Yewedalem Tesfaye Tiruneh (she/her) is a supply chain and health system strengthening expert with more than 14 years of experience working in supply chain systems in Ethiopia and other African countries. As a pharmacist and pharmaceutical supply chain expert, Yewedalem has varied and progressive experience designing and managing projects that strengthen health systems through providing technical and advisory services. She fosters relationships and collaborates with key stakeholders to co-design and effectively manage and implement market shaping and commodity financing under the umbrella of broader health care financing and supply chain improvement.
Yewedalem is a program director in the Market Shaping practice at Results for Development (R4D), where she leads projects that strengthen health systems and supply chains with a focus on improving access to maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) products. She also leads market shaping activities that support the government of Ethiopia to play the role of market manager increasing access to lifesaving and life-improving commodities. Yewedalem also works on the USAID-funded Health System Strengthening Accelerator project where she focuses on enhancing access to safe blood systems to reduce maternal mortality from postpartum hemorrhage in Rwanda, Malawi and Liberia.
Yewedalem has worked to build consensus among major health and supply chain actors and decision makers within Ethiopia. She played a significant role in the scale up amox DT for the treatment of childhood pneumonia, and in R4D’s current work aiming to expand the MNCH product supply base. She has also led critical engagements with key donors and actors helping to reach consensus on support for the government of Ethiopia to sustainably meet the challenges of financing MNCH, FP and maternal and child wasting services and commodities in Ethiopia.
Before joining R4D, Yewedalem worked at Management Science for Health as a program product procurement specialist. Prior to that she served as a forecasting and capacity building officer and senior procurement specialist in the Ethiopian Pharmaceuticals Supply Service (EPSS) formerly PFSA.
Yewedalem holds a Master of Project Management from Addis Ababa University, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in non-profit making organization management and a Bachelor of pharmacy from Addis Ababa University.
