Small team. Big network.

Akbar K. Waljee, MD, MS is the Leslie D. Yamada and Tachi Yamada M.D. Director, University of Michigan Center for Global Health Equity. Waljee is an assistant dean of Global Health Research and Lyle C. Roll Professor, departments of Learning Health Sciences and Internal Medicine. He is also a professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan. Originally from Nairobi, Kenya, Waljee has dedicated his career to improving health and healthcare access, quality, and efficiency, particularly in resource-constrained settings. He is widely recognized for leveraging advanced methodological approaches, including artificial intelligence, to inform better decision-making and to deliver effective, equitable care both locally and globally. His work has been supported by a range of grant funding, including the Veterans Affairs Health Systems Research, the National Institutes of Health, the State of Michigan, and the Department of Defense. Waljee earned his undergraduate degree in biology and his medical degree from Emory University. He completed his internal medicine residency and gastroenterology/hepatology fellowship at the University of Michigan, joining the U-M Medical School faculty in 2009.

Ellen Meader, PhD, MEd is a seasoned administrator with over thirty years of experience in higher education and has worked at U-M in several different capacities. Prior to her current position, Ellen was an Assistant Vice Provost for Equity, Inclusion, and Academic Affairs in the Provost’s Office. She also worked with the U-M ADVANCE Program focusing on equitable and preemptive strategies in faculty recruitment, retention, climate, and leadership; in the Rackham Graduate School as a program manager in the Office of Graduate Student Success; and in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts in the Office of the Dean as a Research and Policy Analyst. Ellen received her PhD from U-M’s Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education (CSHPE).