Board of Directors

Dr. Alexandra Brewis (Slade) is a biocultural/medical anthropologist and President’s Professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. She is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), is senior editor (Medical Anthropology) for Social Science and Medicine, and recently served as President of the Human Biology Association. As an ASU administrator, she founded the Center for Global Health in 2006 and served as Director of the School of Human Evolution and Social Change (2010-2017) and Associate Vice President for Social Sciences (2014-2017).

Brewis’ research uses an array of theories and methods from social science to unravel the complex and fundamental intersections between culture, health, environment, and well-being. The main focus is how low social position and resource insecurity interact with social meanings, daily experiences, and felt emotions to exacerbate the psychosocial stresses that worsen physical and mental health. Basically: to unravel the mechanisms that connect low power to worse health, to reduce human suffering and create health and well-being. To do this, she works with large, diverse, collaborative teams both in and outside of academia (local communities, international development agencies, other state and private institutions like hospitals or NGOs, and/or elected leaders) to translate anthropological research into sustainable, meaningful solutions.

Her research program has produced six authored books, 5 edited volumes, and over 180 journal articles and book chapters. One recent book (with Amber Wutich) is the prize-winning Lazy, Crazy, and Disgusting: Stigma and the Undoing of Global Health, described in reviews as a “boundary-breaking book that should be required reading for anyone interested in public health, medicine, and anthropology. It stands as an exemplar for public scholarship.”

Alex was trained in human biology, cultural/medical anthropology, and demography at the University of Auckland, University of Arizona, and Brown University. Before joining ASU in 2005, she taught at University of Auckland and University of Georgia. Committed to innovation in instruction, she designed and launched the nation’s first (and still largest) global health degree, has developed award-winning student abroad programs (in a dozen countries countries to date), co-leads a large social science laboratory on the Tempe campus where she collaborates on projects with around 30 undergraduate members each semester, and collaborates in research to test how we can best teach global health.

Dr. Michael Makanga is a clinician-scientist with 28 years of professional experience of working on health and poverty-related infectious diseases in Africa. This includes 24 years of work experience on medical product development and clinical regulatory activities. He holds a Medical Degree from Makerere University, Uganda; a Master’s Degree at the University of Liverpool, and a PhD Clinical Pharmacology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom. He is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Dr Makanga is the Executive Director of The European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials (EDCTP). Before joining EDCTP, Dr Makanga was first in clinical practice and academia, and later clinical research and research management. Moreover, he has served in various scientific and policy advisory boards for international product development, philanthropic organisations, World Bank and pharmaceutical companies involved in developing medicinal products for poverty-related and neglected diseases.

Dr. Motoko Kotani’s journey in academia is marked by a series of notable achievements and leadership roles. She previously served as the Executive Vice President for Research at Tohoku University and was the Director of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative – Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR).

She has further been Executive Director at RIKEN, and currently also serves as a Member, Board of Governors, OIST – Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology School Corporation.

Dr. Kotani was recently appointed to the 10-member United Nations Working Group tasked with advising the UN’s Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). by the UN. She has further served as Executive Member of the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI) of the Cabinet Office of Japan.

Dr. Kotani’s recent appointment as a science and technology co-advisor to the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs in 2022 further exemplifies her standing in the international science policy and and science diplomatic community. Her leadership has been instrumental in various capacities, including her tenure as Vice President of the International Science Council and her significant involvement with the Mathematical Society of Japan, where she served as the first woman president from 2015 to 2017.

Prof. Yap Boum II is a public health leader, epidemiologist, and microbiologist with extensive experience in epidemic preparedness and response across Africa. He currently serves as Deputy Incident Manager of the Mpox and Cholera Incident Management Support Team (IMST), led by Africa CDC and WHO, where he contributes to strengthening continental systems for outbreak detection, coordination, and control.

He is a former Director General of the Institut Pasteur de Bangui and previously served as Africa Representative for Epicentre (MSF), leading research and response efforts across multiple countries. Prof. Boum is also an Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Yaoundé I, where he has trained and mentored a new generation of African scientists.

He is also the co-founder of The Village, a novel digital platform that leverages artificial intelligence to match needs and resources, breaking barriers and borders by connecting researchers, clinicians, students, institutions, philanthropists, and publishers globally. https://globalhealthvillage.org/about-us. He is also the co-founder of Kmerpad, an initiative that empowers women through the production and distribution of reusable sanitary pads in Africa. https://www.kmerpad.com

His work focuses on advancing equitable global health, strengthening health systems, and promoting African leadership in research and innovation.

Professor Akiça Bahri is a Tunisian agricultural engineer. She brings extensive experience in water resources management, with particular expertise in the agricultural use of marginal waters, biosolids, and their environmental impacts. Professor Bahri served as Tunisia’s Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries from 2020 to 2021, following her role as Secretary of State for Water Resources and Professor at the National Agricultural Institute of Tunisia. Her international career includes serving as Director for Africa at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) based in Accra, Ghana (2005–2010), and as Coordinator of the African Water Facility (2010–2015) at the African Development Bank. Earlier, she was Director of Research at Tunisia’s National Research Institute for Agricultural Engineering, Water and Forestry.

Her contributions to science and water management have been widely recognized. She has received honors from the Guinness Foundation (1984), the International Foundation for Science (1993), and the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (1996). She was awarded the 2009 Prof. C.N.R. Rao Prize for Scientific Research and the International Water Association’s “Women in Water” Award in 2018. In 2005, she was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of California, Davis. Professor Bahri holds an Agricultural Engineering degree from the École Nationale Supérieure d’Agronomie de Toulouse, a Doctor-Engineer degree from the Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, and a Ph.D. in Water Resources Engineering from Lund University.

