About DNDi

Born on the frontlines of medical action

About DNDi

Born on the frontlines of medical action

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is an international, not-for-profit research and development organization that develops lifesaving medicines for people with neglected diseases around the world. We use the power of innovation, open science, partnerships, and advocacy to find solutions to a great injustice: the lack of medicines for life-threatening diseases that disproportionately impact poor and marginalized people. 

DNDi was launched in 2003 when five leading research institutes from Brazil, India, Kenya, Malaysia, and France teamed up with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to launch an alternative, not-for-profit model for developing drugs for neglected populations. Together, we are proud to have delivered thirteen new treatments for six diseases that have saved millions of lives – and we aim to deliver a total of 25 treatments by 2028.

DNDi founding partners

DNDi has built a team of more than 240 employees working across nine offices. DNDi North America, created in 2008 and based in New York City, is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit that works to strengthen and expand scientific networks, policy and advocacy influence, partner development, communications, and in particular, fundraising efforts to enhance DNDi’s global impact.

Discover our projects in more detail on our international website at dndi.org.

Our publications

DNDi Annual Report 2023
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Browse online

DNDi Financial Report 2023
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Strategic Plan 2021-2028
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Strategic Plan At a glance
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15 years of needs-driven innovation for access
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Executive summary
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COVID-19 Policy Report

COVID-19 Policy Report: Another triumph of science, but defeat for access?
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Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax

DNDi North America Financial Statements

DNDi North America Staff

Delali Attiogbe Attipoe, North America Director

Delali Attiogbe Attipoe joined DNDi as the Director of DNDi North America in August 2023. Delali is an accomplished global executive leader and board member within the biopharma and health sector. Her 20-year plus career has focused on patient access from bench to bedside to address unmet medical needs and health inequities through her diverse work from manufacturing and clinical trial support to marketing, fundraising, and regulatory support across numerous disease areas. Prior to joining DNDi, she had served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for 54gene, a life science, health tech start-up addressing disparities in genomics research for drug discovery as well as Head of Market Access in East Africa for Roche Pharmaceuticals and held various positions within Genentech, Inc. before her COO role.

Delali also sits on the board of ReSurge International, a global health, non-profit focused on training medical teams on life-saving reconstructive surgery and providing quality surgical care in low-and-middle income (LMIC) countries within Africa, Asia, and South America.

Delali holds a Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Rochester; a Masters in Biotechnology (MB) from the University of Pennsylvania; a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Babson College, F.W. Olin School of Business; and received a Certificate in Health Economics and Outcomes Research from the University of Washington.

She considers herself a global denizen having been born in the US to Ghanaian parents as well as lived in Canada, Kuwait and Kenya; and a global advocate having been fortunate to participate as a speaker and/or author at conferences, media outlets and through scientific journals. In her spare time, her other passions include creative writing and advising through her personal agency, R8 Collective, when she is not enjoying travels.

Megan Baldassari, Senior Executive Admin & Finance Associate

Megan Baldassari joined DNDi in August 2024 as the Senior Executive Admin & Finance Associate. With a background in public health and nonprofit administration, she is passionate about driving positive change in underserved communities. Prior to joining DNDi, Megan worked in the nonprofit community in New Orleans as an Executive Assistant and Office Manager, where she enhanced executive office productivity and streamlined the business operations of the youth mentorship organization Son of a Saint. Megan holds a Master of Public Health from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and a Bachelor of Science from Louisiana State University. While attending LSU, she learned French and would later spend two years in France where she taught primary and secondary level English through TAPIF (Teaching Assistant Program in France). 

Rachel M. Cohen, Senior Advisor, Global Policy Advocacy & Access
Policy and Advocacy

Rachel M. Cohen joined DNDi as the Regional Executive Director of DNDi North America in January 2011. Rachel has worked in the global health and humanitarian field for more than 20 years. Prior to joining DNDi, she worked for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) from 1999-2010. She served as Head of Mission for MSF in South Africa and Lesotho for four years, overseeing HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, sexual violence, and migrant health programs. Before working for MSF in the field, Rachel held numerous positions with MSF in New York, including U.S. Director for MSF’s Access Campaign, where she directed policy advocacy activities in the U.S. related to drug pricing, intellectual property, and medical innovation for neglected diseases. From 2009-2015, she also served on the Board of Directors of MSF’s Operational Center in Brussels. Prior to working with MSF, Rachel was the Director of Foundation & Corporate Giving at Housing Works, the largest grassroots AIDS service organization in the U.S., and before that, served as Program Coordinator for the U.S.+Cuba Medical Project, where she directed medical aid, educational, and advocacy programs. Rachel has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, co-authored dozens of reports, and been quoted extensively in the media. She is currently a member of the Steering Committee of the Global Health Technologies Coalition. Rachel earned her Master’s in Public Policy with a Certificate in Health and Health Policy from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs.

