leaders as 2008 World Fellows
The 18 accomplished individuals from around the globe who will come to campus
in the fall as the 2008 Yale World Fellows have been announced by President
Richard C. Levin. Reporting on the Taliban, al Qaeda and Islamism in the volatile tribal region
along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and in Pakistan’s conservative
Frontier Province, Imtiaz Ali’s work brings to light events unfolding
on the frontline of the war on terror. From her platform in the Court of the Crown Prince, Marwah Al-Khalifa spearheads
youth leadership programs that aim to equip young people with education and
training for Bahrain’s increasingly diverse economy. By rigorously upholding
criteria based on merit, rather than religious affiliation, she also helps
bridge the Sunni-Shi’a divide among Bahrain’s youth population. As the founder of a leading Afghan non-governmental organization, Orzala
Ashraf Nemat has devoted 10 years to establishing and delivering training programs
to Afghan women and children in refugee communities in Pakistan and in Afghanistan
proper. Often putting herself directly at risk, she has launched literacy and
health education programs for women and girls, and she is increasingly involved
in political advocacy and development at the national level. With almost a decade of experience in
an emerging economy’s financial markets, Emmanuel Asiedu works to boost
Ghana’s economic development through strategic asset management and investment
initiatives. Sandra Breka manages a range of international programs for the Robert Bosch
Foundation, focusing on Southeast Europe, India and other regions and transatlantic
relations. She combines research and policy analysis with strategic program
development, and has greatly widened the foundation’s geographic scope
and impact. As a management consultant, Gilbert Doumit designs and facilitates the organizational
development of local and multinational companies, civil society groups and
international organizations throughout Lebanon and the Middle East. He also
applies his skills to social initiatives and is active in a range of civic
initiatives that aim to build democracy and end the political crisis in Lebanon. Nicola Harrington brings a broad knowledge of developing countries and on-the-ground
experience to her work for 21 United Nations (U.N.) agencies in Brussels, where
she influences the policies and practices of the European Union in support
of sustainable human development. Her efforts have turned the U.N. into a key
source of guidance for the European Parliament in its decision-making on international
development issues. Gavin Hood provides legal and policy advice to the U.K. foreign secretary
on counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Previously, he was senior international cooperation adviser to the Office of
the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, having worked on investigations
in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Darfur. As co-founder of the Health Policy Institute, the first independent think
tank on health policy in Japan, James Kondo has helped bring about major reforms
in Japan’s health care system. He also founded and is chair of the board
of Table for Two, a global social enterprise addressing hunger in developing
countries and obesity and lifestyle-related diseases in developed countries. Precious Lunga manages the world’s largest public-private clinical
trial initiative aimed at developing HIV prevention drugs for women. While
coordinating the participation of 10,000 African women, she has played a major
leadership role in establishing research capacity in East and Southern Africa. After co-founding Nicaragua’s Ministry of Defense and serving as its
youngest secretary general, Felix Maradiaga co-founded FIBRAS, one of the largest
advocacy organizations in Central America and the Caribbean. He is dedicated
to fostering civic engagement and strengthening democracy and the rule of law
in Nicaragua. As founder of the Centre for African Policy & Peace Strategy — an
independent policy think tank that provides information and analysis on African
governance, security and development issues — Ibidapo Oyewole promotes
policy strategies that enhance human security, socio-economic development and
good governance in Africa. Adi Pundak-Mintz helps direct one of the first and most successful venture
capital funds in Israel, the world’s third largest venture capital market.
An expert in seed investment and entrepreneurship, he has been a leader in
transactions totaling over $1 billion. Jesús Franco Gamboa-Rocabado has dedicated himself to the democratization
of Bolivia’s political system through positions with the Ministry of
the Presidency, as the mayor of La Paz and as a member of Bolivia’s Constitutional
Assembly and, currently, the High Court of Electoral Affairs. An author, lecturer,
columnist and public policy professional, Gamboa-Rocabado works to lay the
foundations for good governance and the development of civil society in Bolivia. As the majority leader in the Free Speech Committee of the Ukrainian parliament,
Andriy Shevchenko is working to create a system of public broadcasting in Ukraine.
A seasoned television journalist, he helped establish the first 24-hour television
station in his country and became the “face” of the 2004 Orange
Revolution for television viewers. As a top executive of Koç Holding, the largest conglomerate in Turkey
and a flagship of the Turkish economy, Oya Ünlü Kizil takes an entrepreneurial
approach to positioning the Koç brand vis-à-vis changing local
and international trends. Previously, she served as the first woman and the
youngest chief of staff to Turkish Minister of Economy Kemal Dervi. Committed to justice and strengthening the rule of law, Jingjing Zhang is
one of China’s leading public interest lawyers. An outspoken environmental
advocate, she represents pollution victims in litigation cases and promotes
public participation by helping communities organize public hearings on environmental
rights and licensing processes.
T H I S
The Yale World Fellows Program represents a unique initiative among U.S. universities
and is a core element of Yale’s commitment to be a leading global university.
The program — which aims to build a worldwide network of emerging leaders
and to broaden international understanding — selects 18 highly accomplished
early to mid-career men and women from government, business, the media and
civil society organizations representing countries across the globe for a four-month
leadership program at Yale.
“I am delighted to welcome this extraordinary group of men and women to
the Yale community,” said Levin. “Yale will benefit greatly from
their presence on campus, and we anticipate that the World Fellows will gain
new perspectives on their own roles as future leaders.”
This year’s World Fellows include a Pakistani journalist reporting from
the frontline of the war on terror, a groundbreaking Chinese public interest
lawyer, a Zimbabwean epidemiologist working to develop methods for prevention
of HIV infection in women and the founding secretary general of Nicaragua’s
Ministry of Defense.
“The 2008 Yale World Fellows, while diverse in background, share both an
outstanding record of accomplishment and unlimited potential for future success,” said
the program’s director, Dr. Michael Cappello, professor of pediatrics,
microbial pathogenesis and epidemiology & public health. “We are confident
that this unique Yale experience will broaden their perspective and enhance their
capacity to contribute as members of the growing network of global leaders trained
at Yale.”
The 18 World Fellows for 2008 were selected from a pool of nearly 1,100 applicants.
Four represent countries new to the program’s network. Since its inception
in 2002, the program has welcomed 125 World Fellows from 69 countries to New
Haven.
“This is a tremendous opportunity,” said Sandra Breka, a 2008 World
Fellow who heads the Berlin office of the Robert Bosch Foundation. “I look
forward to sharing my experiences with the other World Fellows and with the Yale
community, and to learning how to become a more effective leader at home.”
From August to December, the 2008 World Fellows will engage in a specially
designed seminar taught by some of Yale’s most eminent faculty; take
any of the 3,000 courses offered at the University; participate in weekly dinners
with distinguished guest speakers; receive individualized skill-building training;
and meet with U.S. and foreign leaders. Past World Fellows have met with then-U.N.
Secretary General Kofi Annan, World Trade Organization Director-General Pascal
Lamy, economist Jeffrey Sachs, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and
New York Times columnist Tom Friedman, among others.
The Yale World Fellows Program has at its core three main goals: to provide
advanced global leadership training to emerging leaders from diverse disciplines
and countries, to link this network of world leaders to each other and to Yale
in a tangible way and to expand and deepen international understanding at Yale.
The Yale World Fellows Program also launched a new website on May 1 and began
accepting nominations for the 2009 program that day, at www.yale.edu/worldfellows.
Profiles of the 2008 Yale World Fellows follow.
Imtiaz Ali — Pakistan
Special correspondent, Washington Post and Geo TV
Age 31
Marwah Al-Khalifa — Bahrain
Director, The Crown Prince Training Program for Youth
Age 33
Orzala Ashraf Nemat — Afghanistan
Founder and chair,
Humanitarian Assistance for the Women
and Children of Afghanistan
Age 30
Emmanuel Asiedu — Ghana
Head, Stanbic Investment
Management Services Ltd.
