Global Achievement Award

2025 Award Recipients

Clayton Ajello, BSPH ’83
Clayton Ajello, DrPH ’83, is an epidemiologist, a global health and nutrition advocate, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who has worked collaboratively in 60+ low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) guiding governments, foundations, and service agencies toward adopting and scaling-up evidence-based health, nutrition, and social protection interventions and programs. Dr. Ajello is known throughout the nutrition and health philanthropic world as a crisp-thinking, knowledgeable, capable entrepreneur, and diplomat, able to bring foundations, academia, and other technical agencies around the table to commit, collaborate, donate and achieve. Throughout his career Dr. Ajello has focused on assisting a range of stakeholder organizations in LMICs to implement innovative, sustainable, high-impact, evidence-based public health interventions by catalyzing efforts to move research into everyday practice. He has also worked to help these same organizations adopt more entrepreneurial approaches to their operations; and has successfully engaged the manufacturing sector to produce low-cost, high-quality products required for many public health and nutrition initiatives. He also found time to spin off a for-profit, health technology company from the Johns Hopkins University in 1997 as a licensee of the University. His successes stem from working effectively across the academic, nongovernmental, governmental, bi- and multi-lateral, and private sectors. His most recent global success has been his role in guiding the strategic philanthropic decisions of Kirk Humanitarian for the past five years affecting the allocation of $150m of investments in public health nutrition. With the Vitamin Angel Alliance, he has for nearly 17 years, provided guidance to advance its strategic growth and public health programming – helping it leverage its resources to introduce, strengthen and/or expand the reach of sustainable, evidence-based health and nutrition interventions through more than 1,200 government and non-government program partners in over 60 countries. Before that, Dr. Ajello had a 14-year career with JHPIEGO, an affiliate of the Johns Hopkins University where he was vice president for programs. His career efforts have advanced large-scale deployment of many of the most important public health and nutrition interventions including oral rehydration therapy, family planning methods, urgent obstetrical care, preventive vitamin A supplementation and deworming therapies for children, and most recently UN-endorsed multiple micronutrient supplementation for pregnant women in underserved, nutritionally vulnerable populations. His efforts over just the past decade have been key in connecting important public health and nutrition interventions with more than 70 million women and children annually. 

Jonathan Burks, SAIS ’20
Jonathan Burks is the Executive Vice President for Economic and Health Policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. He is an experienced senior public policy professional and corporate board member, who has worked over two decades in the public and private sectors. Until February 2025, Jonathan was vice president for global public policy at Walmart where he led the global retailer’s efforts to analyze and develop positions on pressing public policy issues. While at Walmart, he played a critical role in the success of the Walmart-SAIS Global Policy Challenge where SAIS students are able to get hands-on, real work experience as they work on a case competition in direct collaboration with Walmart employees working on these issues. Prior to joining Walmart, he was a partner at the global consultancy the Brunswick Group where he was the co-lead for the U.S. public affairs offer. Before moving to the private sector, he served as the chief of staff to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, where he served as the Speaker’s principal adviser on policy, strategy, and management. Jonathan also advised Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on budget and appropriations issues, served as policy director of the House Budget Committee, director of legislative affairs at the Securities and Exchange Commission, senior advisor (chief of staff) to the Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, and policy advisor in the transition office of the newly created Director of National Intelligence. In 2012, Jonathan was the deputy policy director on the Romney for President campaign. Early in his career, he served for four years at the White House working first for Vice President Cheney and then for President Bush in a variety of positions including as the Vice President’s staff secretary, associate staff secretary to the President, and special assistant to the President for policy in the Chief of Staff’s office. Jonathan serves on the boards of directors for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and the American Idea Foundation. He has a master’s degree from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor of science in foreign service from Georgetown University.

