Who We Are

Patricia Gordon MD (Harvard ’78, UCLA School of Medicine ’82, Cedars-Sinai Internship ’84) is a retired radiation oncologist. In her 28 years of practice, she was a partner at Beverly Hills Radiation Oncology and served on the medical team at Beverly Hills Cancer Center. Her commitment to health equity brought her to a second career as a non-profit founder and global health activist, establishing 106 sustainable cervical cancer clinics worldwide and providing life-saving care to over 200,000 women. In 2021, she was recognized as a Top 10 CNN Hero for her work in cervical cancer prevention.

Judy Laner brings extensive experience in volunteer service work throughout Africa and Latin America. She has joined forces with CCC on multiple trips to Vietnam, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Guatemala. Previously, she has volunteered with Free the Children and the Knock Foundation. Her experiences include building schools, working in children’s homes, and fundraising to build a schoolhouse in 2008.

Benjamin Gordon is a partner at Free Heel Capital and oversees investment strategy, investor relationships, and platform growth. He helps lead the firm’s strategic direction, capital formation efforts, and execution across a growing portfolio of multifamily and adaptive reuse investments across the Midwest.

Ben is also the Managing Partner of Twenty40 Ventures, where he invests in and advises early-stage companies. Previously, he worked in strategic planning at Collab, acquisitions at Kennedy Wilson, and in the television department at Creative Artists Agency. He holds an MBA in Real Estate Finance and a BA in Political Science and Integrated Liberal Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, serves on the boards of the Leonard Hill Charitable Trust and Cure Cervical Cancer, and is a licensed pilot who holds multiple airmen certificates.

Anne Vandenabeele is a Partner and Economist at Capital Group, where she covers the US and Japanese economies and has oversight responsibilities for Capital Strategy Research, Inc. Before joining Capital Group in 2000, she received a master’s degree (MA) with honors in economics from the University of Edinburgh and a master of philosophy (MPhil) in economics from the University of Oxford. Anne is based in Washington, D.C. where she is active in various professional organizations and charities. She previously served on the board of Edinburgh University North American Office and L’Arche USA.

Dr Mwenda is a medical doctor and epidemiologist, currently serving as a Senior Technical Advisor at Health Systems Insight (HSI). He graduated from the University of Nairobi Medical School in Kenya and completed his PhD in Health Systems and Policy at the University of Ghent, Belgium. Dr Mwenda’s research and professional interests include health policy research, exploring how research evidence is incorporated into health policies, and how the policies are disseminated, implemented and evaluated, as well as the role health economic and policy decision modelling can play in driving policy advocacy. He has previous worked with PATH, Ministry of Health, and counties, at service delivery, technical advisory and policy development levels.

Gathari Ndirangu, MD, Ob/Gyn is an Obstetrician/Gynecologist and public health leader with more than a quarter-century of experience in clinical practice and medical training and in managing donor-funded health programs across Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa. He has deep expertise in integrated women’s and children’s health, program leadership, and health systems strengthening, including prevention and management of women’s cancers and non-communicable diseases. Instrumental in introducing and scaling up primary and secondary cervical cancer prevention interventions in Kenya and other countries. Experienced colposcopist and strong advocate of HPV vaccination among eligible individuals, together with screening with high-performing tests for eligible women.

A global health leader in integrated reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health initiatives at Jhpiego to achieve reproductive health goals through innovative programming and public health strategies to catalyze access to impactful, high-quality and evidence-based healthcare for all individuals regardless of where they live. He has contributed to enhancing access for women and girls to the reproductive health care that they need, including marginalized individuals, through volunteer humanitarian work in Nairobi’s informal settlements and in refugee settings. He is an alumnus of the U.S. State Department Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship at Rollins School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta.

Shalini Schwab (UC Berkeley ’12, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health ’15, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine ’23) is a Doctor of Public Health. Prior to joining CureCervicalCancer, Shalini was the Head of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning at City Cancer Challenge Foundation in Geneva. She has worked as an evaluation consultant on a number of projects ranging from an evaluation capacity building project with UNICEF to an evaluation of Gavi’s COVID-19 vaccine delivery support system. For 3 years, Shalini worked for the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation on a strategy that supported early childhood development programming in high HIV-prevalence settings in Eastern and Southern Africa, including Kenya. Shalini fell in love with the global health field while working together with local public health inspectors to set up mobile health clinics in rural villages of Sri Lanka.

Kamara M. Lindsey graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and is an aspiring physician who has had the privilege of serving children and families in both clinical and community based settings. Her work as a Family Director with the Pediatric AIDS Coalition has been a driving force in her passion for working with children and families, particularly those navigating complex health experiences. Through this role, she has developed a deep commitment to supporting communities and building meaningful connections with individuals from diverse backgrounds. In addition, Kamara has worked as a medical assistant with Doctor4thePeople and gained valuable insight through her work with Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area, further strengthening her ability to provide compassionate, patient centered care. Kamara is deeply passionate about serving communities that may not always have access to the care and support they deserve. She is committed to inspiring the next generation to believe that they are worthy, capable, and better than enough to achieve their goals and aspirations. Through her work with CureCervicalCancer, she is excited to continue advocating for health equity on a global scale and supporting women and families around the world.

