Dr. Lia Tadesse Gebremedhin is the Executive Director of the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program as of March 2024. Dr. Lia served as the Minister of Health of Ethiopia from March 2020 to February 2024 after serving as State Minister of Health from November 2018. As a Minister, she was spearheading the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies like conflict and drought, coordinating the National Task Force, and helping her country to navigate the pandemic with resilience. During her tenure, she was credited with approaching the pandemic not only as a challenge but also as an opportunity to build the health system. She forged strong partnerships bringing together diverse stakeholders in the local, regional, and global health architecture to strengthen crucial health system pillars.
Before joining the Ministry of Health, she served as Program Director at the University of Michigan’s Center for International Reproductive Health Training (CIRHT) where she successfully partnered with institutions in Ethiopia and Rwanda, to increase the quality of reproductive health services and training. She was also the Project Director of USAID’s Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP) at Jhpiego-Ethiopia, and CEO and Vice Provost of St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC) in Addis Ababa, where she led the hospital services and academic reforms.
Dr. Lia is passionate about strengthening and reforming health systems and has received several recognitions for her accomplishments in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, in advocacy for gender equity, access to quality health services, and training. Dr. Lia is an Adjunct Faculty at the University of Michigan and Honorary Faculty at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College and has published over 40 articles, commentaries, and papers.
Dr. Lia was co-chair of the COVAX AMC Engagement Group, co-chair of the Global Financing Facility (GFF) Investors Group, and vice-board chair of the Africa CDC. She earned her medical degree from Jimma University, specialty training in Obstetrics and Gynecology from Addis Ababa University, and a Master’s Degree in Health Care Administration from Jimma University.
