Panel: Impacts of U.S. Foreign Aid Suspension: Perspectives from Abroad

This event is open to both virtual and in-person attendees. In-person attendees, please join us at:

Meyerson Hall, Room B2
210 S 34th St, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Virtual attendees may join via Zoom. Please click here to register.

The suspension of U.S. foreign aid marks a significant shift in global development policy, creating major challenges around the world. The Penn Development Research Initiative – DevLab@Penn (PDRI-DevLab) at the University of Pennsylvania invites you to the second webinar in a three part series that explores the impact of the rollback of U.S. foreign aid on people and institutions abroad. The webinar, taking place on Wednesday, March 19 from 12:00 to 1:00 PM, will feature researchers and practitioners from countries that have been affected by recent cuts in U.S. foreign aid. Panelists will discuss the consequences of these cuts on a range of topics, including refugees and resettlement programs to health systems and freedom of the press.

Our goal is to deepen public understanding of what foreign aid truly entails and to highlight the real-world stakes of its suspension from the perspectives of those directly engaged in the work.

This event is co-sponsored by Penn Global, the Behavioral Economics and Global Health Insights (BEGIN) Lab, the Environmental Innovations Initiative, the Center for Global Health, the Christopher H. Browne Center for International Politics, and Perry World House.

This webinar is open to both the Penn community and the public. We hope you will join us for this critical discussion.

Our Panelists

Salome Charalambous is the Group Chief Health Officer at The Aurum Institute. She holds a medical degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and an MSc and PhD in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She has vast experience in medical research in the fields of HIV and TB. She was involved in HIV programme implementation prior to antiretroviral therapy implementation in the mining industry and was instrumental in the first large antiretroviral implementation project in the Anglo American companies. Following that, Professor Charalambous was the main recipient of a large PEPFAR grant which involved HIV programme implementation in settings with private practitioners, public sector hospitals, such as Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital, and Thembisa hospital, and the Department of Correctional Services. As part of programme implementation, she also conducted research studies and published articles on TB-HIV integration, HIV programme evaluations and other topics related to HIV and TB. She is currently the Principal Investigator on a number of clinical trials and large cluster-randomized epidemiological studies.

Steven Malinga is a Medical doctor specialized in public health with over 20 years of experience in the Health sector. He is currently the Regional Health Lead East Africa in International Rescue Committee overseeing Health, Nutrition and Environmental Health programs in the region. He has been involved in leading technical teams at global, regional and national levels and over the years has supported Health programs in over 40 countries to reaching millions of women, children and men in both humanitarian and development settings. Steven has published articles including on HIV/AIDS, essential newborn care and care seeking for children under five. Steven completed his medical degree from Makerere University in Uganda and has a Masters in Public Health from University of Nottingham, UK and an MBA from Heriot Watt University UK.

Peter Quartey is a Professor of Economics and the Director, Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research, University of Ghana. He is also a board member of Agricultural Development Bank and the Vice Chairman of the Hunger Project Ghana. He is the executive of Startrite Montessori School and Startrite Christian College. He is also a fellow of the prestigious Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is a member of the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), the African Economic Research Consortium, the African Econometric Society and the Global Development Network.

Kate Rees  is a Public Health Medicine Specialist. She works for Anova Health Institute providing technical support for the delivery of HIV and TB Services. She serves as an Honorary Lecturer in the Department of Community Health, School of Public Health at Wits.