Who We Are

Reaching the Last Mile

Our History

The Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE) is the result of a long-standing partnership between His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and Bill Gates, dating back to their pledge to fight diseases and put an end to polio in 2011. The concept for an Abu Dhabi-based institute to develop policies to combat infectious diseases materialised in 2017, with an announcement by His Highness at the Reaching the Last Mile Forum. Two years later, during the Reaching the Last Mile Forum in November 2019, GLIDE was formally launched.

As the first and only institute of its kind in the region, GLIDE helps build capability within the region and establishes a new epicentre of global health and development. With unique positioning and a panoramic view, GLIDE will help ensure the legacy of philanthropy in the UAE is continued and expanded upon, and help to achieve a world free from preventable infectious diseases of poverty.

Our Vision

GLIDE envisions a world free from infectious diseases of poverty.

GLIDE aims to accelerate progress towards disease elimination to alleviate human suffering.  We do this by elevating awareness and engagement, advancing elimination strategies, and fostering and scaling innovation.

Our Mission

To advance global thinking and accelerate progress towards disease elimination by building on country ownership and local solutions, promoting an integrated approach, engaging catalytically, seeking out sustainable solutions, and working in partnership.

Our Team

Simon Bland

Chief Executive Officer, GLIDE

Zahi Albisharat

Head of Finance

Hajer Al Hosani

Associate, Communications

Mohamed Al Sallal

Advocacy Officer

Myrna Ayman

Office Administration Assistant

Ruba Bisharat

Head of Administration

Elisabeth Conroy

Head of Human Resources

Lara Dahan

Head of Programs, Partnerships & Performance

Aïssatou Diawara

Technical Specialist

Johny Eapen

Administrative Assistant

Ngozi Erondu

Technical Director

Lisa Goldman-van Nostrand

Strategic Advisor

Paul Hetherington

Director of Operations, Programs and Performance

Priya Kanayson

Director, Advocacy and Communications

Andrea Prerad

Chief of Staff

Muhammed Shammas

IT Support Engineer

Diana Yousef

Technical Advisor

Our Board

Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi

Deputy Group CEO, Mubadala

Nassar Al Mubarak

Office of Strategic Affairs, Crown Prince Court and Chair, GLIDE Finance and Audit Committee

Ellen Agler

CEO, The END Fund

Dr Maha Barakat

Director General, Frontline Heroes Office and Chair, GLIDE Technical Advisory Committee

Joe Cerrell

Managing Director EMEEA, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Sir Richard Feachem

Director, Global Health at UCSF

Philippe Douste-Blazy

Chairman, UNITAID Executive Board

Bobby Shriver

Co-founder of (RED)

Prof Margaret Gyapong

Director of the Institute for Health Research, Ghana

Simon Bland

Chief Executive Officer, GLIDE

Our Technical Advisory Committee

Dr Maha Barakat

Director General, Frontline Heroes Office and Chair, GLIDE Technical Advisory Committee

Elhadj As Sy

Co-Chair, Global Preparedness Monitoring Board

Sir Richard Feachem

Director, Global Health at UCSF

Dr Caroline Harper

CEO, Sightsavers

Dr Adrian Hopkins

The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene

Sir Peter Piot

Former Director, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Dr Philip Welkhoff

Director, Malaria, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Dr Marc-Alain Widdowson

Director, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp

Simon Bland

Chief Executive Officer, GLIDE

Our Founders

Crown Price Court Logo

Crown Prince Court

For over 30 years, The Crown Prince Court (CPC)  has been dedicated to the elimination and control of preventable diseases that affect the health and economic prospects of the world’s poorest people.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has been committed to fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world for over 20 years.