Our Team

DNDi North America Staff

Rachel M. Cohen, Regional Executive Director

Erin Conklin-Kimaoui, Administration & Finance Associate

Jennifer Duran, Development Officer

Jennifer Katz, Policy & Development Director

Oliver Yun, Communications Manager

DNDi North America Staff - Bios

Rachel M. Cohen, MPP, Regional Executive Director

Rachel Cohen joined Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) as the Regional Executive Director of DNDi North America in January 2011. Cohen has been working in the global health and humanitarian field for more than 15 years, primarily with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Most recently, she served as Head of Mission for MSF in South Africa and Lesotho, where she oversaw numerous medical programs, primarily focused on HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis treatment in rural and peri-urban settings, primary health care for Zimbabwean refugees, asylum-seekers, and migrants, and emergency care for survivors of sexual violence. Before working for MSF in the field, Cohen held numerous positions with MSF in New York, including US Director for MSF's Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines, where she directed policy advocacy activities related to drug pricing, intellectual property, and medical innovation for neglected diseases. Prior to joining MSF, she was the Director of Foundation & Corporate Giving at Housing Works, the largest minority-controlled AIDS service organization in the US, and before that, served as the Program Coordinator for the US+Cuba Medical Project, where she directed medical aid programs and carried out educational and advocacy initiatives about the impact of US foreign policy on the health of the Cuban population. Cohen now serves on the Board of Directors of MSF's Operational Center in Brussels. She earned a Master of Public Policy with a Certificate in Health and Health Policy from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Jennifer B. Katz, MHSA, Policy & Development Director

Jennifer Katz joined the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) in March 2007. Since October 2010, Katz has served as Policy & Development Director for DNDi North America, leading the organization's advocacy and fundraising activities with the US government. Previously, she was Head of Fundraising for DNDi in Geneva, managing DNDi's fundraising strategy to secure support from both public and private donors. Prior to joining DNDi, Katz served as Fundraising Officer for the Association for the Prevention of Torture in Geneva. From 1998 until 2004, she held various positions with the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), working on issues related to access to health insurance and services for low-income and special populations in Massachusetts, as well as managing the finance and operations of the Center for Health Policy & Research at UMMS. Katz has over twelve years of experience in resource mobilization, policy development and project management in public health. She earned a Master of Health Services Administration from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and a dual undergraduate degree in Public Health andPsychology from the University of Rochester.

Oliver J. Yun, MA, ELS, Communications Manager

Oliver Yun joined the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) as the Communications Manager of DNDi North America in June 2011. He has worked in scientific communications and publishing for over 12 years. Prior to joining DNDi, Yun was Medical Editor of the US section of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) since 2007, editing, writing, and coordinating MSF medical research publications and scientific content. Prior to MSF, Yun was the Media and Communications Manager of the multidisciplinary scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in Washington, DC, where he headed the news and public relations office from 2004 to 2007. Before PNAS, he worked for biomedical communications and life-sciences market research companies as a managing editor and project manager in the areas of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and medical devices. Yun earned his bachelor's degree in microbiology and neuroscience from UCLA in 1996, a master's degree in genetics from Columbia University in 1998, and certification as an Editor in the Life Sciences (ELS) in 2000. He is a member of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Council of Science Editors, Board of Editors in the Life Sciences, National Association of Science Writers, and American Medical Writers Association.

Jennifer Duran, MS, Development Officer

Jennifer Duran joined the Drugs for Neglected Disease initiative (DNDi) as the Development Officer of DNDi North America in August 2011. In this role, she combines her development experience and scientific background to implement DNDi North America's private fundraising strategy, with a special emphasis on developing a major gifts program. Most recently, Duran served as Development Associate of Individual Giving for The Children's Aid Society, a nonprofit organization in New York. While at Children's Aid, she identified fundraising strategies for the Annual Giving and Major Gifts teams while also managing the daily gift operations and implementing a strategic plan for major donor prospects. Prior to Children's Aid, Duran served as Associate Director of Development for the Abakua Afro-Latin Dance Company in 2010, and performed prospect research for a diverse group of major nonprofits at Jeanne Sigler & Associates, Inc., a New York-based consulting firm. She has over six years of laboratory research experience at Hunter College, Mount Sinai Graduate School of Biological Sciences, and the University of Virginia, investigating various diseases, mainly focusing on infectious disease issues. Duran earned a Master of Science degree in Biological & Physical Sciences from the University of Virginia's Microbiology Department in 2007 and a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Biological Sciences from Hunter College of the City University of New York in 2002.

Erin Conklin-Kimaoui, Administration & Finance Associate

Erin Conklin-Kimaoui joined DNDi North America in September 2011. Prior to joining DNDi, Erin worked for nine years at the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) in Geneva, Switzerland in administration and communications including as Personal Assistant to the President and CEO. Before her time at MMV, she held various positions at the World Health Organization in resource mobilization and in editing and program development for the Annual Meeting in Davos with the World Economic Forum. Erin holds a Bachelor's degree (cum laude) from Mount Holyoke College and a diploma in practical nursing from the Eastern Suffolk School of Practical Nursing.