Jeffrey Mecaskey
Overview
Jeffrey Mecaskey is the Managing Director of Health Partners International (HPI). He has more than 25 years experience in international development with a focus on health economics, health policy and management. He has expertise in planning, implementation and evaluation of health programmes.
Background and relevant experience
Before joining HPI, Jeff was Head of Health for Save the Children UK (2006-8) where he oversaw the organisation's health and HIV portfolios. During this time he played a pivotal role in the formulation of Save the Children's policy and strategy focused on health equity and health system strengthening to improve of conditions for children and attainment of child rights worldwide.
Previously, Jeff served as Vice President of Operations at Axios International in France (2004-5) where he managed the organisation's consultancy operations. He also oversaw the organisational development of a sister NGO to model improved chronic disease management such as HIV/AIDS in Africa and similar resource-constrained settings.
Prior to this, Jeff was Vice President of Programs at the International Trachoma Initiative in the United States from 1998 until 2004 where he oversaw in planning, implementation and evaluation of the global initiative to eliminate blinding trachoma through national programming, operational research and targeted communications. From 1990 to 1997, Jeff was an Associate at the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation where he co-directed a $4 million per annum grant making program to improve health in Africa.
Between 1989 and 1990, Jeff operated as a consultant on economic analyses, management training and pharmaceutical policy for the Harvard Institute for International Development. During this time he was involved in curriculum development and taught health economics at Harvard School of Public Health. He also worked as a consultant for John Snow Inc. in developing financial models for immunisation programmes.
Since 2005, Jeff has served as the Chair of the Britain Nepal Medical Trust, a leading Nepali-led NGO focused on rights-based approaches to improving health. He has a number of other board affiliations, including Woman's Dignity, a Tanzanian-based NGO focused on the prevention and management obstetric fistula as an entry point to sexual and reproductive health rights and equity, and RAINBO, an African-led NGO involved in women's empowerment, sexual and reproductive rights, for which he acted as Chair from 2002 to 2006. He is also a member of the Oxford University Global Governance Initiative and is on the committee reviewing issues of governance and globalisation.
A member of the UK Faculty of Public Health, Jeff studied for a Doctorate in Health Economics and a Master of Science in Health policy and Management from Harvard School of Public Health. Jeff has a number of publications on health economics, health policy and disease control. His more recent publications include an assessment of the importance of equity in reaching the Millennium Development Goals, just published in PLOS/Medicine, and a chapter on the Loss of Vision and Hearing in Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries, Evans, D et al., The World Bank/Oxford University Press, 2006.
Jeff has consulted and worked in Bangladesh, Cameroon, China, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, and Vietnam as well as France, UK, and USA.