Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Fatima Bio on the 30th April 2024 held discussions with Professors from Harvard University on shared expertise on health and the public health landscape.

She received three esteemed Harvard professors; Professor Fatema Z Sumar, the Executive Director at the Harvard Center for International Development, Dr. Jesse B. Bump, Executive Director of the Takemi Program in International Health and a lecturer on Global Health Policy in the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Asim Khwaja, the Director of Center for International Development(CID) at Harvard University.

The discussions included an intellectual diversity into final preparations ahead of Her Excellency’s participation as an honoured guest and speaker at the Global Empowerment Meeting (GEM24 Firechat), themed: “Breaking Barriers for Women and Girls”, organized at the Harvard Arts Museums.

She interacted with the University Professors and engaged them on several issues including the importance of Public and Global Health, while they also discussed a shared interest in fostering Global Public Health amongst poor and less privileged communities. Harvard University is one of the World’s Leading academic institutions. Also known as the Crimson, this epitome of learning is composed of ten academic faculties and the Harvard Radcliffe Institute. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences offers study in a wide range of undergraduate and graduate academic disciplines, and other faculties offer only graduate degrees, including professional degree programs.

The First Lady also met and interacted with Vanessa Kerry, the founder of Seed Global Health, the director of programs in Global Public Policy and Social Change at Harvard Medical School, who also serves as the Special Envoy for climate change and Health at the World Health Organization.

She revealed that, they discussed how they can partner and improve Sierra Leone’s health care system through her organization which may serve as a great help in the First Lady’s efforts to improve the newly constructed 600-bed 34 Military hospital.

“I was truly pleased when I realized how similar we were in our drive to disregard excuses and get things done for the benefit of those we care for and humanity in general. I look forward to more meetings with you my sister.” She stated.