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 Ramirez Montagut, MD, PhD
Executive Director, Regeneron
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 worked 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.
Isabel Fine
Researcher, Mount Sinai Hospital
Isabel is a maternal and infant health researcher focused on advancing health equity through community-based public health and global health initiatives. She graduated summa cum laude from Kenyon College with distinction in psychology and Spanish. Following graduation, she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Peru, where she led youth development and community health initiatives, secured funding for and implemented a community youth center and library, and supported research on violence prevention among adolescent parents in Lima. Isabel currently works at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, contributing to maternal health research examining the impacts of structural racism and environmental exposures on maternal health and infant neurodevelopment. She also contributes to global maternal and perinatal health research collaborations with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. As a board member of Global Pediatric Alliance, Isabel brings experience in community-centered development and global maternal health initiatives in Latin America. She is committed to advancing GPA’s mission and strengthening community-driven approaches to improving outcomes for women and children in underserved communities.
Alesandro Larrazabal, M.D.
Co-Founder / Chief Medical Officer
Clarity Pediatrics
Alesandro, originally from Guatemala, is the founder and Medical Director of Clarity Pediatrics, which specializes in Behavioral Parent Training, the gold standard therapy for pediatric ADHD care. He is a pediatrician with a specialty in Pediatric Interventional Cardiology, and was recently recognized as a Top 50 in Digital Health honoree, for his work towards health equity, presented by Rock Health to honor "digital health leaders advancing transformative technologies and improving healthcare.” Alesandro has a special connection to GPA. Founder Dr. Scott Cohen, and Alesandro met in the early days of the organization when Scott was training community health promoters and midwives in a rural clinic along the Rio Dulce, in Guatemala. After many years of not seeing each other, Scott and Alesandro realized they both worked at Kaiser Permanente in the Bay Area. He now resides in San Francisco, with his wife Christina LaMontagne.