The pharmaceutical sector is rapidly evolving – harnessing AI, digital health tools, and other innovations to expand global health access and improve outcomes. On March 24th, GHV hosted an engaging discussion with leaders from the pharma industry and global health community. This conversation highlighted how leading pharmaceutical companies are leveraging technology to drive innovation, improve access, and prepare for the future.
Amandeep is a global health and pharmaceutical business leader with over 20 years of experience of pharmaceutical R&D operations, policy development, and access to medicines strategies. At the Gates Foundation, he leads efforts to increase private sector investment in global health R&D, develop market incentives, and align ESG financing with health impact. He is actively involved in shaping pull incentives that encourage sustainable investment in health innovation, ensuring that life-saving treatments reach underserved populations.
Previously, Amandeep held senior leadership roles at GSK, including Senior Director of Global Health Strategy, where he managed GSK’s Access to Medicine Index ranking, led business strategy development, and advised on governance and investment decisions. His expertise spans pharmaceutical R&D, procurement, supply chain management, and large-scale business transformations.
Nelson Otieno is an experienced medical and policy advisor with over seven years of delivering innovative health equity programs for cardiovascular and kidney disease in Africa. He has played a pivotal role in crafting and executing medical strategies to promote guideline adoption for cardiorenal diseases in Sub-Saharan and French-speaking Africa.
Nelson has demonstrated leadership in generating decisive real-world evidence (RWE) for NCD’s essential for advancing health equity and driving impactful policy change. He is currently the medical lead for Healthy Heart Africa (HHA) and acting Middle East and Africa Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) policy shaping lead at AstraZeneca.
Ava Skolnik is Associate Director, Health Equity & Partnerships at Merck (known as MSD outside the US & Canada). Ava Skolnik started with Merck in 2020 on the US Vaccine Public Policy team, where she worked on state and federal vaccine policy, with a focus on vaccine confidence and vaccination equity. Ava took a sabbatical to complete a Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship in 2024, where she worked at the Ministry of Health in Thailand in the Division of Disease Control. She previously worked at PolicyLab at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where she focused on improving adolescent health outcomes in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic.
Ava received her Master of Public Health in Sociomedical Sciences and Health Policy from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and BS in Psychology and International Area Studies from Drexel University.
Our new insights paper, Partnering Better – Ten Principles for Impactful Global Health Partnerships, provides a comprehensive look at how pharma companies and other private sector organizations can create meaningful collaborations to tackle the world’s most pressing global health challenges.
