Dr. Shawna Novak

Shawna Novak, MD, MA, MMSc-GHD, FRSPH is the Executive Director of the Canada International Scientific Exchange Program (CISEPO). She has over 25 years of experience in health system strengthening and peacebuilding through her work with the Canada International Scientific Exchange Program (CISEPO), Harvard Medical School, the Canadian Red Cross, and the World Health Organization. Her initiatives have received support from organizations such as Ashoka Changemakers, United Way, the Fund for Innovation and Transformation (FIT), and Global Affairs Canada.

Dr. Novak earned her master's degree from Harvard Medical School and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine. She is a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and an associate faculty member at Ariadne Labs in Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Additionally, she has served as a clinical public health advisor for the Global Health Unit of the Canadian Red Cross and as a consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO) in the MENA region. Her clinical background is in internal medicine and cardiology, and she holds designations in public health, and disaster and humanitarian relief.

Her work employs a systems-based and person-centered approach to improve access to care, particularly in conflict-affected and resource-limited settings. She specializes in health system innovation utilizing digital interventions, AI, and telehealth, and focuses on health workforce training and implementation science to address gaps in translating evidence into practice. Her projects often emphasize multilateral engagement and global communities of practice that address capabilities and capacity building.

Dr. Novak serves on the boards and committees of several international organizations, including the CIHR anti-racism committee, Elira-Avicena regional (eastern Mediterranean) expert group on SRHR, Women for Dignity and Development Foundation, the Canada Afghanistan Association of Health Professionals, the Save a Child's Heart Foundation Advisory Committee, the WHO Civil Society Advisory Commission, the WHO Migrant and Refugee Health Technical Advisory Group, and the International Association for Healthcare Communication and Marketing.