Shirley Leung, Senior HR Business Partner

Prior to joining DNDi, Shirley worked with Turner Construction on their International HR team. As the HR Administrator, she supported their international staff in over 7 countries. When she lived in Ohio, she served as the HR Coordinator for Best Restaurant Equipment and Design, a company that designed and provided restaurant equipment for chain restaurants. As the HR Coordinator, she was engaged in all aspects of HR including Benefits, Payroll and Employee Relations. She graduated from New York University with a B.A. in Computer Science and Mathematics; while she still enjoys both subjects, she’s found her niche in supporting employees through the Human Resources function. In her spare time, Shirley volunteers as a teacher and enjoys reading, outdoor activities and travelling.

Ilan Moss, Head of Media and Content

Ilan Moss was trained as a journalist and has over 15 years of experience communicating for United Nations agencies and non-profits in North America, Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia. Ilan joined DNDi in its New York office in 2015. Previously, he worked at Unitaid in Geneva, Switzerland. He has also worked with the U.S. Department of State as a global health communications consultant, training reporters during the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak, and in 2017 trained over 30 provincial health directors in the Democratic Republic of Congo to better respond to disease outbreaks. Ilan’s work has been published in Reuters, Guardian, Huffington Post, OECD Observer, Jerusalem Post, Forward, JTA, Food Republic, Miami Post, Latin Business Chronicle, True Africa and many other news outlets and websites. He is a graduate of New York University and has a Master’s degree in Political Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Alondra Ruiz, Development Assistant

Growing up along the Mexican border, Alondra Ruiz was exposed to communities, both in the U.S. and Mexico, facing economic inequality and social disparities in health. This emboldened her to pursue a career in social equity that addresses the health needs of disenfranchised communities. Prior to joining DNDi, she interned at several grassroots organizations in Texas with a focus on expanding low-income communities’ access to quality, affordable healthcare. She supported a small team at Curando RGV in their effort to expand access to reproductive healthcare, as well as a team at CareBOX Program who provided free health supplies to low-income patients diagnosed with cancer. She is a graduate of the University of Texas, holding a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and is fluent in Spanish.

Ron Sykes, Senior Individual Giving Manager

Ron Sykes joined DNDi in July 2023 as Senior Individual Giving Manager.  Under his guidance, the Individual Giving Team is working to maximize DNDi’s private philanthropic income while building a strong base of individual donors and increasing the fundraising capabilities of the Private Sector Fundraising team to support DNDi’s life-saving mission. Ron has worked for over 20 years building teams and raising support for major cultural institutions, national social justice and healthcare organizations, and progressive political causes. Most recently, he managed the direct response fundraising program at the Legal Defense Fund during a time of unprecedented growth. Ron holds a Masters in Musicology from the University of Chicago and a double BA in Chemistry and Music from Colorado College.

Help neglected patients

To date, we have delivered thirteen new treatments, saving millions of lives.

Our goal is to deliver 25 new treatments in our first 25 years. You can help us get there.

DNDi North America Board of Directors

Dr. Darin Portnoy, Chair; former Vice-President, Doctors without Borders, International; former President, Doctors without Borders, USA.

Dr. Portnoy is an attending physician at Montefiore Medical Group and Family Health Center, and on Faculty at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, both in New York City. Dr. Portnoy worked for 14 years with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) as a field doctor and medical coordinator in Uzbekistan, El Salvador, Georgia, Sudan, Liberia, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. From 2004-2008, he was the President of MSF-USA and a member of the organization’s governing International Council. Previously, he served on the organization’s Board of Directors beginning in 2001. Presently, he serves on MSF USA’s Board of Advisors. Also, Dr. Portnoy has supported Human Rights Watch in their research on the Zambian prison system, and he is President of a foundation that supports the construction of schools, bridges, and water projects in Guatemala. Dr. Portnoy teaches medical students and residents; lectures at universities, grand rounds, and conferences; and has been a course instructor for global health and humanitarian aid courses at Einstein and Cornell University. He received his MD and MPH from Tulane University.

Dr. Shing ChangSecretary; Independent Consultant; formerly with DNDi, USA

Dr. Chang previously served as the Research and Development (R&D) Director of DNDi, from 2007 to 2012, leading DNDi‘s project portfolio and advancing the discovery and development of new treatments for neglected diseases. Prior to DNDi, Dr. Chang held various executive positions in the pharmaceutical sector. He served as Senior Vice President of Drug Discovery, and Chief Scientific Officer, at ICOS Corporation; held various management positions in drug and diagnostics research at Abbott Laboratories, including 7 years as Divisional Vice President of Infectious Disease Research in the global pharmaceutical R&D department; and was Vice President of Preclinical Development at Cetus, after joining initially as one of its first molecular biologists. Dr. Chang completed postdoctoral fellowships at Stanford University and the University of Wisconsin, and received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and BS in Biology from Fu-Jen Catholic University in Taiwan.

