Program Staff
Josh Sommer (Fellow in Strategic Philanthropy and Health)
Diagnosed with a rare form of cancer as a freshman at Duke, Josh Sommer decided that the best way to beat the odds of his disease was to accelerate the search for a cure. Co-founding the Chordoma Foundation, he recently won a prestigious Echoing Green Fellowship for social entrepreneurship. The Fellowship will allow him to develop the Chordoma Foundation's efforts to seed a biobank, encourage collaborative research on the disease, and provide patient navigation tools for others with the disease. Joining GHTA, Josh will also benefit from the Program's ongoing research into new models for encouraging innovation into treating neglected diseases. While continuing his role as Vice President of the Chordoma Foundation, Josh will share his experiences in building a patient-directed research foundation with the Center for Strategic Philanthropy and Civil Society.
Rachel Sachs (Program Assistant)
Rachel Sachs joined the Program on Global Health and Technology Access in August 2009 after graduating with Phi Beta Kappa honors from Princeton University. While completing her undergraduate studies in Bioethics, Ms. Sachs combined her passion for scientific innovation with her interest in public policy to advance scholarly research on ethics in health-related research. In addition to collaborating with professors on research topics from astrophysics to US health care policy, Ms. Sachs conducted computational neuroscience research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and coordinated the Annual Summer Institute for the Scattergood Program for the Applied Ethics of Behavioral Health at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Bioethics. Ms. Sachs also served as captain of Princeton’s women’s Ultimate Frisbee team and as a Princeton tour guide. At the Program, she works on issues related to innovation and access to medicines. Ms. Sachs will attend Harvard Law School in the fall of 2010.
Neha Gupta (Program Assistant)
Neha Gupta joined the Program on Global Health and Technology Access in October 2009. While an undergraduate at Harvard University, Ms. Gupta was a campus leader in the field of global health. Ms. Gupta was not only National Coordinating Committee Member and headed the Harvard University Chapter of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, but she was heavily involved in the Harvard College Global Health and AIDS Coalition and spent a summer volunteering for the Doctors Without Borders Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines in India. In her time at Harvard, she was the recipient of several awards, including the Herlihy Award for Leadership in Public Service and the Monadnock Undergraduate Research Award. She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard in June 2009 with High Honors and enjoys hiking and bhangra dancing. Currently, Ms. Gupta works to spearhead the Program's efforts on antibiotic resistance and conceptualizing models for R&D partnerships.
New Hiring
Are you interested in making a difference in global health? The Program is currently recruiting full-time staff (click on links for descriptions)
Interested candidates should send a cover letter, curriculum vitae, writing sample(s) preferably demonstrating policy analytic skills, and the names of three references to ghta@duke.edu. As we seek to fill this position in the near future, applicants should indicate their interest as soon as possible and their date of availability. If you have any questions regarding the position, please submit them in writing to ghta@duke.edu. The Program does not accept phone inquiries. Resumes will be accepted until the position is filled, but to assure fullest consideration, please apply by November 20.
Duke University is an equal opportunity employer.
(last updated on October 26, 2009)