Age 36
Sandra Breka — Germany
Head, Berlin Office, Robert Bosch Foundation
Age 36
Gilbert Doumit — Lebanon
Senior partner, Beyond Consulting and Training
Age 31
John Haffner — Canada
Senior adviser, Strategic Planning,
Ontario Power Generation
Age 36
An energy specialist with experience in industry, government and academia,
John Haffner helps develop a strategy for Ontario Power Generation to shape
the province’s 20-year energy plan. Haffner is also the lead author of
a forthcoming book on global energy policy.
Nicola Harrington &mdash United Kingdom
Deputy director, Policy and Communications, United Nations, Brussels
Age 45
Gavin Hood — United Kingdom
Senior adviser, U.K. Foreign and
Commonwealth Office
Age 34
James Kondo — Japan
Vice chair and president, Health Policy Institute
Age 40
Precious Lunga — Zimbabwe
Epidemiologist, U.K. Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit
Age 33
Felix Maradiaga — Nicaragua
Founding executive director, Civil Society Leadership Institute
Age 31
Ibidapo Oyewole — Nigeria
Executive director, Centre for
African Policy & Peace Strategy
Age 31
Adi Pundak-Mintz — Israel
Partner, Gemini Israel
Venture Capital Funds
Age 43
Jesús Franco Gamboa-Rocabado — Bolivia
Special policy adviser, High Court of Electoral Affairs
Age 38
Andriy Shevchenko — Ukraine
Member of Parliament
Age 31
Oya Ünlü Kizil — Turkey
Director, Corporate Communications,
Koç Holding
Age 38
Jingjing Zhang — China
Director of litigation, Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims
Age 38
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Added sun does not lower breast cancer risk, warn expertsYale affiliates are honored with election to prestigious societies
Ten appointed members of American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Mathematician Peter Jones named to National Academy of Sciences
Ian Shapiro chosen to join American Philosophical Society
Strobel’s students rediscover sense of scientific ‘wonder’ . .
Yale to celebrate 307th graduation
Summertime at Yale
Scientist Joan Steitz wins nation’s largest prize in medicine
University names 18 future leaders as 2008 World FellowsENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPS
Mary E. Miller named Sterling Professor of the History of Art
Joseph Roach appointed Sterling Professor of Theater
Dr. Madhav Dhodapkar is the new Bunker Professor of Hematology
Dr. Richard Edelson is the first Lerner Professor of Dermatology
Architecture students helping to design Mideast Peace Park
China’s President Hu Jintao meets with participants in . . .
In Yale-led study, astronomers discover nine young galaxies . . .
Research on male mating behavior suggests brains may be unisex . . .
Paul Anastas honored as the founder of ‘green chemistry’
Town-gown partners honored with Elm-Ivy AwardsSCHOOL OF MEDICINE NEWS
Drug addicts can learn to save lives, says researcher
Study: No ‘Hollywood heart attack’ symptoms for most women
Findings suggest eating chocolate may be boon to pregnant women
Early-stage bone cells may offer possible estrogen replacement
Expert assesses lessons from 12 years of anti-smoking efforts
Computer program helps keep drug abusers abstinent, study shows
Noted gastroenterologist named chief medical officer at YMG
Yale Ob/Gyn researchers discuss their work at New Orleans meeting
Symposium on pain management aimed at medical school students
Exhibits explore artist’s Liverpool years, British watercolors
Two student-curated shows focus on the medium of photography
Library creates digital archive of ‘oldest college daily’
Two seniors will study at the University of Cambridge as Gates Scholars
Campus leaders discuss strategies for increasing staff diversity
Former Bucknell chaplain is named new pastor of University Church
Professor Miroslav Volf will co-teach class with . . .
Tony Blair
Council of Masters honors 10 juniors for their scholarship . . .
Conference focuses on ‘Women and Men in the Globalizing University’
The future of ‘Computers, Freedom and Privacy’ to be addressed . . .
Karyn Frick honored for contributions to women’s health
Campus Notes
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