Dr. John Lawrence, Treasurer; Department of Surgery, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, USA; former President, Doctors without Borders, USA.

Dr. John Lawrence, a native of Illinois, has previously served as president and vice president of the board. Dr. Lawrence attended Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Medical School, then completed a family practice internship and worked as a general medical officer in Tuba City, Arizona, on the Navajo Reservation. He then returned to residency and completed training in general surgery at the University of Rochester, in Rochester, New York, and pediatric surgery at St. Christopher’s Hospital in Philadelphia. For the past 20 years, he has been a practicing pediatric surgeon, primarily in academic settings, and he is currently a staff pediatric surgeon at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. Owing in part to a longstanding interest in global health, Dr. Lawrence has completed ten surgical missions with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) since 2009 and is currently working toward an MPH degree through the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Lawrence has served MSF as a surgeon in the Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Haiti, Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Liberia.

Meena Ahamed, Journalist, Author, former Board of Advisors member, Doctors without Borders, USA.

Meena Ahamed is a freelance journalist and has contributed articles about American foreign policy to publications, such as “Foreign Policy,” “The Asian Age” and “Seminar” among others. She was the London correspondent for NDTV from 1989-1996. During her professional career she worked at the World Bank and conducted research at Victoria Zenana Hospital. She is based mainly in Washington and New York and holds a post graduate degree (MA) from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Development Economics & Public Health. She is currently associated with the Boards of MSF Holland’s India Trust, Brookings Institution Council, and Turquoise Mountain Foundation USA. Meena Ahamed also serves on the Advisory Board of MSF USA. Her husband, Liaquat Ahamed, is a writer who won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in history for his book “Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World.”

Dr. Luis Pizarro, DNDi, Switzerland

Dr. Luis Pizarro has led the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) since September 2022. Dr Pizarro is a medical doctor and global health leader. He also serves as founder and member of the Global Health 2030 think tank, as scientific advisor for Global Health at Sciences Po Paris, and as board member of Sidaction. Having led medical projects for several years in West Africa, he became the first CEO of Solthis, from 2007 to 2019, successfully developing the international health and solidarity organization to become one of the leaders in health in West and Central Africa. In 2020, Dr. Pizarro joined Unitaid’s leadership team during the COVID crisis to lead the international organization’s HIV portfolio and related access programmes. Born in Chile, and trained as a medical doctor at the University of Paris, he also holds a masters’ degree in Political Sciences from Sciences Po and an executive health MBA from a joint programme of EHESP School of Public Health, the London School of Economics, and the ESCP European Management School.

Dr. Bennett Shapiro, PureTech Ventures; formerly with Merck, USA

Dr. Shapiro was formerly Executive Vice President, Worldwide Licensing and External Research at Merck Research laboratories. Previously at Merck, he held the position of Executive Vice President, Worldwide Basic Research. Prior to entering the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Shapiro was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Washington. He also held the position of Chief, Section on Cellular Differentiation in the Laboratory of Biochemistry at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and was a visiting scientist at the Institut Pasteur earlier in his career. Dr. Shapiro presently serves on the boards of several biotechnology companies and non-profit organizations. He received his MD from Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University.

Dr. Africa Stewart, President, Doctors Without Borders, USA

Dr. Africa Stewart graduated with honors from Johns Hopkins University in 1995 with a BA in psychology and mathematical science. She then attended Drexel University Medical School in Philadelphia. In 1999 she completed an MBA with a concentration in strategic planning from the University of Pittsburghʼs Katz School of Business. She then returned to Philadelphia to finish her medical training at Drexel. In 2000, Africa received her MD and started her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Hahnemann University Hospital. Her career with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) began in Sudan in June 2011. Africa has completed five surgical field assignments with MSF and served as a guide for the organizationʼs Forced From Home exhibition about the global refugee crisis. She was elected to the board of directors in 2017. She continues to support women’s health care locally and abroad with an emphasis on education and prevention.

Dr. Kristina Torgeson, Lifebox; formerly Secretary General, MSF International

Dr. Kris Torgeson currently serves as Global CEO of Lifebox, an NGO devoted to safer surgery in low-resource countries. She served as the Secretary General of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) from October 2008 until September 2012. She started working for MSF in 1998 and was Director of Communications for eight years at MSF USA before joining the MSF International Office. She has worked in numerous emergencies for MSF, and served most recently for MSF in Liberia during the Ebola outbreak. She served as President of the Board of the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) USA, and is co-founder of Mobilizing Action Toward Climate Change and Health (MATCCH). She earned a BA in East Asian Studies from Wesleyan University, was a Fulbright Research Fellow at Peking University, and earned her Master’s degree in Chinese from Columbia University.

Current job opportunities

We are looking for committed and talented individuals to join us in our efforts to develop safe, effective, and affordable treatments for diseases affecting some of the world’s poorest and most neglected communities.

Contact us

DNDi North America

40 Rector Street, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10006
USA

Tel: +1 646 215 7076

dndina@dndi.org

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