Mengistu Asnake Kibret - GFMER Coordinator for Ethiopia

Mengistu Asnake Kibret

GFMER Coordinator for Ethiopia

Mengistu Asnake Kibret

Dr. Mengistu Asnake Kibret (MD, MPH)
P.O.Box. 12655, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
E-mail: MAsnake@pathfind.org or Mengistuas@yahoo.com

Dr. Mengistu Asnake is a public health specialist with 25 years of experience in reproductive health, primary health care, child survival, community health services, program management, training, operational research, and clinical service delivery. Dr. Asnake is currently the Deputy Country Representative for Pathfinder International in Ethiopia. In this position, he is primarily responsible for coordinating technical aspects of Pathfinder International/Ethiopia programs in the area of RH/FP including the prevention and control of STI/HIV/AIDS, and for overseeing program implementation. Working in partnership with the Country Representative, he is involved in management decisions and directions, and represents the organization on numerous technical committees organized by the MOH, and donor organizations. In different occasions he served as an expert in global discussions for FP/HIV integration, community based family planning, long acting family planning and adolescent issues. In addition, he is the Chief of Party for the Integrated Family Health Program (IFHP), a USAID flagship FP/MNCH program led by Pathfinder International in Ethiopia. In a voluntary capacity, Dr. Mengistu served as President of the Ethiopian Public Health Association (EPHA) from 2006 to 2009 and as an Executive Board member of the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA). During this period he played a major role in bringing the 13th world congress on public health to Africa where Ethiopia being the host for the congress. As part of his responsibility in the WFPHA Dr. Mengistu is chairing the nomination committee and has contributed a lot in the nomination process of the WFPHA leadership and executive board members. In addition, he is providing technical support in the area of RH/FP training and research to the Graduate Program of the Addis Ababa University at the School of Public Health and Institute of Population Studies as an Honorary Assistant Professor. Dr. Mengistu published over 20 scientific and technical papers in peer reviewed journals and technical publications.

Prior to joining Pathfinder International, Dr. Mengistu worked at various levels of the MOH and was responsible for program management, training, IEC, supervision, and coordinating activities with donors, governmental agencies, and NGOs. As a clinical medical officer in ALERT, he was involved in the training of international trainees in the area of Leprosy and Tuberculosis, and conducted several operational research activities. In addition, he was primarily involved in the initiation of the first combined Tuberculosis and Leprosy program in Ethiopia in a pilot area in the Southern Region using the DOTS strategy in 1994. During the same period, he was involved in the development of a National Guideline for Tuberculosis and Leprosy which used DOTS as a major treatment strategy. As a Preventive and Promotive Health Coordinator in the southern region with the BASICS/ESHE/USAID Project, he was primarily involved in child survival activities including working as a focal person in the introduction of Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) in three pilot districts. He also played an advisory role for the Health Bureau in the Southern Region during the initial development of system strengthening activities that included HMIS and worked as an advisor for operational research supported by the BASICS project. Dr. Mengistu received an MPH from Addis Ababa University (AAU), Faculty of Medicine in 1991, his MD from AAU, Gondar College of Medical Sciences in 1987 and several certificates from different in-country and abroad trainings.