The goal for global health innovation is to identify successful approaches and move them to scale – reaching as many underserved communities as possible with improved access to quality healthcare. Sometimes this is accomplished with new partners or transitioning greater ownership to country governments – but sometimes successful scaling is about sharing what we’ve learned.
Emmanuelle Assy’s job is just that. As VillageReach’s Immunization Supply Chain Improvement Manager, Emmanuelle works with stakeholders, partners, and governments around sub-Saharan Africa to introduce and explore new tools and approaches that challenge the status quo of existing supply chains. For example, she leads computer simulation modeling exercises, which help countries understand different options for making an immunization supply chain more efficient and cost effective. By reducing the risk to bold new ideas, these modeling exercises help government stakeholders think more broadly about their supply chain system and the importance of system design.
Through stakeholder workshops, Emmanuelle shares technical expertise and lessons learned from successful new approaches like the dedicated logistics system in Mozambique. Through this work, Emmanuelle helps countries learn from each other – to imagine and consider what is possible. These workshops also give her, and VillageReach, the opportunity to learn. Working with new stakeholders in new contexts broadens our collective experience, and uncovers common threads between geographies. Once these workshops are over, Emmanuelle works with stakeholders to develop supply chain improvement plans and put some of these lessons learned into action.
Emmanuelle is well suited for this role. She brings more than 10 years of experience in supply chain management, program development and monitoring and evaluation, both in the private and public sector. She also brings a passion for public health.
“I know how easy it can be to lose one’s life because of medicine shortages. I have witnessed it. I am happy to use my knowledge of supply chain management to contribute to delivering life-saving medicines to people who need them. I am glad to contribute to positive change on the continent that I love.”
She also does not shy away from the challenge. “I like to try new things and I also like challenges. Logistics in the public health sector is full of challenges. It’s a new field and it entails different forces joining together to make these changes happen for real. When stakeholders from all different backgrounds come together and share their experiences, skills, and knowledge, it becomes possible to improve existing approaches and build upon success.”
Learn more about Emmanuelle’s work in her most recent blog: Beyond “Good Enough”: System Design in Zambia