Team

Kris Torgeson MPhil, MSc, is Global CEO of Lifebox. Kris has worked in the global health and humanitarian sector for more than 20 years. Prior to joining Lifebox, Kris worked with Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) for over 14 years, including serving as the organization’s Secretary General from 2008 to 2012 and as part of MSF’s Ebola response team in Liberia in 2014. Kris sits on the boards of Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) North America, All Out, and The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) USA, where she was also Founding Executive Director.

Kris holds a B.A. with honors in East Asian Studies from Wesleyan University, an M.Phil in Chinese language and literature from Columbia University, and an MSc in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Kristine Stave is the Global COO of Lifebox, responsible for programmes, HR, finance and operations across Lifebox UK and USA. Her career to date spans work with the World Health Organization, healthcare, professional associations and government departments. Facilitating charitable registration for Lifebox UK in 2011, she has spent the years since building the global team which has now delivered safer surgery and anaesthesia for over 10 million patients. She was also responsible for setting up and securing 501(c)3 registration for the US entity.

Kristine has Bachelors’ degrees in international law and politics, and a Master from the London School of Economics. She holds memberships with the Chartered Management Institute, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development.

Stephen Osieyo is Head of Finance at Lifebox. He joined in December 2018 and has over 25 years experience in finance in the nonprofit sector, including with Anti Slavery International, Age UK, AMREF/Flying Doctors (Air Ambulance Service in Africa), and the Kenyan Red Cross.

Katie Fernandez is Head of Programs at Lifebox. Katie has been working in the development and humanitarian sectors for over 10 years. She has coordinated and supported the management and implementation of programs covering a broad range of themes, including health, livelihoods, gender, HIV and AIDS, governance and humanitarian response. Katie has lived and worked in countries from Southern Africa to Latin America, and is currently looking after Lifebox’s Southern Africa projects as well as our medical device development globally.

Katie holds a B.A. with honors in law from the University of Cambridge and an MSc. in development studies from the School of Oriental & African Studies at the University of London. She is also a PRINCE2 accredited project manager.

Dr. Thomas Weiser is Lifebox Chief Medical Officer (pro bono).  He is a general and trauma surgeon, a surgical intensivist, and an Associate Professor of Surgery at Stanford University Medical Center.  His research is focused on evaluating the role surgical care plays in the delivery of health services in resource-poor settings. From 2006-2009 he was part of the World Health Organization’s Safe Surgery Saves Lives program which developed the Surgical Safety Checklist.

Dr. Weiser previously served on the Lifebox Global Governance Council.

Kitty Jenkin came to Lifebox after working for an award-winning environmental charity where she facilitated projects in Peru, Papua New Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kitty has extensive experience working with colleagues in Latin America and looks after our projects in this region and in the Caribbean. She is a prolific writer and has had pieces published in numerous publications.

Kitty holds a first class Bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Exeter.

Luca Anna Koritsanszky is a Program Manager at Lifebox. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in anthropology, earned her MPH at Boston University, and is currently pursuing a nursing degree in midwifery at the University of Pennsylvania. She supports Lifebox’s Clean Cut program in Ethiopia.

Mansi Tara is a Program Manager with a focus on Lifebox’s projects across South Asia with a particular focus on India. She previously worked in India on a Global Fund project to prevent parent to child transmission of HIV and health skills projects.

Mansi is a dentist by background and holds an MSc. in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Remy Turc is a Program Manager at Lifebox, with a focus on French and Portuguese speaking countries. Remy joined Lifebox in 2013 to oversee the distribution of our medical device worldwide.

Senait Bitew looks after Lifebox programs in Ethopia. A nurse by background, Senait has wide experience in global health and development, and bring important local knowledge and input to your implementation.

Bella Lima is a Program Support Officer at Lifebox. She assists the program team with day-to-day functioning of operations and logistics and has a background in international development having previously worked at First Aid Africa.

Bella holds an MSc in Africa and International Development from the University of Edinburgh, and an MA in Translating and Interpreting from Heriot-Watt University.
In addition to English, Bella is a fluent speaker of French, Spanish and Portuguese.

Milena Abreha supports Lifebox’s programs in Ethiopia.

Joey Santore is a Development Assistant at Lifebox, managing campaigns and fundraising strategies. He has experience in event planning and program management, having developed dozens of large-scale events for New York University’s new-student orientation while working for their Center for Student Life.

Joey holds a B.S. in Global Public Health from New York University.