Meet the Executive Director Leading in Rwanda

In November 2023, Partners In Health (PIH) announced Nadine Karema as the new executive director of Inshuti Mu Buzima (PIH’s local name in Rwanda). Nadine assumes this crucial role following Dr. Joel M. Mubiligi, now PIH’s chief innovation and growth planning officer in charge of setting a strategic organizational vision for growth across all 11 PIH sites and the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) in Rwanda.    

Nadine brings a wealth of experience to her new role as executive director. Formerly the deputy executive director, she worked closely with Joel to provide comprehensive leadership for Rwanda's Inshuti Mu Buzima (IMB) mission and strategic plan.  

Since joining IMB in 2013, Nadine has held key positions, including health information systems (HIS) manager, HIS director, informatics director, and chief informatics officer, along with two mandates as chair of the procurement committee. Her career has mainly been focused on digital transformation, systems improvement, and promoting data-driven decision-making to improve the lives of patients and vulnerable communities served by PIH/IMB. She also has a growth mindset, fostering capacity building for strategic alignment within the many teams she oversees.  

In addition to her experience with IMB, Nadine provided technical assistance to the Rwanda Ministry of Health within the Digital Health Technical Work Group. She co-chairs the National e-Learning Committee for Rwanda’s health sector NGOs. Nadine has also contributed to UGHE's Executive Education program as a digital health expert and leadership instructor. She serves as a board member of UGHE.  

"Nadine’s commitment to serve the most vulnerable and demonstrated insight into how we can best serve them have positioned her as a thoughtful and trusted leader among IMB staff and a reliable collaborator among partners," Dr. Sheila Davis, chief executive officer of PIH, shared.  

IMB has been working in Rwanda since 2005, supporting the government's health system strengthening efforts. The organization is now helping with technical assistance and provision of high-quality healthcare in a catchment area of 47 health facilities serving over 1 million people across three districts.  

This announcement was originally published on IMB’s website: https://www.pih.rw/post/nadine-karema-appointed-as-the-next-executive-director-of-partners-in-health-rwanda