Pape Gaye, M.B.A.
President and CEO Emeritus, IntraHealth International
Mr. Pape Gaye is a native of Senegal and a lifelong advocate for health workers, strong health systems, and access to health care for all. Before his appointment as CEO at IntraHealth, Pape led the organization’s regional office for West, Central, and North Africa. He began his career with the US Peace Corps, worked with the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Committee, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pape holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of California at Los Angeles. As President and CEO of IntraHealth International, Pape leveraged three decades of leadership in international health and development as he oversaw the work of IntraHealth teams in around 40 countries to strengthen their health workforces and health systems. During his watch, IntraHealth led two of the US government’s flagship human resources for health projects (the Capacity Project and the CapacityPlus Project), and established an official relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO). Under his leadership, the organization made human resources for health a crucial part of the worldwide conversation on global health. Pape has long advocated for a greater focus on the health workforce. In May 2016 at the World Health Assembly, the WHO and member states responded to such advocacy efforts with the first-ever global health workforce strategy, Workforce 2030. Pape is a frequent international speaker on issues related to capacity-building and the global health workforce. In the United States, his testimony on Capitol Hill during a 2014 Ebola-focused congressional hearing brought the role of frontline health workers to the fore. As a panelist during the White House Global Summit in July 2016, he urged the incoming US president to focus on international aid and human resources for health as powerful investments in our shared future. His editorials appear regularly in the Huffington Post, Devex, and other media outlets. Partnership, Pape believes, is essential. He forges strong collaborative relationships with diverse stakeholders—from ministries of health to private-sector partners to local health workers—to meet the enormous health challenges we face in low- and middle-income countries. His board and advisory services include the Center for African Family Studies, Duke University’s Global Health Institute, Global Health Council, PAI, the Reproductive Health NGO CEO Working Group, Speak Up Africa, the Access Challenge, and the Triangle Global Health Consortium.