27 June 2022 · Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy
Meet our newest Leadership Team members
This year the Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy welcomed six new Leadership Team members. With more representation from persons affected by Hansen’s disease and from National Leprosy Programmes, the Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy now welcomes its largest and most representative Leadership Team to date. Hear from our newest members in the following video:
Video transcript
Emmy van der Grinten: I’m very excited to be here as a new member of the Leadership Team of the Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy. I’m a medical doctor by profession. When I visited Nepal in 1991, I visited a leprosy hospital, and that is how my career in leprosy and TB control started. I’m very excited to be a member of the Leadership Team because of the different backgrounds of the people on the team. Altogether, we are working toward a world with zero leprosy.
Rabindra Baskota: I’m the chief of leprosy control and disability management in Nepal. I’m excited to contribute to the Leadership Team as a National Leprosy Programme Manager. I hope to see the Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy as a platform to unite the global community to achieve the common goals of zero leprosy.
Lucrecia Vásquez: I’m from Colombia. I represent Felehansen, persons affected by leprosy or Hansen’s disease. I am very happy to join the Leadership Team. I hope to meet the expectations of persons affected by this disease, not only from Colombia but from the world. I promise to continue working and will try my best to represent persons affected.
Faustino Pinto: I am a person affected by Hansen’s disease. I am the vice coordinator of MORHAN. And I hope to fight prejudice and discrimination around Hansen’s disease.
Berta Mendiguren: I’m a medical anthropologist and Africanist. I am a member of the Trustees’ board of the Spanish organization, Anesvad Foundation, dedicated to helping Sub-Saharan Africa through the fight against skin neglected tropical diseases such as leprosy. It’s a great honor to be part of this Leadership Team, from a perspective of zero disability, zero stigma, and discrimination, especially those linked to gender.
Jordan Tappero: I’m a medical epidemiologist. And I’m the new global health representative for the Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy. It’s a really exciting opportunity for me to bring my understanding and work in several other neglected tropical diseases to the leprosy community. And also help to further accelerate the goals of achieving the elimination of leprosy.