Afsan Bhadelia
Afsan Bhadelia, PhD, MS is a Research Associate in the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Bhadelia applies and translates systems theory to three core areas to promote health systems performance improvements and to advance value-based care: 1) health inequities faced by marginalized populations; 2) chronicity and its implications for health systems strengthening across the care continuum and life course; and 3) gender responsiveness of healthcare. Using mixed methods, each area incorporates a focus on developing innovative metrics for priority-setting and implementation, with an emphasis on integrating ethical considerations. She seeks to advance dynamic health systems modeling and effective policy analysis and translation to achieve better health outcomes for all. Dr. Bhadelia was a lead co-author of the report of the Lancet Commission on Global Access to Palliative Care and Pain Relief and co-Chaired the Commission’s Scientific Advisory Committee. She co-authored and co-edited the book, “Closing the Cancer Divide: An Equity Imperative.” She was previously named a ‘Young Cancer Leader’ by the Union for International Cancer Control and has served as a Minority International Research Trainee and an Albert Schweitzer Fellow. She is currently co-Chair of the Taskforce on Women and NCDs. Dr. Bhadelia received her PhD in International Health and Health Systems from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, an MS in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition and a BS in Biology and International Relations, both from Tufts University.
Eduardo Saenz Rovner, PhD in History from Brandeis University, Professor at the Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia. He has published The Cuban Connection. Drug Trafficking, Smuggling, and Gambling in Cuba from the 1920’s to the Revolution (Chapel Hill, 2008, Bogotá, 2005), Colombia Años 50. Industriales, política y diplomacia (Bogotá, 2002), and La ofensiva empresarial. Industriales, políticos y violencia en los años 40 en Colombia (Bogotá, 1992).
He has done extensive historical research and published on drug trafficking in Colombia, Colombian traffickers in Miami and New York, and the diplomacy of drug trafficking between the United States and Colombia. He is currently working on a book on the history of drug trafficking in Colombia between the 1930’s and the 1990’s.
Jaime Zusman
Dr. Jaime Zusman was born and raised in Lima, Peru. He received his medical degree from the John Hopkins School of Medicine and did a residency in Pediatrics and a fellowship in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at the University of Minnesota. Subsequently, he completed residency in Radiation Oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Zusman is board certified in Pediatrics, Pediatric-Hematology-Oncology and Radiation Oncology. He has served in the medical school faculties of Duke and Tulane universities.
Dr. Zusman received a master’s degree in Latin American Studies (MA) from the University of Miami in 2023. His thesis title was: Retracing José Carlos Mariátegui’s Path: A XXI Century Perspective.
At UMIA, Dr. Zusman will continue his research on Peruvian contemporary issues including Mariátegui’s views on Peru’s XXI century problems, his relationship with other contemporary scholars and politicians, the rise and fall of political parties in Peru, and the effects of corruption on governance and the future of democracy in Peru.
