Desmond Jumbam || Accra, Ghana

Health Policy Consultant, Operation Smile

Hello, I am Desmond Jumbam but my friends call me Des. I was born in Cameroon, studied in the United States and lived there for nine years. I now live and work in the beautiful city of Accra in Ghana. I’ve always wanted to help improve healthcare in Cameroon and Africa and so I studied biology pre-med at Taylor University in Indiana with the goal of becoming a medical doctor. However, after studying and experiencing the systemic challenges in delivering healthcare in Cameroon and other developing countries, I decided to study global public health at the University of Notre Dame (2015-16) with a focus on health systems strengthening and health policy. I worked for three years as a health policy analyst at the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change at Harvard Medical School and now with an NGO called Operation Smile working to strengthen surgical systems in developing countries. Also, after suffering a tragic loss recently, my mother and I have started a Foundation to contribute to peace building in Cameroon. I’m fascinated by how people who have gone through particularly traumatic experiences are able to rise from these painful experiences and use them to create positive change in the world. I very much look forward to facilitating this course and learning from everyone on strategies towards a purposeful, flourishing and fulfilling life.