Staff
Patricia Mechael
Executive Director
Patty has been actively involved in the field of International Health for 15 years with field experience in over 30 countries primarily in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. She has worked on research, program design and implementation, strategic planning, and policy development for mHealth and eHealth initiatives as well as Reproductive Health and Women’s Health and Rights with a broad range of institutions. Patty has a Masters in International Health from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and Hygiene and a PhD in Public Health and Policy from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where she specifically examined the role of mobile phones in relation to health in Egypt. Prior to joining the mHealth Alliance, she was Director of Strategic Application of Mobile Technology for Public Health and Development at the Center for Global Health and Economic Development at the Earth Institute. She is also faculty at the School of International and Public Affairs and Earth Institute, Columbia University.
Genevieve Gearity
Senior Associate, Online Communications
Genevieve works on the United Nations Foundation’s public affairs and online teams to manage the online communications of the mHealth Alliance’s work. She also provides online communications support to the United Nations Foundation - Vodafone Foundation Technology Partnership, the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, and United Nations Foundation Energy & Climate initiatives. Genevieve holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Communications and Advocacy from Emerson College in Boston. She is passionate about anti- human trafficking and advocating for children's rights.
Soma Ghoshal
Community Manager, Health Unbound
Avrille Hanzel
Administrative Assistant
Avrille joined the United Nations Foundation as Administrative Assistant, mHealth Alliance in March, 2011. Originally from Michigan, she graduated from the University of Michigan in 2009 with a duel degree in Sociology and Anthropology. Throughout her time at U of M, she worked with the Global Intercultural Experience for Undergraduates (GIEU) program, which organized students in project teams to work in vibrant and distinctive cultural environments. She simultaneously worked as a Crisis line Supervisor and Volunteer Coordinator at a runaway and homeless youth shelter, but in 2009 moved to DC to spend a year as an Americorps VISTA at the Taproot Foundation. She worked for the Taproot Foundation after her VISTA year as Program Coordinator to oversee outreach to local nonprofits and the grantmaking process for the DC market.
Dayle Kern
Communications Officer
Dayle works with the United Nations Foundation’s public affairs team to manage the communications aspects of the mHealth Alliance’s work. Prior to joining the Alliance, she served as Communications Manager at the American Diabetes Association’s national office where she authored their first blog. Dayle holds a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development from the SIT Graduate Institute and a degree in Peace and Global Studies and Politics from Earlham College. Her interests include technology for development, non-communicable diseases, and trying new types of food.
Cathryn “Cat” Meurn
Program Associate
Cat Meurn works with the mHealth Alliance as a Program Associate. She focuses particularly on the Maternal and Newborn mHealth Initiative. Before joining the mHealth Alliance team, Cat worked within the United Nations Foundation on the Nothing But Nets Campaign and United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation Technology Partnership. Previously, she spent a year abroad teaching English inMálaga, Spain. She graduated from Dickinson College in 2007 with a degree in International Studies and a concentration in Human Security and Globalization. While at Dickinson Cat studied abroad in Perguia, Italy; Belfast, Northern Ireland; and spent a semester working in Washington D.C. She enjoys traveling, reading, baking, going to museums and cultural events.
Jennifer L. Potts
Director, Maternal and Newborn mHealth
Jennifer Potts brings to the mHealth Alliance over 20 years of experience in the fields of reproductive and maternal health. She was previously Deputy Director, Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. This followed her tenure as the Director of International Programs at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and a long and effective history with Ipas focused on reducing maternal death in developing countries from unsafe abortions.
Clive Smith
Director, Global Operations
Clive has more than 30 years of experience in ICT and business development. Prior to joining the mHealth Alliance, Clive was a senior consultant at Vital Wave Consultants and Disruptive Developments. Previously, as Director of the Emerging Markets Solutions Group at HP, Clive envisioned, designed and led the WSSD’s primary ICT-for-development legacy project, the Mogalakwena HP iCommunity, a Public-Private Partnership that resulted in measurable multi-sector impact, international awards, and global media coverage. Notably, Clive has proven to be a successful thought and innovation leader through achievements such as founding AOL (America Online) as the world’s first graphics-based online service at Commodore International.
Clive received a BA from University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, and completed his Doctoral Studies in Diffusion of Innovation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Sarah Struble
Associate, Global Operations
Sarah Struble works with the mHealth Alliance team as an Associate for Global Operations. Prior to joining the mHealth Alliance in her current position, she was a United Nations Foundation intern. She graduated in 2010 from Pitzer College, a member of the Claremont Colleges, with a degree in Political Studies and a concentration in Global Politics. Her interest in global health began while studying abroad in Botswana and working at a day care center for orphans and vulnerable children. She loves to travel, learn about different cultures, and go to art museums.
Meghan Trossen
Senior Associate, mHealth Alliance Partnerships
Meghan has worn multiple hats at the United Nations Foundation, starting in the partnership development department and collaborating on all of the United Nations Foundation’s programs and campaigns, and is now focusing on mHealth Alliance partnerships. Prior to joining the United Nations Foundation, Meghan worked at the National Environmental Education Foundation, a non-profit advancing the public’s environmental literacy, and Silver Marketing, an advertising agency in Bethesda, Maryland. She graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing Management and Global Business and studied abroad in South East Asia, Greece and Turkey. She is currently taking a course at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health on eHealth and mHealth use in low and middle-income countries.