Jacqueline Brysacz, Nurs ’11,’14
Jacqueline Brysacz is a nurse practitioner and public health specialist. Since 2014, Jacqueline has worked in primary care with federally qualified heath centers. Jacqueline got her start in international work when she served as an agriculture volunteer in the Chaco region of Bolivia with the US Peace Corps from 2007-08. She focused on community beekeeping initiatives. Her experience in the Chaco led her to a career focused on reducing barriers to health and well-being for low resource populations. She currently works as a family nurse practitioner in a community health center, serving all comers regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. Jacqueline embodies what it means to be a global contributor through her work with the Chaco Fund. With colleagues she met during her time in the Peace Corps, Jacqueline started a scholarship program called the Chaco Fund (www.chacofund.org). In conjunction with support from two local high schools in the Chaco region of Bolivia, the fund selects and supports two rural and indigenous young women so that they can pursue their dreams of a university degree. Since 2017 the Chaco Fund has sent 12 young women to college as of the end of 2023. In addition to financial support, the fund provides the scholarship awardees with mentorship as well as technological and emotional support to provide a holistic support system for these pioneers.

Melanie Higgins, A&S ’96, SAIS ’96
Melanie Harris Higgins is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, with 25 years of experience representing the United States. Amb. Higgins is currently serving as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, covering portfolios that include U.S. policy engagement in southern Africa as well as regional peace and security programs across sub-Saharan Africa. She is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, who recently completed an assignment as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Burundi from 2021-2023. From 2018-2020, she was the Director of the Office of Central African Affairs (AF/C). She previously served as Principal Officer and Consul General at the U.S. Consulate-General in Auckland, New Zealand and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Amb. Higgins has also served in the U.S. Embassies in Indonesia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Australia, and Cameroon, and has worked in the State Department’s Operations Center, as Acting Public Affairs Advisor in the East Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau, and as the Thailand Desk Officer. Amb. Higgins joined the Foreign Service in 1998 and is married to a Diplomatic Security Special Agent. In 2010, she received the Matilda W. Sinclaire Language Award from the American Foreign Service Association. She speaks French, Indonesian, and some Bosnian.

Razia Kosi, Ed ’21
Razia F. Kosi, EdD, is a pioneering mental health professional, equity leader, and culturally responsive practitioner whose career has been dedicated to healing, education, and social transformation. With more than 25 years of experience spanning school systems, clinical practice, and nonprofit leadership, Dr. Kosi has become one of the region’s most respected voices at the intersection of mental health, cultural identity, and community empowerment. As the founder of CHAI Counseling (Counselors Helping [South] Asians and Indians), Dr. Kosi has worked for over two decades to destigmatize mental health within South Asian communities and to expand access to culturally competent care. Launched in 2001 as a grassroots initiative, CHAI has since grown into a trusted program now housed under the Pro Bono Counseling Project, connecting uninsured and underinsured Marylanders with qualified volunteer clinicians. CHAI continues to serve hundreds of individuals and families each year—offering counseling, advocacy, and education in a culturally responsive framework that affirms the lived experiences of immigrant and minority communities. Kosi’s therapeutic approach draws on a wide array of healing modalities including cognitive behavioral therapy, somatic processing, and cultural humility, allowing her to support clients navigating anxiety, depression, racial trauma, and intergenerational conflict. Her clinical leadership has helped shift the mental health landscape in Maryland and beyond by making support not only accessible but affirming, relevant, and safe for those who have often been left out of traditional models of care. In parallel to her clinical work, Kosi serves as the Coordinator for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Howard County Public School System, one of the most diverse districts in the state of Maryland. In this role, she works across departments to embed inclusive practices into school policy, curriculum, and culture—providing trauma-informed training for educators, shaping district-wide equity initiatives, and leading community engagement efforts that foster a sense of belonging for all students and staff. Her work supports systemic change by addressing racial disparities in discipline, access, and student wellness. Kosi is also a permanent member of the Howard County Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Commission, where she advises local policymakers on equity priorities and helps lead community responses to incidents of hate, bias, and identity-based violence. Following the tragedies in Oak Creek, Wisconsin and Indianapolis, Indiana, which deeply affected Sikh and South Asian communities, Kosi played a leading role in the Sikh Healing Collective, providing direct support and trauma counseling for those impacted, and advocating for long-term infrastructure to support communal healing. Her academic contributions further reflect her commitment to culturally attuned mental health care. Kosi is a contributing author to the book Mental Illness Among South Asian Americans: Twenty Culturally Mindful Case Studies, a vital resource for clinicians seeking guidance on providing competent care to diverse populations. Her case studies explore nuanced intersections of culture, faith, family dynamics, and mental health stigma, offering practitioners both empathy and clinical strategy. Kosi holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland, is licensed in both Maryland and Virginia, and is a member of the Asian American Psychological Association. She also holds a graduate certificate in School Administration & Supervision and an EdD in Entrepreneurial Leadership from Johns Hopkins University, where her capstone work explored equity-focused systems change within educational institutions. Across all her roles—counselor, educator, advocate, and policy advisor—Razia Kosi has shown an unwavering commitment to building compassionate, inclusive communities. Her life’s work has been guided by the principle that mental wellness is a human right, and that culturally rooted care is essential for healing and empowerment.

