Midwives in El Roblar, Mexico have learned to detect pregnancy, delivery and post-partum risk factors
The Board of Directors
Scott Cohen, MD, DTM
Founder and Medical Director
Scott has been practicing pediatric medicine since 1989, serving primarily high-risk, low-income patients in the U.S. and Latin America. In 1988, as an Albert Schweitzer Fellow, he served pediatric patients in Gabon, West Africa. He has also delivered pre- and post-operative care to surgical patients in Cuba and El Salvador. In the eastern rainforest of Guatemala, he provided primary care for indigenous villagers of all ages and taught basic Western medicine to local health promoters. He received his M.D. from Tufts University in Boston in 1989 and his Diploma in Tropical Medicine from Royal College of Surgery in Ireland in 2000. He completed his pediatric residency at Oakland Children’s Hospital in 1992. He was attending nursery physician at Alameda County Medical Center and assistant director of an inpatient unit at Oakland Children’s Hospital. He was lead editor for the American Academy of Pediatrics’ newsletter on international child health for many years and has published chapters for books and articles on global pediatric health topics. He is fluent in Spanish. Currently, Scott is a pediatrician at Kaiser Permanente, San Rafael, California.
Kate Kentfield, RN, NNP
Retired Clinical Research Nurse
Chairwoman of the Board
Kate Kentfield-Kessner is a recently retired Nurse Practitioner and Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialist, and Registered Nurse. She has worked as a Neonatal Intensive Care nurse in 1998 when she met Scott Cohen. After she became a nurse practitioner in 2004, Kate began working for the Kaiser Permanente Pediatric Vaccine Center as a clinical research nurse conducting clinical trials of new pediatric vaccines. She later worked as a Pediatric Advice Nurse for Kaiser. Kate has participated in workshops trainings for Global Pediatric Alliance in Latin America.
Stephen Kahn, MD
President, Abundance Foundation
Stephen Kahn believes that emergency medicine provides a lens for fully understanding and supporting what is working in a patient’s life and in the life of a community. His belief in the importance of both individual and community health guides his work as president of the Abundance Foundation, which serves as a connective hub to a network of visionaries, innovative projects, and organizations that focus on Health, Empowerment, and Arts and Education. Dr. Kahn received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He completed his residency in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Vanderbilt University Hospital. He has worked in hospitals in Haiti, Bolivia, Costa Rica, and Zambia.
Teresa Ramírez-Montagut, MD, PhD
Researcher, Development Sciences
Genentech, Inc.
Tere holds a Medical Doctor degree from the National University of Mexico (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México -UNAM-) and a Ph.D. in Immunology from Cornell University at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Her training includes research fellowships related to cancer immunotherapy at the Massachusetts General Hospital, MSKCC, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Rockefeller University. After her fellowships, Tere led the Cancer Vaccine Initiative and discovery efforts for novel cancer immunomodulators at Novartis, San Diego. Tere currently works at Genentech developing biomarkers for inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease) for potential new therapies in Phase 3 clinical trials.
Tere brings to GPA extensive medical expertise on health issues of developing countries and scientific expertise on vaccination and primary care strategies. Her past experience as a Board Member of BuildingAFRICA includes developing programs on healthcare, education, agriculture, and technology (HEAT programs) through partnerships with key global and local institutions, and focusing on maximizing inter-disciplinary approaches and collaborative efforts. Tere is keen on working for new solutions to provide appropriate healthcare to pediatric populations in underserved communities, especially in her home country, Mexico, and sister communities across Latin America.
Christina A. Buysse, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Stanford University School of Medicine
Dr. Tina Buysse brings in-depth pediatric expertise to GPA. In addition to working at Stanford University School of Medicine, she is the Medical Director of the Spina Bifida Clinic at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. She is also the Medical Lead and attending physician at the San Mateo Medical Center for the Watch Me Grow Community; a medical provider for California Children’s Services at the Medical Treatment Unit in San Mateo, and currently conducts clinical supervision for the Stanford Development and Behavior Fellow, and the Stanford Pediatrics Resident in Development and Behavior Clinic. Tina received her B.S. from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, her M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School and completed her Pediatrics internship and residency at Children’s Hospital and Research Center in Oakland, California, and her Pediatrics Developmental-Behavioral Fellowship at Stanford University School of Medicine. She won the Mead Johnson Travel Award from the Western Society for Pediatric Research in 2014, and from 1995-2000, she won the Annual Pediatrics Residents’ Top Ten Teaching Award from the Department of Pediatrics University of Michigan Medical School. She is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics.