The Team
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
With decades of experience in child eye health and global health working across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, our team is dedicated to creating transformative change. We have a profound understanding of the challenges and the innovative solutions needed to overcome them. Our expertise lies in designing and implementing high-impact programs that truly make a difference, ensuring a brighter future for children everywhere.
Aeesha Malik, MBChB, BSc, DTM&H, FRCOphth, MPH, PhD
Co-founder and Executive Director
Aeesha Malik is an Eye Surgeon and Assistant Professor in International Child Eye Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, within the International Centre for Eye Health. Over the past 10 years, Aeesha has conducted research and worked across Africa and Asia, collaborating with health tech entrepreneurs and local communities to develop and test innovative, low-cost eye health solutions aimed at preventing blindness.
Eslam Elbaaly, MD, MSc
Co-founder and Operations Director
Eslam is a humanitarian, doctor, and researcher with eight years of experience working with Médecins Sans Frontières, where he led humanitarian responses and managed complex projects in challenging environments. He is currently a Senior Lecturer in Humanitarian Studies at York University.
Expert Advisors
World-renowned experts providing strategic guidance and mentorship to advance our global impact.
Anand Vinekar
Expert Advisor
Anand Vinekar is a Professor and Head of Department at Narayana Nethralaya Eye Institute, Bangalore, and the Founder and Program Director of KIDROP, India's first and the world's largest Tele-ROP program. He serves as a Member of the National Task Force for ROP, Founder Secretary of the Indian ROP Society, WHO Universal Screening Guidelines Committee, ICROP 3, EYESHA, and mentor to several ROP programs worldwide.
Core Team
Dedicated professionals driving research, operations, and innovation across our programs.
Shwetha Mangalesh
Research & Training Lead
Shwetha is a Physician specializing in neonatal eye health and imaging research and has served as a Research Scholar and Fellow at the Duke University School of Medicine. She also collaborates on the innovative KIDROP project, working alongside Anand Vinekar.
Abdelfatah Ahmed
IT & Systems Lead
Abdelfatah is a Web Developer and Automation Specialist, working with non-profits and businesses to build user-friendly websites and smart systems that streamline operations and strengthen communities.
Shaimaa Refaat
Project Manager
Shaimaa is a healthcare project manager with over ten years of cross-sectoral experience across governmental, private, and non-governmental sectors. She contributed to the launch of Egypt's Universal Health Insurance system and has led national and international capacity-building programmes. She is a Chevening alumna and holds an MBA and an MSc in Global Mental Health from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and King's College London.
María del Pilar Alfaro Goldaracena
Research & Training Lead
Pilar is an eye surgeon, glaucoma specialist in Mexico with a Masters in Public Health for Eye Care at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She has collaborated with different projects in Asia and Africa, focusing in the screening of retinopathy of prematurity in low and middle income countries.
Madeleine Hoecklin
Communication
Madeleine is a global health communications officer with four years of experience delivering high-impact research, strategic communications, and evidence-based policy insights. She holds an MSc in Public Health for Global Practice from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and an MA in International Affairs from the Geneva Graduate Institute.
Abdulsalam Abutalib
Communication
Abdulsalam Abutalib is a public health physician with 10 years experience across clinical medicine, health systems consulting, and public health implementation. He has led donor-funded programmes with national and international partners to strengthen HIV care, nutrition, and maternal health in Nigeria. His work spans project leadership, health financing, and digital health innovation. He holds an MBBS from Ahmadu Bello University and postgraduate degrees in Disaster Risk Management and Public Health from ABU and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Junu Shrestha
Policy & Advocacy
Junu Shrestha is a global health policy and advocacy professional with over eight years of experience. She is the Senior Policy & Advocacy Manager at the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) in London, leading efforts to integrate eye health into universal health coverage. She serves on the WHO Civil Society Commission (2025–2027) and Nepal’s Health Insurance Board, and is a National Commissioner for the Nepal Chapter of the Lancet Commission on Investing in Health. She holds advanced degrees from LSE, LSHTM, and Tribhuvan University.
Shruti Manohar
Researcher
Clinical and Public Health Researcher with a PharmD and a Master of Public Health from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. My expertise lies at the intersection of epidemiology, biostatistics, and health policy, with a particular focus on translating complex clinical data into actionable insights. From evaluating visceral leishmaniasis relapse for WHO 2030 goals to managing antimicrobial stewardship in clinical settings, I am driven by a commitment to improving global health outcomes through rigorous, evidence-based research.
Siona Phadke
Researcher
Siona Phadke is a first-year medical student at the University of Ottawa, Canada. She holds a Masters in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Her interests focus on public health, particularly the ways social determinants, policy, and health systems shape population health. She is passionate about prevention and advancing equitable approaches to improve health outcomes at both community and systems levels.
Megan Arnett
Researcher
Megan holds an MSc in the Control of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a BA in Epidemiology from the University of Rochester. She has worked across many public health research topics from malaria to harm reduction. She is interested in mixed methods projects that incorporate community engagement strategies in disease control efforts.
Training
Expert trainers empowering healthcare professionals worldwide with the skills to detect and treat eye conditions.
Vasudha Kemmanu
Training
Vasudha Kemmanu is a senior Pediatric Ophthalmologist and Public Eye Health specialist based in Bengaluru, India. She is a consultant in the department of pediatric ophthalmology at Narayana Nethralaya. With over 30 years of experience, including over ten years of long-term leadership as Head of Pediatric Ophthalmology, she specializes in pediatric cataract and strabismus. A Commonwealth Scholar, she holds an MPHEC from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Her work bridges clinical excellence with population-based eye health and focuses on childhood blindness, community eye health programs, and capacity building.
Roxanne Annoh
Researcher
Roxanne Annoh is a general ophthalmologist with a subspecialty interest in paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus surgery. She is passionate about enhancing access to eye healthcare and reducing health inequity, and has completed a Master’s degree in Public Health in Eye Care from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical medicine. Alongside her clinical commitments, she is deeply committed to global blindness prevention, equitable access to eye healthcare and enhancing ophthalmic surgical education. She has delivered training of primary eye care workers for diabetic retinopathy screening in Lilongwe, Malawi and serves as a Training Lead for the Eye Shah foundation, delivering practical training to healthcare professionals in Addis Ababa in safely performing paediatric eye examinations. She is active in academia and research, with peer-reviewed publications on ophthalmic education, community glaucoma management, and simulation-based surgical training, particularly within sub-Saharan Africa. She has also worked closely with the UK Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth), having represented South and North Scotland within the OTG and co-authored RCOphth’s first ever differential attainment report.