served as their Representative for West Africa based in Nigeria, and in New York headquarters as head of international grants administration and Deputy Vice President for global peace and social justice programs.
She also convened the Council on Foundations-European Foundation Center's task force on accountability in philanthropy.
Earlier she had co-founded the Harlem Center for Health Promotion, during her joint appointment at Columbia University's schools of medicine and public health. This led to her involvement as a researcher with the first successful drug trials for maternal and pediatric HIV treatment.
A magna cum laude history and science graduate of Harvard, Dr. Kanem received her medical MD degree from Columbia University and her Masters in Public Health in epidemiology and preventive medicine from the University of Washington.
She has been honored by organizations such as the American Medical Association, the University of Washington, the Asia-Pacific Islanders Community Health Agency (New York) and the African Women's Development Fund.
