Why would you like to be on the NCDA Board of Directors?

I would be honoured to join the NCD Alliance Board in support of its mission to “unite civil society for action on NCDs…, leaving no one behind”, as I feel I can provide tangible value to the execution of the 2021-2016 NCDA Strategic Plan. With respect to Prevention and Care, I am currently leading the NCD Academy in partnership with NCDA which is designed to support equitable access to prevention, screening and care in the communities where people live and work. On Financing, I have experience with multilaterals and the US government, and can make a robust case for the inclusion of NCDs in funding as a part of an updated framework for pandemic preparedness. With respect to Community Engagement, my experience running global public health programs has taught me the importance of early engagement with a community to assure programs fit local needs and are sustainable. I have also learned when attention is paid to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, that diversity of lived experience supports broader thinking and better solution development. Much of the work I lead is dependent on Collaboration, with the need to communicate clearly to articulate a problem and then work together, valuing others’ unique contributions, to solve it. This articulation also supports Accountability, the ability to solve unforeseen problems, and to drive Results. I believe a position on the Board provides me a channel to bring my abilities to bear on the organisation’s strategic direction in support of a mission I deeply believe in.

What makes you a good candidate for the NCDA Board of Directors?

I bring a unique combination of experiences that I believe will be helpful to achieving NCDA’s goals. I have fifteen years’ experience in global health, having developed national and global policy frameworks for pandemic preparedness capacity building, and collaborated with local partners and funders from third countries to achieve goals. I lived and worked supporting global health programs in Indonesia and China, and remotely led global program implementation in other regions, including some affected by a legacy of war and instability. I learned the importance of understanding the local culture and have a track record of respect, clear communication, aligning on shared priorities. I understand how the U.S. and other governments think about global health security funding, and a have point of view on how that can be leveraged to include NCDs. I am also a woman in technology, having led the ACC’s Innovation Program, which is focused on the digital transformation of care delivery. That vantage point has taught me the importance of mentorship and inclusion of underrepresented groups to solve pressing problems. It has also filled me with optimism that technology, when thoughtfully constructed and equitably deployed, can be a powerful tool to expand the reach of clinicians and to engage patients in their care from their community. The combination of my experiences in policy, programs, financing, technology, expat living and partnership, and my focus on mentorship and development make me a unique candidate; I hope to leverage those experiences as a member of the NCDA Alliance Board.

Biography

Jennifer Bae, MHSA, is the Executive Director of Global Innovation at the American College of Cardiology. She oversees the ACC Innovation Program, Global Programmatic work and manages ACC’s venture fund focused on digitally transformed health care. She has served on the Board of startup companies, emphasizing the development of technologies focused on the patient and clinician end user, prioritizing those that improve care outcomes and access to care.

Prior to joining the College, she worked for ten years in global health with a focus on pandemic preparedness, working across the US Government. She led direct public health capacity building and served on US delegations to multilateral meetings. She also has a background in health care consulting at the Advisory Board Company.

Jennifer holds a Master of Health Services Administration and Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan. She has language skill in Spanish, Bahasa, and Mandarin.