What is your title and role at Plan International?
My official title is Health Project Manager at Plan International in Haiti. My role is basically to provide leadership and direction to the team and to manage work distribution across the team in order to reach our goals within the organization so that the children that we support are in good health.
I also work to ensure positive relationships with our partners and all the key stakeholders (especially the regional office of the Ministry of Health) to provide adequate healthcare services to the most vulnerable children. Both tasks require that I submit timely and quality reporting to the Program Unit Manager, which include start-up work plans, project implementation plans, baseline reports and progress reports.
In addition to providing leadership and ensuring productive networking, I provide technical support to project SHOW (Strengthening Health Outcomes for Women) to ensure that the health architecture meets the performance goals. This last project is supported by the Global Affairs Canada.
How did the Heller MS in Global Health Policy and Management program help prepare you for this position?
The MS program at the Heller School offers a curriculum that can respond to the world’s diverse health care systems. They put health policy at the core of the required courses in order to provide students with theoretical and practical skills to impact health care systems and promote social justice.
Plan International’s vision follows the same path, pursuing social justice for the most vulnerable children, particularly girls. The breadth and depth of knowledge that I acquired at the Heller School supports me in my work to create innovative approaches in order to impact the health status of the children in their own environment. As the Heller School enhanced my skills and broadened my horizons, it helps me to translate science into projects with palpable results.