Kathryn Koval, BSPH ’11
Kathryn Koval is an assistant professor in Emergency Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina. She serves as the director of Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship at MUSC. Following her emergency medicine training at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, she completed a fellowship in Global Emergency Medicine at Stanford University. Since then, she has assiduously pursued her passion for strengthening emergency medicine systems in low- and middle-income countries. She is a dedicated educator and compassionate clinician whose impact has been great. Dr. Koval’s endeavors in global medicine and capacity building have most recently taken her to Uganda, where she has rapidly improved emergency medicine skills and services in regional hospitals where emergency medicine protocols were previously lacking. With extreme cultural competence, a deep concern for her fellow human beings, and a strong belief in public health partnerships, she has made major contributions to the well-being of underserved patients with emergency needs around the world through clinician training, program development, and resource procurement. Even as a young faculty member, Dr. Koval has excelled in her global health work, creating change that has impacted patients rapidly, in settings where change is normally slow. She has expertly combined her medical and public health training to create real change in places that need it most. Her work and her example are subsequently impacting not only the patients who are the beneficiaries of improved care and health system function, but the next generation of learners, including the medical students, emergency medicine residents, and global medicine fellows whom Dr. Koval tirelessly mentors and supports. 

David Ugai, BSPH ’16
David Ugai, DDS, MPH ‘16, MBA, has spent the past seven years in Guinea, where he is training dental students and collaboratively building medical education infrastructure, including state-of-the-art medical and dental training facilities. In 2012, Dr. Ugai first began working as a dentist with the global nonprofit Mercy Ships, an organization that uses hospital ships and volunteer professionals to deliver free specialized surgical care and medical training to build the local healthcare systems with partner nations, focusing on Africa. During his first year with Mercy Ships he recognized the significant need for dentists in Guinea, where it is estimated there are only 3.3 dentists per 100,000 people, a figure one tenth of the global ratio. Dr. Ugai recognized the most pressing issue is addressing this health workforce gap. He returned to Mercy Ships, in 2016, where he served as the lead dentist and in 2018 became the Mercy Ships Country Director Guinea and Dental Specialty Consultant. In 2018, Mercy Ships and Dr. Ugai began a formal partnership with Guinea’s only public dental school, Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry (UGANC), where all dentists in the country are trained. The goal of this partnership is to strengthen medical education through investments in the development of health professions education programs. Prior to the partnership, dental training at the university was often theoretical, with students not receiving practical training until after graduation. In September 2024, Dr. Ugai and his team celebrated the grand opening of a state-of-the-art dental training facility at UGANC, which more than doubles the capacity for dental students to learn, practice, and treat patients while addressing the critical gap in access to dental care. Dr. Ugai played a major role in the growth and development of this dental school, with the implementation of simulation and clinical training. This partnership has expanded to support the development of surgical, obstetric and anesthesia (SOA) specialty education programs. This increased capacity in medical education infrastructure is the result of a strong collaboration between Mercy Ships and multiple stakeholders in Guinea. This training facility not only serves dental students from Guinea but also other African nations such as Benin, Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau, and Sierra Leone, further displaying the impact Dr. Ugai and his team have had across the Africa continent. Over the past 7 years, Dr. Ugai and his team have strengthened existing relationships and continued to build trust within the communities they support in Guinea, and they have helped train approximately 1,200 professionals and conducted or overseen 41,000 dental procedures. These partnerships, the necessary trust, and dedication have resulted in an incredible growth in the medical education infrastructure which will continue to serve students and communities for years in the future.