Speaker Bios: Preparing for the Next Pandemic Panel
Lisa Cohen
Lisa Cohen is the Executive Director of the Washington Global Health Alliance (WGHA), a coalition of more than 60 leading global health research, development and civic organizations. WGHA activates governments, corporate and non-profit organizations and individuals in the Washington state region through shared efforts to advance global health equity. Prior to the formation of WGHA, Ms. Cohen spent 25 years as a producer and manager in broadcast news. She has taught journalism at the University of Washington.. She serves as Executive Director and Board Chair for the Washington Global Health Fund and on the governance boards of Global to Local, Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association and Seattle CityClub, as well as numerous civic advisory committees.
Lisa earned degrees in Broadcast Journalism and International Communications at the University of Washington.
W. Scott Gordon
W. Scott Gordon is Director of PATH’s Window of Opportunity project, an integrated maternal and child health and early childhood development project in South Africa and Mozambique. He also serves as Senior Advisor for PATH’s Health Systems Strengthening Unit and Chair of PATH’s Ebola Task Force.
Scott develops and manages new health policy and system strengthening projects, including projects examining scale-up of health technologies, expanding strategic approaches to health promotion and disease control programs, and assessing performance of immunization and other health systems.
Dr. Gordon has developed, managed, and evaluated global health programs for nongovernmental and academic institutions for more than 20 years. He has served in senior technical and managerial positions for PATH, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, DBL Institute for Health Research and Development, Harvard University, and Direct Relief International and has worked throughout Asia and Africa.
Scott holds a doctorate and master’s degree in health policy from Harvard University.
Karin Huster
Karin has worked over 9 years as a Registered Nurse at Harborview Medical Center's Trauma Intensive Care.
Since 2013 she has been spending her time working in humanitarian emergency settings -- in Gaza, then in Lebanon -- working with non-government organizations (NGOs) and the UN High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), on Syrian refugee issues. Most recently she has focused her energy in Liberia and Sierra Leone working with the NGO, Partners in Health, where she served as the clinical lead of an Ebola treatment unit.
Karin holds a BS in Nursing from the University of Washington (2005), earned a Master’s Degree in Public Health - from UW's Department of Global Health (2013).
Kathleen Walsh
Kathleen Walsh joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2007 and is currently the Deputy Director, Strategy Planning and Management in the Office of the President, Global Development.
In her role, Kathleen ensures the Global Development President’s time is efficiently used in support of Global Development priorities and leads complex initiatives in support of the President. She also drives the strategic and operational aspects of the foundation’s Emergency Relief and Multilateral Partnership programs including the foundation’s response to the West Africa Ebola epidemic.
Kathleen holds an MA in Library & Information Science from the University of Washington and a BA in Arts in History from Mount Holyoke College.