Position: International Program Manager
Education: Hampton University, B.A. Finance
Years with MHRP: 1

Why did you join MHRP?
I’ve worked in contract management for 13 years, so it was a natural progression. Prior to joining MHRP I worked in contracting at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF) supporting MHRP as well as other clients. Transitioning to MHRP allowed me to expand my knowledge base.

What does your job entail?
I enhance communication between headquarters and the overseas sites. My main focus is project management, but a lot of what I do is problem solving. We make assessments of and develop solutions for issues that come up in country. However, we can’t develop a solution until we encounter the issue. That keeps it very interesting and gives me no time to be bored.

What are the best aspects about your current job?
The diversity of the people I come into contact with—in the office or at the country sites. I enjoy learning about different cultures and forming friendships with so many different people from around the world. I also enjoy working with my colleague Kamalika, also an International program manager, to jointly problem solve and bounce ideas off one another; we make a great team.

What has been most rewarding about your MHRP experience?
Working closely on a project and seeing it through to completion is the most rewarding aspect of my job. Also, it’s very gratifying to see the people who are being helped by our work, such as meeting the patients at a hospital MHRP helped construct.

How is MHRP different than other places you’ve worked?
Being in a research environment, surrounded by many colleagues with a science background, has made me go back and learn more about science, especially HIV. MHRP allows me to be more of a student of science again; it’s not always the business side of things anymore.

• Moving Forward this HIV Vaccine Awareness Day

  5/17/2013

  This HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, we reflect upon how much we've learned in the quest for an effective vaccine. While we don't have a vaccine yet, we know a vaccine is possible and will be a critical tool to help end the epidemic.

• MHRP Director receives the Hero of Military Medicine Award for the U.S. Army

  5/3/2013

  In a ceremony held May 1, Col. Nelson Michael received the Hero of Military Medicine Award for the U.S. Army for his excellence as an HIV researcher and leader in global health.

• Pox-Protein Public-Private Partnership

  5/2013

• Duke and MHRP Win Award for Best Academic Research Team

  4/18/2013

  A research team led by the Duke and MHRP won the “Best Academic Research Team” award at the 6th Vaccine Industry Excellence Awards ceremony at the World Vaccine Congress.

• Study finds low ART treatment costs and good retention at clinics in Kenya

  4/8/2013

  The annual cost of providing antiretroviral therapy (ART) to HIV-infected patients in Kenya averaged $224, or less than $20 per month. A paper in the Journal of the International AIDS Society provides the first published estimate of the cost of ART treatment programs in Kenya.