Behind the Financing Accelerator Network for NCDs is a group of motivated individuals and dedicated organizations that share a desire to help improve the health and lives of people living in low- and middle-income countries around the world.
Results for Development (R4D), FAN’s global Network Manager, is a leading non-profit global development partner that collaborates with change agents— government officials, civil society leaders, and social innovators—and supports them as they navigate complex change processes to achieve large-scale, equitable outcomes in health, education, and nutrition.
As the Network Manager, R4D plays a coordination, administrative, quality control, and reporting role, supporting the regional NCD Financing Accelerators to provide technical support and cross-country learning opportunities on NCD financing to countries and provide managerial support to the overall network.
The first regional accelerator was launched in Africa, hosted by the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP). Established in 2010, AFIDEP is an African-led, non-profit research and policy institute committed to fostering a culture of evidence-based decision-making in the public sector. Its mission is to bridge the gap between research, policy, and practice in development efforts across Africa.
In 2026, FAN expanded its network to Latin America and the Caribbean, with the IECS — Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria (Institute of Clinical and Health Effectiveness as host of FAN's second regional accelerator. IECS is one of Latin America’s leading research organizations, with more than two decades of experience generating and promoting scientific evidence to improve health outcomes globally.
Leah Ewald
Associate Program Director
Amanda Folsom
Managing Director and Collaborative Learning Practice Lead
Agnes Munyua
Program Director
Maria Jose Pastor
Senior Program Officer
Emma Satzger
Senior Program Operations Officer
Jackson Otieno, Ph.D.
Technical Co-Lead
Dr. André Zida
Senior Research & Policy Analyst
Derick Ngaira
Communications Officer
Lwana Palwendo Kamanga
Lead, Monitoring and Evaluation
Victor Kidake Senelwa
Project Manager
Federico Augustovski, MD, MSc, DrPH
Director, Health Technology Assessment and Health Economics (HTA & HE), IECS
Andrés Pichon Riviere, MD, MSc, DrPH
IECS Director General; Co-Director, HTA & HE Department
Adolfo Rubinstein, MD, MSc, DrPH
Director, Center for Implementation and Innovation in Health Policies (CIIPS), IECS; former Minister of Health of Argentina; expertise in health policy implementation and health financing
Vilma Irazola, MD, MSc
Director, Department of Chronic Diseases; implementation scientist with extensive leadership in NCD research and global collaborations
Ariel Bardach, MD, MSc, PhD
Specialist in health systems, epidemiology, and chronic disease research, with broad regional experience
Cintia Cejas, BS, MS
Policy scientist with strong experience in program implementation, including international NCD-focused loans
Natalia Espinola, BS, MS
Health economist with extensive experience in health economic evaluations
Pablo Gulayin, MD, MSc, PhD
Epidemiologist specializing in chronic disease interventions and global surveillance systems
Maisa Havela, BS, MS
Researcher specializing in health financing and strategic purchasing
Sofía Pirsch, BS, MS(c)
Health policy researcher with experience in regulatory and public policy analysis
Carolina Prado, MD, MSc
Clinical epidemiologist with expertise in NCDs and ageing
Valentina Stacco, BS in Social Communication
Project Manager and Communication Lead
Camilla Volij, MD, MS(c)
Public health researcher with experience in epidemiological studies, specializing in NCDs
Regional NCD Financing Accelerators serve as centers of excellence, supporting country-based teams to improve health financing for NCDs.
FAN draws on the strengths of its partners who are committed to supporting LMICs improve health financing to expand equitable access to quality NCD care.
The Financing Accelerator Network for NCDs is committed to building its work on a strong foundation of evidence and expertise.