As a senior advisor in GHV’s Africa Team, Saran leads facets of our work with the Gates Foundation’s Africa Health Team. She provides technical guidance and operations support to facilitate learning and inform strategic direction for a cross-cutting portfolio of investments. She brings experience of various development assistance mechanisms, partner alignment and engagement expertise to the role.

Saran has more than 15 years of experience in health systems design and execution, providing technical expertise and management in diverse areas.  Before joining GHV, Saran worked with the Gates Foundation as a senior program officer, where she developed operational strategies and managed a portfolio of grants in health financing, pharmaceutical commodities management and institutional governance strengthening in Ethiopia.  She has also worked for various implementing agencies, managing programs in human resources for health, service delivery, and hospital operations across Africa.  

Saran holds a BA in economics from Trinity College, an MA in applied economics from Johns Hopkins University and MPH from Yale University. She has lived and worked extensively in Ethiopia and Zambia and currently resides in the United States.

Outside of work, Saran avidly follows professional tennis and has tried and failed (valiantly) at playing.

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Areas of Expertise:

• Health systems

• Health financing

• Strategic health planning and policy

• Government relations and stakeholder engagement

• Program and grant management