Lia Gebremedhin

Lia Tadesse Gebremedhin is the Executive Director of the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program as of March 2024. Dr. Lia served as the Minister of Health of Ethiopia from March 2020 to February 2024 after serving as State Minister of Health from November 2018. As a Minister, she spearheaded the COVID-19 response and response to other emergencies like conflict and drought, coordinating the National Task Force and helped her country to navigate the pandemic with resilience. During her tenure, she was credited with approaching the pandemic as a challenge and an opportunity to build the health system including significantly increasing national oxygen and critical care capacity, and launching the first vaccine manufacturing initiative for the country. 

Before joining the Ministry of Health, she served as Program Director at the University of Michigan’s Center for International Reproductive Health Training (CIRHT). She successfully partnered with institutions in Ethiopia and Rwanda, to increase the quality of reproductive health services and training. She was also the Project Director of USAID’s Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP) at Jhpiego-Ethiopia, and CEO and Vice Provost of St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC) in Addis Ababa, where she led the hospital services and academic reforms.

Lia is passionate about strengthening and reforming health systems and has received several recognitions for her accomplishments in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, in advocacy for gender equity, access to quality health services and training. Dr. Lia is an Adjunct Faculty at the University of Michigan and Honorary Faculty at St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, and has published over 40 articles, commentaries, and papers.

Lia was co-chair of the COVAX AMC Engagement Group and co-chair of the Global Financing Facility (GFF) Investors Group. She was Vice board chair of the Africa CDC as well as board member of Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, and WHO Executive Board. She currently serves as a Commissioner in the Lancet Commission of Investing in Health, and sits on various boards including the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), JSI Board of Directors and Quality Evidence for Health System Transformation (QuEST) Network Global Advisory Board. She earned her medical degree from Jimma University, specialty training in Obstetrics and Gynecology from Addis Ababa University, and a Master’s Degree in Health Care Administration from Jimma University.