Degu Jerene is a medical doctor and public health expert who brings over 18 years of technical experience and leadership to MSH. He joined MSH in January 2014 as deputy project director of the USAID/HEAL TB project where he successfully led the technical implementation of the project from the third year to its close out. Since April 2016, he has served as the regional director for the USAID/Challenge TB project in Ethiopia. Prior to joining MSH, Degu worked as director for clinical programs with the Johns Hopkins/CDC/PEPFAR HIV program in Ethiopia. There, he played a key role in supporting the implementation of a multi-million dollar project in four regions of the country. From 2007 to 2010, he worked with the World Health Organization in Ethiopia, where he played a crucial role in supporting the Ministry of Health scale up a decentralized HIV service delivery model. Degu has extensive research experience and maintains collaborative networks with global leaders in the areas of TB and HIV. He holds an MD from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, and a PhD in international public health from the University of Bergen, Norway.