GSF Names New Programme and Clinical Leads for Women's Health
Dr. Mélanie Samson takes on the role of Programme Lead, Women’s Health, and Dr. Jean Chamberlain becomes Clinical Lead, Maternal Health, as the Global Surgery Foundation’s safe caesarean section projects expand.
Healthcare workers take part in a simulation exercise at Nakuru Provincial General Hospital, Kenya.
Last week, at the 81st UN General Assembly, the Global Surgery Foundation (GSF) showcased the strong work of its safe caesarean section projects in Nepal, Kenya and Nigeria. The projects are now expanding to more facilities, and GSF is strengthening the team that supports them.
We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Mélanie Samson has taken on the role of Programme Lead, Women’s Health. Within the Women’s Health Programme, Dr. Jean Chamberlain takes on the role of Clinical Lead, Maternal Health.
Programme leadership for women's health
Dr. Samson joined GSF in 2024 as Senior Technical Officer, Women’s Health. She now leads the programme across all three of its areas: maternal health, breast cancer and cervical cancer. She is the main contact for partners on all Women’s Health work.
She brings more than 20 years of experience in global health, with a focus on access to quality care, including eight years at the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), where she led the regionalisation of its capacity building work and projects on cervical cancer elimination. She holds a PhD in global health law from the Geneva Graduate Institute and Panthéon-Sorbonne, and an MPH from New York University, where she also completed postdoctoral research. At GSF, she has worked alongside Dr. John Varallo to build the programme into what it is today, with flagship projects in three countries and a portfolio that continues to grow.
“Our partners lead this work in their own contexts and health systems. GSF brings funding and accompaniment to partners, from clinical training, mentorship and facility readiness to the data we review together for lasting change in health systems. My role is to make sure both are timely and useful, so that the impact for women lasts,” says Dr. Samson.
“My role is to make sure the impact for women lasts.”
Clinical expertise for safer caesarean care
Dr. Chamberlain is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at McMaster University, Canada, with decades of experience serving on the frontlines, spending five years in Yemen and more than 10 years in Uganda. Dr. Chamberlain has also worked in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Pakistan. While living in Uganda, she founded Save the Mothers, a non-profit working to reduce maternal deaths. Dr. Chamberlain had the honour of being appointed to the Order of Canada in 2014.
As Clinical Lead, she will provide clinical oversight and guidance to the safe caesarean section projects and the surgical teams delivering them.
“Preventing deaths after caesarean section comes down to ensuring that teams are well trained, well equipped and able to act early when something goes wrong. I look forward to working with clinicians in Nepal, Kenya and Nigeria on exactly that,” says Dr. Chamberlain.
“I look forward to working with clinicians in Nepal, Kenya, Nigeria, and future programme locations.”
Local leadership, backed by financing and accompaniment
In Koshi Province, Nepal, the work is implemented by the Nepal Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (NESOG), in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Population. In Nakuru County, Kenya, it is implemented by Jhpiego Kenya and AIC Kijabe Hospital, in close collaboration with the Nakuru County Department of Health. In Kano State, Nigeria, it is implemented by the Africa Center of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP) at Bayero University Kano, in coordination with the Kano State Ministry of Health.
GSF has worked with each partner since the projects were first designed, providing financing through SURGfund and accompaniment at every stage, from clinical mentorship to quality improvement.
The new roles build on a strong team in Geneva and on GSF’s growing regional capacity.
“Our maternal health projects are growing quickly, and our team is adapting with them, staying nimble so that partners remain in the lead. Dr. Samson and Dr. Chamberlain give our partners clear programme leadership and strong clinical support for the next phase, which includes expanding the work to considerably more facilities and geographies,” says Dr. Geoff Ibbotson, Executive Director of the Global Surgery Foundation.
Find out more about the Women’s Health Programme
“Our maternal health projects are growing quickly, and our team is adapting with them, staying nimble so that partners remain in the lead.”
About the Global Surgery Foundation
The Global Surgery Foundation (GSF) is the lead global platform for surgical care systems strengthening. Operating on a UN-incubated, neutral platform, GSF mobilises world-class clinical, policy, and funding expertise to support local leaders in building surgical systems that are efficient, resilient, and sustainable. Through SURGfund — the world's first and only pooled financing mechanism for surgical care — and SURGhub — the UN Global Surgery Learning Hub — GSF is translating catalytic investment into measurable, lifesaving impact across low- and middle-income countries.
Your Next Article
Punam Gauro, Nursing Chief at AMDA Hospital in Damak, Nepal, and a mentor in the Nepal OSSC project, describes a career spent turning training into impact for mothers and newborns, and remembers the mother whose recovery still shapes every lesson she gives. Read article