>>  COMMUNITY CAPACITY BUILDING DEPARTMENT  <<

Miriam Sidibé, Interim Head of Department 
Aminata Seydou Traoré, Women’s Health Financing Program Assistant (meet Aminata)
Sien Diarra, Program Assistant, Cooperatives
Addis Dakouo, Program Assistant, Gnaman ni Sôrô ani Kènèya Project

>>  HEALTH DEPARTMENT  <<

Dr. Lamine Sogoba, Head of Department
Dr. N’Diaye Sidi Bathily, Quality Improvement Coach

>>  HEALTH PROMOTION DEPARTMENT  <<

Oumou Camara Ouattara, Head of Department
Abdou Touré, Interpersonal Communications Manager
Aïssata Touré Kouyaté, Storyteller (meet Aïssata)
Malick Yalcoué, Community Health Worker Supervisor

>>  ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE  <<

Chiaka Ouattara, Operations Director
Oumar Coulibaly, Administrative Assistant

>>  MONITORING AND EVALUATION DEPARTMENT  <<

Boubacar Fomba, M&E Coordinator

>>  DIRECTORS  <<

Dramane Diarra, Mali Director (meet Dramane)
Tara Hopkins, US Director

Note about our leadership: Since 2016, Mali Health’s Directors have shared responsibility and leadership of our organization as equal partners. All decisions related to programs and operations in Mali are made in Mali and all revenue generation, and management/compliance for our 501(c)(3) status are handled by our US Director.

US BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Pat Sadate-Ngatchou, PhD, MPH

Pat is a multidisciplinary expert in medical lab technology, life sciences (molecular biology, genomics, immunology), and epidemiology. With a PhD in Biochemistry and an MPH in Epidemiology, she has spearheaded infectious disease detection and biosurveillance system projects across 40+ countries, primarily in Asia and Africa. Her extensive experience includes leading teams to enhance diagnostic lab quality management, infectious disease surveillance, laboratory information systems, and data utilization for improved public health programs (COVID-19, HIV) and antimicrobial resistance initiatives (One Health). Pat has collaborated closely with governments and diverse sectors on public health projects, securing funding from multiple donors (CDC, USAID, etc.). Her work involves generating and interpreting data to guide program strategies and disseminating findings through publications. Pat previously held a Clinical Assistant Professor position at the University of Washington and currently resides in Sammamish, WA, with her family. A native of Cameroon, Pat is fluent in English and French.

Nicole Warren, PhD, MPH, CNM

Nicole is an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and a Certified Nurse Midwife providing antenatal and well woman gynecologic care at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Since serving as a PCV in Mali, she has continued to collaborate on programs and research in Mali and other low resource settings. Her clinical expertise is in nursing and midwifery care of childbearing women and her research is focused on building capacity of front-line maternal health providers across setting, improving the clinical care of women affected by female genital cutting (FGC), and Respectful Maternal Care (RMC).

Neelum Jeste, MD, MPH

Neelum is a pediatric hematologist-oncologist who currently works in research and drug development in the pharmaceutical industry. She completed her undergraduate studies in psychology and Spanish at Duke University and her medical school at the University of California, San Diego. During her medical training, she worked in clinics in India and South America and conducted a research study in the Dominican Republic. 

Margot Fahnestock, MPP

Margot Fahnestock is a philanthropy and policy expert in family planning and reproductive health. Margot served as a Program Officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, responsible for making grants to reduce unintended pregnancies and improve reproductive health and rights in sub-Saharan Africa. She was a founding member and catalyst for the Ouagadougou Partnership, which has mobilized more than $400 million in additional funding for family planning in Francophone West Africa. She served two years as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer teaching English at a secondary school in Mali. Margot has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California, Los Angeles and master’s in public policy from the University of Chicago.

Lisa Nichols, MPH

Lisa is a global public health professional who has worked in Mali primarily on maternal and child health programs starting in the 1980’s with an international NGO and again from 2003-2013 as manager of a bilateral USAID national health program. She has worked in Francophone Africa and in Asia on monitoring and evaluation, nutrition, infectious disease and emergency relief programming. She previously served on the Mali Health Board from 2014-2021 and rejoined the Mali Health Board in 2024; she is also on the Global Advisory Committee of the Upskill W.A.V.E. Foundation which promotes capacity strengthening among healthworkers. She served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire). She holds an MPH in International Health from The George Washington University. She retired in 2025 and lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

MALI ADVISORY BOARD

Ben Aboubacar, MD

Dr. Ben Aboubacar is the Director of Health Programs for the Millennium Development Goals Center for West and Central Africa. He coordinates Millennium Villages’ Community Health Worker programs in countries such as Senegal, Ghana, and Mali, and his advice is sought by local and national health authorities as well as by international organizations such as the United Nations and UNICEF.

Sidiki Coulibaly

A member of the local mayor’s office, Mr. Sidiki Coulibaly is one of Mali Health’s chief advisers. He has hosted Mali Health Coordinators in his home in the past, and was one of our first community supporters.

Yaye Danfakha, MD

Dr. Yaye Danfakha is currently working with a UNICEF-partner program to evaluate the effectiveness of an in-home health care program for childhood respiratory infections.

Abdoul Diallo

Mr. Abdoul Diallo is the former head of the West African Water Initiative for USAID. He has also taught at the School for International Training in Mali. Mr. Diallo splits his time between Mali and the United States.

Alpha Zancoura Doumbia

The adjunct for health at the Mayor’s Office of Commune 1 (Bamako), Mr. Doumbia is an invaluable liaison between Mali Health and the local government.

Mamadou Niare

As the Sikoro Village Chief, Mr. Mamadou Niare supervises activities in both Sikoro and Sourakabougou. He is also a member of the Bamako committee of traditional chiefs.

Saloum Soumaré

Mr. Saloum Soumare has worked with the USAID Program in Shared Governance (PGP) in Bamako for years, and is an expert in creating community/government accountability in Bamako. He has also worked with the Peace Corps as a language teacher.

Mary Magdalene Togo, MD

Dr. Mary Togo is a member of our Board and the Technical Consultant to the Minister of Health. Dr. Togo was the first female chief of medicine of Mali’s premier national hospital (Hôpital Gabriel Touré) and is a figurehead of Malian health care policy. She meets often with project staff to develop appropriate protocols, address potential problems, and spearhead the distribution of our results within the Malian government.

Boubakar Traore, MD

Dr. Boubakar Traore serves as the Chief of Medicine of the Reference Hospital of Commune 1 and supervises all primary health activities in the district.