Why we chose Krista as a Fellow

Krista Dong has years of experience as a Harvard-trained immunologist. She has worked in international health focusing on HIV / AIDS and TB since 1991, from Gambia and South Africa to Indonesia. And with her co-founder, the two are joined at the hip in their efforts to find solutions at the epicenter of the HIV / AIDS epidemic in South Africa.

KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa is the epicenter of the HIV & TB epidemic, with jaw-dropping rates of infection and mortality. From media campaigns to plentiful HIV drugs to relatively well-funded institutions, South Africa is working hard, but the system remains dysfunctional and the pieces suboptimal. Krista understands the epidemic from inside out, the local and national culture, and what's right and wrong about the pieces of the response to the epidemic. iTeach has come up with several beautifully targeted, scalable interventions that turn well-intentioned efforts into high-performance systems. Their signature "TB Warriors" program uses lay workers to guide and coordinate all of TB care, pulling the disparate pieces together and ensuring that suspected cases are tested, treated, and followed.