Board of Directors

Global Implementation Solutions (GIS) primarily works in Africa and the Middle East and is focused on providing support for One Health programs, biosecurity legislation development, and building laboratory diagnostic capacity. CEO and Executive Director, Kaitlin Sandhaus is one of the original founders and has been managing healthcare related programs in resource limited countries for ten years. GIS has a diverse Board of Directors and a cadre of technical consultants from Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania and the US.

Tori Shaw - President

Toria (Tori) Shaw, MSW has served as the Manager of Clinical Informatics and TIGER Staff Liaison for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) North America since 2014. In this role, she directs all programs, activities, resources, volunteer efforts, and research for the advancement of interprofessional, health IT/informatics and workforce development efforts aligned with the TIGER (Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform) Initiative and TIGER’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). She also manages and executes the EU*US eHealth Work Project, funded by European Commission’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation grant program, scope of work and project deliverables on behalf of TIGER.

Toria has over 10 years of experience working in countries throughout Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe focused on global health and international development initiatives. In 2009, she co-created Global Implementation Solutions (GIS), a non-profit organization focused on strengthening healthcare systems worldwide. Toria obtained her Master of Social Work (MSW) from University of Illinois at Chicago’s Jane Addams College of Social Work in 2012 with a mental health concentration. Toria trained to become a clinical therapist while directing trauma focused therapy with vulnerable, at-risk, and marginalized populations recovering from alcohol and drug related dependency impacted by Hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Today, Toria serves as an EU*US eHealth Work Project Consortium Team Lead and Interim President of the GIS Board of Directors.

Julie Schmitt—Treasurer

Julie Schmitt is Treasurer of the Board of Directors for Global Implementation Solutions, and currently resides in the metro Detroit area. She has degrees in Accountancy and Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition. She is a Certified Public Accountant, and has external and internal auditing experience working for PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Sony Electronics, Inc., respectively. Her nonprofit work includes a month-long volunteer teaching trip to Ethiopia, working on various church committees in her parish, after-school tutoring for low-income/minority children, and volunteer work during several walking/running events benefiting various organizations (Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, etc.). Julie is dedicated to helping and serving the underprivileged in her own community and abroad.

Robert Sandhaus, MD, PhD, FCCP—Secretary

Robert “Sandy” Sandhaus has degrees in molecular biology, biochemistry, and medicine. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, and Critical Care Medicine. He has been a medical faculty member at UCSF and the University of Colorado. In 1981, he started the Alpha-1 Program at National Jewish Health in Denver and remains its director. In addition to his ongoing academic career, Dr. Sandhaus led clinical development programs at Cortech, NeXstar Pharmaceuticals, and Gilead Sciences during the 1990s.

Since 2000, he has been the Medical Director of AlphaNet and the Clinical Director of the Alpha-1 Foundation, while continuing to follow patients with genetic lung disease at National Jewish. Dr. Sandhaus has served on the Boards of Directors of the Alpha-1 Association and the Alpha-1 Foundation and is currently a board member of AlphaNet, the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation, and the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs.

Dr. Jack Nyamongo – Member at Large

Dr. Jack Nyamongo is a Pathologist and laboratory management expert with over 30 years of experience in Kenya strengthening health systems and managing laboratory and blood transfusion services. He has been involved in the establishment and management of the public health laboratory network in Kenya and the development of the National Public Health laboratory Policy and Strategic plan for laboratory services in Kenya and other African Countries. Before joining GIS, Dr. Nyamongo was the Director, National Public Health Laboratories and National Blood Transfusion Services, Ministry of Health, Kenya. He has consulted widely for many organizations including JICA, WHO/AFRO, APHL and FIND to support laboratory and blood transfusion services systems strengthening, policy and strategic plan development in many countries in Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia. The countries he has worked in include: Tanzania, Uganda, Mauritius, Angola, Belarus and Moldova, Nigeria, Namibia, Zambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Botswana and Lesotho.

Tura Galgalo – Member at Large

Mr. Galgalo is a trained epidemiologist and an expert in biosecurity, emerging and reemerging disease surveillance and strategic planning. He has been a key expert in developing a One Health curriculum for the Field Epidemiology Laboratory Training Program (FELTP). He has facilitated workshops, revision sessions, prepared presentations and managed programs throughout Africa for GIS. He has also provided mentorship focused on biosecurity upgrades, diagnostic capacity strengthening and training.

Julius Mainye Anyega – Member at Large

Julius Mainye Anyega is a financial management expert with over 16 years of working experience in financial, grants management and operations. He has experience in various positions as Regional Director of Finance and Administration, Director of Finance, Grants Manager, and Development and Compliance Specialist. The countries Julius has worked in include: Uganda, Nigeria, Zambia, and Rwanda.

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