Samson has over 5 years experience in Global Health having served in different Program management, administration and coordination capacities in the Oncology and Haematology space in Kenya focusing on screening, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship programs for Cervical Cancer, Breast Cancer, Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma, Lung cancer, Sickle Cell and Haemophilia. He has passion for community-based programs aimed at enhancing access and linkages to clinical care and research. He firmly believes in organizations developing strategic partnerships and collaborations like local governments, NGOs to leverage on each other’s strengths to deliver optimal cancer control initiatives to the underserved populations in the world. He holds a BA in Business Management and program Management, with great passion to improving maternal health in Sub Saharan Africa as women are the pillars of the communities.

Kebaya Emilly Bonita is a seasoned public health professional with Masters in Public (Health Promotion and International Health) and over 14 years of experience spanning technical implementation and strategic leadership in HIV management, cervical cancer advocacy, health promotion, digital health, and community-based research. She has made significant contributions to strengthening health systems through her work with LVCT Health, Family AIDS Care and Education Services (FACES), the Ministry of Health, and KEMRI/RCTP Partners PrEP Study. Her expertise cuts across the full continuum of care from facility-based services to community-led interventions, where she has consistently provided both high-level strategic direction and hands-on program support. Bonita’s work is centred on improving service delivery, building the capacity of healthcare workers, and driving the effective implementation of HIV, TB, and cervical cancer prevention, care, and treatment programs. She brings a strong foundation in evidence-based programming, health systems strengthening, and multi-stakeholder collaboration to advance sustainable health outcomes. At the core of her approach is a deep commitment to community engagement, bringing services closer to the people, fostering trust, and creating meaningful, lasting impact through person-centred care.

Dorcus Opiayo brings over 14 years of Global Health experience to the CCC Team as Project Officer. Dorcus serves in a leadership role with CCC, managing relationships with local healthcare facilities and clinicians while supporting CCC’s capacity building work.

Prior to joining CCC, Dorcus worked on Cervical Cancer screening for HIV+ women with LVCT and as a nurse and site manager with International Medical Corps.

Dorcus seeks to identify and treat women who do not have access to Cervical Cancer screening or are otherwise marginalized. Keeping these women healthy and preserving the maternal caregiver role within rural families is Dorcus’s favorite part about working with CCC.

Adriano Ngaywa has 10 years’ experience in laboratory management, technology and public health. At CCC, Adriano and works to provide clients with accurate, reliable, and timely HPV test results. Prior to CCC, Adriano participated in community-based programs aimed at increasing access and linkages to clinical care such as HIV, Family Planning and TB programs.

Adriano holds a Diploma in Medical Laboratory Sciences from Kenya Medical Training College.

Adriano is happy to be a key pillar of CCC, his work is integral to CCC’s ability to identify HPV+ women who are in need of further treatment to prevent and treat emerging Cervical Cancer.

With 6 years’ experience, Millicent Olayo provides linkages to care and pshyco-social support to CCC’s clients in need of higher-level cancer care. Prior to CCC, Millicent worked in HIV Testing, HIV/AIDS Peer Education and Voluntary Counseling with LVCT.

Millicent holds a Diploma in Community Health from the Tropical Institute of Health and a Certificate in adherence and psychological counseling.

Millicent’s areas of interest are in Advocacy of Cervical Cancer Prevention & Treatment and HIV. Millicent is glad to be able to make a difference in the lives of HPV Positive women on a daily basis.

Peter Otieno plays a lead role in data management, monitoring and evaluation, and programmatic reporting. With 2 years of experience, Peter previously worked as a Data Officer in DREAMs Program supporting adolescent girls and young women.

Peter holds a BSc degree in Natural Resource Management from Egerton University and a Certificate in Data Quality and M&E fundamentals from Global Health eLearning.

Peter seeks to continue making a positive impact through his work, especially in ensuring CCC’s programs are as impactful and efficient as possible in bringing care to women in need.

Vincent is a dedicated driver and logistician with over 12 years experience and a passion for making a positive impact in the fight against cervical cancer. His role includes transporting medical supplies, facilitating outreach programs, and navigating diverse terrains to help CureCervicalCancer Kenya reach the communities at the last mile. He ensures the mobility and safety of our staff and laboratory, making him an integral part of our team.

Elizabeth Omwenga is a dedicated program nurse with over nine years of experience in global health, currently serving with the CCC team. In her role, she is actively involved in managing screening processes, providing community education, performing clinical procedures, and ensuring appropriate patient follow-up to improve health outcomes.

Before joining CCC, Elizabeth worked with KCCB-ACTS at Maseno Mission Hospital as a triage nurse, where she specialized in cervical cancer screening for HIV-positive women. Her work focused on early detection and intervention, contributing to improved care for a high-risk population.

Elizabeth is deeply passionate about expanding access to cervical cancer screening services, particularly for underserved communities who may face barriers to accessing facility-based care. She is committed to reaching more clients at the community level and strives to provide compassionate, quality care that promotes long-term health and well-being.