Kumsal Bayazit was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Elsevier in February 2019. She has held multiple positions with RELX Group since 2004, most recently as Regional President Europe, Middle East and Africa at Reed Exhibitions. Before joining Reed Exhibitions in 2016, Kumsal was RELX Group’s Chief Strategy Officer, responsible for driving strategic initiatives, technology strategy and portfolio management. Prior to that she served in several operational and strategic roles with LexisNexis.

YoungSuk ‘YS’ Chi is an international businessman and a leader in the media and technology industry, and currently serves Elsevier and RELX Group in several different capacities. In his primary role as head of Corporate Affairs for RELX Group, he is responsible for government affairs, corporate communications, corporate responsibility, and Asia strategy for Elsevier’s parent company. As non-executive Chairman of Elsevier, he works directly with governments, Elsevier customers and in industry associations worldwide. Mr. Chi also serves as President of the International Publishers Association, a global organization that represents the interests of more than 50 publishing industry association members from countries around the world. Early in his career, as Chief Operating Officer of Ingram Book Group, Mr. Chi founded Lightning Source, the first ever print-on-demand distributor and e-book services provider. After holding several senior executive positions at Ingram Book Group’s parent company, he became President and Chief Operating Officer of Random House. Mr. Chi has also earned widespread respect for his ability to work across cultures. As founding Chairman of Random House Asia, he led efforts to make Random House the first foreign trade book publisher with local language publishing in Japan and Korea. Mr. Chi has served on numerous charitable, educational and industry boards, including Princeton University, Korean American Community Foundation and McCarter Theatre. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the boards of Association of American Publishers and International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers.

Esra is a senior corporate affairs executive with a career that spans healthcare, consumer and regulatory sectors. She joined Elsevier in December 2019 from Coty, the global beauty company, where she was Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. Prior to that, Esra spent over seven years at AstraZeneca as the Global Head of Communications, leading the engagement with a wide range of stakeholders in the research, healthcare and investor ecosystem, including the development of the company’s community investment and sustainability strategy. Before joining AstraZeneca, Esra was an Executive Director of the Advertising Standards Authority in charge of Policy, Public Affairs and Communications, where she played a critical role in establishing internet regulation for the first time and transformed the way the watchdog works with industry and government to maintain responsible marketing standards. Previously, she was Head of Corporate Communications and External Affairs for the L’Oreal Group for seven years where she led the L’Oreal / UNESCO for Women in Science laureate programme. Prior to L’Oreal, Esra was Head of Corporate Affairs for Unilever. Esra is passionate about scientific progress and is a long-standing Trustee and Chairman of the British Skin Foundation, a charity dedicated to advancing research into skin cancer and skin health.

Márcia Balisciano, MBE, Ph.D., is founding global head of ESG and corporate responsibility at RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics, decision tools and events with 33,000+ people and operations in 40 countries. Engaging colleagues throughout the business, she works to ensure RELX’s extra-financial performance furthers competitive advantage and stakeholder confidence. She is Chair of the UN Global Compact Network UK and a Board member of the Foundation for the Global Compact; Chair of the Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Council of the Conference Board; and a founding Board member of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens. She is founding director of London Museum and educational facility Benjamin Franklin House and previously was special advisor to the American Chamber of Commerce (UK). A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, she holds an MA in International Relations from the University of Chicago, and a PHD in Economic History from the London School of Economics. She is a Member of the British Empire (MBE), an honour awarded by the Queen, and lives in London with her husband and two boys.

Kevonne Holloway is the Managing Director of Elsevier’s Global Content Partners organization, which creates content for Elsevier’s books, eBooks, and digital solutions. The content provides the foundation for nursing and medical school student education, is sought by healthcare educators, and is used by practicing clinicians and researchers worldwide.
Kevonne is a respected leader in healthcare academic publishing and technology solutions. She brings more than 15 years of health industry experience to her role, managing and implementing pivotal strategic initiatives to provide rich content for Elsevier’s growing digital footprint, which directly improves the customer experience by enriching and advancing outcomes.
Kevonne’s strong background in finance, operations, and management enables her to solve complex problems and turn challenges into opportunities. Her dynamic and inspirational leadership style and passion for supporting customers’ content needs motivate her team to bring Elsevier’s mission to life and achieve key objectives. Kevonne takes great pride in leading by example, developing others, helping them perform at their best, and giving back to the community. She is also a leading member and decisive voice on Elsevier’s Race and Ethnicity Task Force, which is committed to eradicating racial bias from healthcare and research.
Before joining Elsevier, Kevonne worked at Pharmacia, Johnson & Johnson, and Synovate Healthcare.
She completed her undergraduate studies in Finance at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina, and earned a Master of Business Administration from Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri. Kevonne is an active member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and regularly mentors first-generation female college students at her alma mater, North Carolina Central University.
In her free time, Kevonne spends as much time as possible with her family in North Carolina, where she can usually be found chasing after her two young nephews.

Jan Herzhoff is President of Elsevier’s global healthcare businesses, which deliver information analytics solutions to hospital systems and academic institutions. In 2012 Jan joined RELX, the corporate group of which Elsevier is a part. He has a broad range of experience in Healthcare businesses across several sectors and has held multiple positions with Elsevier, most recently as Managing Director for APAC Health in Singapore with focus on key growth markets like China, India and Japan. He was previously General Manager of Elsevier’s International Education business in London, where he was instrumental in driving the transformation from print to electronic through key product launches and acquisitions. Before joining RELX, Jan was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey and Company in Munich, Germany. He holds a PhD and Masters in Information Systems from the London School of Economics and graduated with a Masters in Finance and Accounting from the University of Bayreuth,