Shaheen Kassim-Lakha

Shaheen Kassim-Lakha leads the development and implementation of external engagements, including collaborations with peer funders and local, national and international partners, to unlock resources and shift policies that enable the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to multiply its impact. In her previous role as director of international programs, Kassim-Lakha oversaw the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of the Foundation’s international program areas, including safe water access, children in communities affected by HIV and AIDS, blindness prevention and education, and disaster relief and recovery. She also led grant programs related to global capacity-building, monitoring, evaluation and learning. Kassim-Lakha has a broad academic and professional background in health services and public health, including experience in hospital administration, developing environmental health policy for urban centers in North America, and program management in several countries in Asia and Africa. Prior to joining the Foundation, she was a senior program officer at the UniHealth Foundation for six years. Kassim-Lakha received a Master of Public Health from UCLA and pursued a career in international development and environmental epidemiology. She completed the doctoral program in health services at UCLA’s School of Public Health, where her research focused on measuring results and developing an evaluation approach for healthcare philanthropy. She has served as a consultant to foundations and donor organizations on community-based initiatives, regional health systems development, program evaluation, and health policy research.