Speaker Biographies

Jeffrey W. Mecaskey

VP, Program, International Trachoma Initiative

ITI (the International Trachoma Initiative) and Pfizer have partnered to address Trachoma, a disease that afflicts the eye. Since 1980, Mecaskey worked in the effort to improve global health. Trained at London, Liverpool and Harvard Universities, Mecaskey has focused on the intersection of community development, national policy, and the political economy of international development at the global level. Mecaskey has worked with international, academic and non-governmental organizations domestically and abroad. He worked with the Peace Corps in Nepal for three years and with the Britain Nepal Medical Trust until 1987. Prior to becoming vice president of the International Trachoma Initiative, Mecaskey was a program officer with the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation’s Program for Tropical Disease Research. He has volunteered in AIDS-related services and has served on scientific committees and boards related to: infectious disease research; gender and health equity; and community development.