Dessie Mekonnen

About

Senior public health leader with 20+ years of regional experience across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. Specializes in multi-country program management, health systems strengthening, outbreak response, and stakeholder engagement with governments, UN agencies, and major donors.

Experience

• Polio / VDI Short-Term Consultant
  World Health Organization (WHO)
  Jun 2025 – Present
• Senior Advisor / Technical Director / Senior Epidemiologist
  JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc
  May 2022 – Mar 2025
• Team Lead / Technical Officer
  World Health Organization (WHO)
  Jul 2015 – Apr 2022
• Program Manager
  The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
  Sep 2014 – Jun 2015
• Program Advisor / Research/MEL Advisor
  Marie Stopes International Ethiopia
  Nov 2013 – Oct 2014
• Program Coordinator / Research/MEL Coordinator
  Abt Associates, Inc.
  Apr 2012 – Nov 2013
• Program Officer / Technical Officer
  Pathfinder International / JSI
  Nov 2008 – Mar 2012

Education

• MBA
  Quantic School of Business and Technology
  Business Administration · Aug 2022 – May 2025
• PhD
  University of South Africa (UNISA)
  Health Studies · Aug 2014 – May 2018
• Master's
  University of Gondar
  Public Health · Aug 2006 – May 2009
• Bachelor of Science (BS)
  Dilla University
  Public Health · Aug 1996 – May 2000

Skills

• Market research
• Project Management
• Change Management
• Quality Assurance
• Organizational Development
• Technical Writing
• 3D Modeling
• Strategic Planning
• A/B Testing
• Policy Development
• Compliance
• Financial Oversight
• ACLS
• Health Systems Strengthening
• Regional Leadership
• Cross-Cultural Team Management
• CDC
• Monitoring Evaluation And Learning
• Usaid
• Gavi
• World Bank
• Gates Foundation
• Unicef
• Gpei

📚 Publications

• Epidemiological characteristics of pertussis in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, 2015–2024 · 2025
• Parental acceptance of human papillomavirus vaccine for female adolescents in Abia State, southeastern Nigeria: a pre-implementation study · 2025
• Use of a catch-up programme to improve routine immunization in 13 provinces of Papua New Guinea, 2020–2022 · 2023
• Uncovering the Drivers of Childhood Immunization Inequality with Caregivers, Community Members and Health System Stakeholders: Results from a Human-Centered Design Study in DRC, Mozambique and Nigeria · 2023
• Poliovirus serological assay after the cVDPV1 outbreak in Papua New Guinea: a cross-sectional study from 2020 to 2021 · 2023
• A Strategic Action Plan to Improve Integrated Family Planning and HIV Service · 2022
• COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Papua New Gui · 2021