Daniele Mazzone serves as the CEO of EQUAL, bringing with him extensive management experience and technical expertise in project management, contract management, and operations in both the private and non-profit sectors. His career has led him to work on development and humanitarian programming across various regions, including the Middle East, Central and East Africa, Southeast Asia, and Western Europe. Among his significant achievements, between 2017 and 2019, he led the design and successful implementation of the first large-scale stabilization intervention in the Nineveh plains of Iraq after the end of the ISIS occupation. In the subsequent years, from 2020 to 2022, he managed the delivery of the Ascend Lot 1 project, the FCDO flagship program aimed at controlling and eliminating five Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in 11 countries across Asia and Africa. Daniele holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Bocconi University and a Master’s in Management of Public Administration and International Institutions from Bocconi University and Sciences-Po Paris. Follow Daniele on Twitter via @danieelemazzone and Linkedin.

Dr. Kozuki, MSPH, PhD (co-Research Director for EQUAL) is the Research and Innovation Lead for Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, and Neonatal Health at the International Rescue Committee. She oversees a team with skills in behavioral science, costing, design, evidence synthesis, research, and strategy to develop, test, and deliver women-centered, life-saving interventions to most vulnerable populations in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. An epidemiologist by training, her research has focused on maternal and newborn health, as well as childhood malnutrition, and she has led research in contexts including Nepal, Nigeria, Somalia, and South Sudan. She completed her MSPH, PhD, and post-doctoral training at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) and has a BA from Yale University. She is also an Associate Faculty member in the Department of International Health at JHSPH and an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University Center for Humanitarian Health. Learn more about Naoko’s work here and follow her on Twitter via @nkozuki

Geeta Nanda, MHS, DrPH is the Director of Research for Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, and Newborn Health at the International Rescue Committee. She leads field-based implementation and operational research studies in Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health in low-resource contexts. She is a social and behavioral scientist with over twenty years of research and technical expertise in global health and development. She is well-versed in applying a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to her work, using scientific evidence to inform decision-making. Prior to joining the IRC, she was with Family Health International 360 for fifteen years, providing leadership and technical and managerial oversight to research studies in multiple countries, including Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, India, Bangladesh, and Malaysia. She completed her MHS in International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and her DrPH in Sociomedical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. Geeta is providing direct support to numerous studies under the EQUAL research consortium with a focus on the community-based MNH implementation research being conducted in Somalia and South Sudan. Learn more about Geeta’s work here.

Alicia Adler is the Senior Research Uptake Advisor for EQUAL. She brings with her experience in advocacy and communications specializing in influencing health policy and practice across humanitarian and development contexts. Alicia has worked for a range of NGOs in Malawi, Madagascar and USA – all focused on raising the profile of vulnerable populations among key decision makers. This includes leading a national advocacy campaign in Malawi focused on newborn health, managing a global coalition on women’s health and feminist action, and driving a global policy agenda focused on increasing access to malnutrition treatment in crisis affected communities. Alicia has a master’s degree from New York University and is a Returned Peace Corp Volunteer (Madagascar, 2014-2016).

Grace Kimemia is a highly experienced research coordinator and project manager with over seven years of experience in the field. With her expertise in ethnographic research, mixed method research, and implementation science, Grace has established herself as an expert in generating evidence through primary research, randomized control trials, and program evaluation. Throughout her career, Grace has worked for several NGOs, focusing on HIV clinical trials, sexual and reproductive health and rights, maternal and newborn care in both East and West African countries. As a trained medical anthropologist, Grace brings a unique perspective to her work, combining her expertise in research with her understanding of the cultural and social factors that influence health outcomes. Currently, she serves as a research coordinator within the EQUAL research consortium.. Learn more about Grace’s work here and follow her on Twitter @wangarikimemia1

Dr. Mothupi has over 10 years of experience as a public health researcher and professional. She is experienced in mixed methods methodology, health systems research, survey methods, and has topical interest in sexual, maternal, newborn, reproductive, and adolescent health issues. Most of her work has been with health research, governmental and non-governmental institutions in Eastern and Southern Africa. As MNH Researcher at IRC Mamothena leads and co-leads research projects in the SMNRH portfolio and provides technical backstopping to partners within the EQUAL consortium. To learn more about Dr. Mothupi’s work, visit here.

Teresia Macharia is a public health researcher with over eight years of experience in research, analysis, capacity building, and coordination in maternal and child health and nutrition. She has worked on various projects related to exclusive breastfeeding, human milk banks for vulnerable neonates, acute malnutrition, sexual reproductive health, and health systems strengthening. Teresia is skilled in mixed methods research, especially participatory visual methods such as photovoice and digital storytelling. She has also been involved in participatory dissemination of findings to different audiences. Teresia has worked as a consultant and researcher for several organizations, including Oxford Policy Management, RTI International, the African Population and Health Research Center, and the University of California, San Francisco Global Programs for Research and Training. She is currently a research coordinator for EQUAL. Learn more about her work here.

Lual Agok Luka is the Research Manager for EQUAL in South Sudan providing strategic oversight and coordination of the community-based maternal and newborn care implementation research. With over five years of experience in research, Lual has previously worked on studies in Malawi, Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan, with a focus on Gender-Based Violence and Sexual and Reproductive Health. Living in a patriarchal society and country with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, Lual’s interest in this topic of research was inspired by the experiences of his mother and other women who are forced to give birth to many children against their will due to gender inequalities, social and power dynamics that relegate women’s roles to fetching water and childbearing. He strives to design and test approaches that generate evidence to inform policies and practices around gender equality and the meaningful participation of women in decision-making on issues affecting their health.