Valerie Nkamgang Bemo

Dr. Valerie Nkamgang Bemo established and leads the foundation’s Emergency Response program, which supports emergency preparedness and relief efforts around the world. Responses have included the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the 2018 global refugee crisis, and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Her other roles since joining the foundation in 2007 have included designing and implementing a critical strategy for agricultural development in West Africa, with a focus on Nigeria. She also leads the development of the Global Health Emergency Corps (GHEC), and was a driving force in establishing the JEAP platform, bringing WHO and the Africa CDC to work together on key health issues on the continent.

Valerie has more than 25 years of direct experience in the field worldwide and is passionate about building capacity within communities and national institutions and fostering innovative solutions and sustainable growth that result in lasting change. She has held various roles at the International Rescue Committee, most recently as senior technical advisor for health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and West Africa. Her experience also includes working with a wide variety of nongovernmental organizations internationally on emergency relief as well as clinical and public health.

Valerie earned an M.D. from the National University of Cote d’Ivoire, an epidemiology diploma from the University of Paris, and an M.P.H. from the Autonomous University of Madrid.