Dr. Kate Tulenko Takes on Leadership of CapacityPlus

Dr. Kate Tulenko has been named acting director of CapacityPlus effective October 1. Tulenko transitions from her role as the project’s deputy director for clinical services and service delivery strengthening. She also serves as senior director for health systems innovation at IntraHealth International, CapacityPlus’s lead partner.

Dr. Kate Tulenko“We are thrilled that Dr. Tulenko is stepping into this key leadership position on one of USAID’s most critical investments in addressing the global workforce crisis, and we are confident that she will bring the right mix of clinical expertise, country-based experience, and innovative solutions to advance the field of human resources for health,” said Pape Gaye, IntraHealth president and CEO.

Tulenko has worked at the highest levels of health workforce, health financing, and health policy development with institutions around the world. She has been an advisor to national governments on health policy and reform, and she has served on expert panels for the World Bank, World Health Organization, American Public Health Association, Global Health Workforce Alliance, American Hospital Association, and more. Under CapacityPlus, Tulenko has provided global leadership in the project’s partnership with PEPFAR’s Nursing Education Partnership Initiative. She has led groundbreaking work on increasing the retention and productivity of health workers and improving the management of health professional schools.

“CapacityPlus has a unique opportunity to partner with USAID/Washington, mission offices, countries, and health workforce practitioners to work toward the goal of every person having access to qualified, motivated heath workers,” said Tulenko. “I’m delighted about leading this work—we have an opportunity to make an incredible difference.”

IntraHealth has also named Deborah Murray as CapacityPlus’s deputy director for program management and administration. Murray previously served as technical program manager for IntraHealth, managing a portfolio of projects spanning human resources for health (HRH) and HIV and family planning service delivery, including supporting a large-scale USAID-funded HRH and HIV project in Namibia. Murray brings 20 years of leadership, management, and operations experience to her role on CapacityPlus, including past positions as Rwanda country director and deputy director for the Asia-Pacific region at Family Health International.

Former CapacityPlus director Maurice Middleberg continues to serve as IntraHealth’s vice president for global policy, leading the organization’s efforts to promote the role of the health worker as critical in saving lives and to advocate for strategies and resources to ensure that health workers are present, ready, connected, and safe around the world.

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Photo courtesy of Kate Tulenko.