Health Systems · Innovation · Implementation
Dr. Cherise Dunn
Healthcare Innovation & Management Advisor helping institutions turn health innovation into financially viable, strategically governed, implementation-ready models.
Dr. Cherise Dunn advises health systems, universities, funders, public institutions, and innovation partners on strategy, organisational performance, quality improvement, partnership governance, and implementation readiness across healthcare innovation, education, and institutional partnerships.
Financial viability
Assessing financial health, resource trade-offs, and whether an innovation is viable to implement.
Organisational performance
Evaluating the teams, structures, processes, and conditions needed to sustain delivery.
Strategy and governance
Clarifying priorities, roles, decision rights, and implementation pathways.
Quality and innovation
Using quality-improvement and entrepreneurship methods to address unmet public-health needs.
Selected institutions, partners, platforms, and recognition
A curated public record of institutional affiliations, advisory contexts, media references, speaking platforms, partnerships, and recognition linked to health innovation, management, and implementation.
Who Dr. Dunn advises
Advisory support for institutions and leaders making decisions about health innovation strategy, health management, governance, resource viability, partnerships, and implementation.
Universities and research partners
Funders and innovation programmes
Public-sector and multilateral partners
Boards and advisory committees
Media and convening platforms
Why institutions work with Dr. Dunn
Why institutions work with Dr. Dunn
Dr. Dunn helps institutions assess whether health innovation ideas are strategically sound, financially viable, operationally realistic, and credible to implement.
Academic and management foundation
Dr. Dunn combines Harvard Health Management training with PhD-level biomedical science expertise to support evidence appraisal, healthcare finance, organisational performance, governance, and quality improvement.
Implementation judgement
She helps leaders pressure-test whether programmes, partnerships, technologies, or funded initiatives have the operating model, stakeholders, risks, resources, and quality conditions needed to move from ambition to delivery.
Institutional credibility
Her work across universities, public institutions, innovation ecosystems, and international platforms gives institutions a credible external perspective on what can be built, supported, scaled, or deprioritised.
Strategic storytelling
Dr. Dunn helps institutions translate complex health, technology, and implementation ideas into clear, credible narratives for decision-makers, funders, partners, and public audiences.
Advisory engagements
Advisory engagements
Advisory and consulting engagements for institutions that need health-management discipline, strategic clarity, governance perspective, quality-improvement judgement, and implementation experience.
Health innovation strategy and implementation review
For institutions assessing whether a health innovation, programme, partnership, or funded initiative is strategically sound, financially viable, operationally realistic, and ready for delivery.
Typical outputs
- Strategic-readiness review
- Resource and financial considerations
- Operating-model assessment
- Stakeholder and risk map
- Implementation roadmap
Healthcare management and organisational performance advisory
For health systems, universities, funders, and public institutions seeking external perspective on governance, team structures, delivery processes, quality-improvement priorities, and performance conditions.
Typical outputs
- Organisational-performance review
- Governance recommendations
- Quality-improvement priorities
- Team and process assessment
- Leadership briefing
Partnership, programme, and ecosystem design
For institutions building cross-sector health initiatives that require funder alignment, partner roles, decision rights, implementation governance, and credible delivery pathways.
Typical outputs
- Partnership architecture
- Programme model
- Role and responsibility map
- Decision-rights framework
- Stakeholder briefing
Additional advisory contexts
These advisory formats can be applied to responsible technology adoption, health-equity implementation, medical-device innovation, digital health manufacturing, public-sector innovation programmes, and cross-sector health partnerships.
Context areas
- Responsible AI adoption
- Digital health manufacturing
- Health-equity implementation
- Medical-device innovation
- Public-sector innovation programmes
- Cross-sector health partnerships
Health-management experience in practice
Health-management experience in practice
Selected founder-operator and advisory experience applying health-management judgement to quality improvement, operational redesign, organisational delivery, implementation readiness, partnership development, and ecosystem capability-building.
Financial and resource viability
- Secured international research-grant support for in vitro diagnostic design, prototyping, and manufacturing.
- Supported funding applications for training and capability-building interventions.
- Contributed to sustained commercial growth over a multi-year period.
Organisational and implementation performance
- Co-founded and operated healthcare innovation initiatives across diagnostics, medical devices, orthotics, surgical guides, and anatomical education models.
- Helped translate innovation credibility into operating models, implementation planning, and delivery discipline.
- Supported practical implementation pathways for health innovation, manufacturing readiness, and emerging-market delivery.
Partnerships, governance, and ecosystem capability
- Built partnerships across technology, university, public-sector, and funder stakeholders.
- Helped shape collaborations across universities, public-sector institutions, technology platforms, and funders.
- Facilitated and mentored entrepreneurs through design-thinking, digital-skills, and innovation programmes.
Advisory experience and institutional credibility
Advisory experience and institutional credibility
Selected advisory and institutional engagement experience across public health, innovation, government, academia, and cross-sector partnerships.
Policy and institutional advisory input
Experience contributing to policy and implementation dialogue on healthcare infrastructure, accountable innovation adoption, workforce development, and health-system strengthening.
Senior briefings and convenings
Dr. Dunn has engaged senior leaders across government, academia, and innovation ecosystems on health technology, education partnerships, and inclusive capability-building.
Cross-sector partnership development
Experience building partnerships across universities, public institutions, innovation ecosystems, and technical partners to support implementation-focused health and education initiatives.
Public platform
Manufacturing Indaba 2022
Manufacturing Indaba 2022 plenary discussion on building an inclusive and sustainable economy.
Public platform
Nedbank YouthX Summit
Public innovation platform focused on technology, youth entrepreneurship, and using technology for good.
Media interview
Startup20 Forum, Macapa, Brazil
Media interview during the Startup20 Forum for the G20 Meeting in Macapa, Brazil, in the context of partnership discussions with regional education and health stakeholders.
Festival platform
Africa Tech Festival
Plenary discussion on Talent and Skills as Critical Enablers of Africa 4.0, advocating a holistic approach that integrates innovative technologies, talent development, and robust healthcare systems.
Selected engagements
Named examples of senior institutional dialogue and hosted visits connected to health technology, education, diplomacy, and capability-building.
Jun 2022
U.S. Embassy South Africa
Participated in a health-innovation briefing involving Wendy Sherman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, on emerging technologies and bilateral health-sector partnership opportunities.
Dec 2022
White House OSTP
Shared perspectives with Dr Alondra Nelson, Acting Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, on point-of-care manufacturing, healthcare access, and health equity.
Mar 2023
U.S. educational and cultural diplomacy
Participated in an exchange with Assistant Secretary Lee Satterfield of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs on technology, cultural exchange, and healthcare capability-building.
Jul 2023
Stanford University
Hosted Prof Sarah Church, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at Stanford University, to showcase Stanford–Africa Makes collaboration in design thinking, 3D printing, peer mentorship, and youth capability-building.
2022–2023
Sister Cities International Africa Summit
Co-led the technology and innovation cluster for the Cape Town and Miami-Dade County Sister Cities initiative, convening public-sector, investor, academic, entrepreneurial, and business stakeholders around trade, investment, and innovation opportunities.
Public voice and institutional commentary
Public voice and institutional commentary
Selected talks, authored commentary, institutional profiles, and media features showing Dr. Dunn’s ability to communicate health innovation, management, implementation, and emerging-market capability-building to public, academic, and institutional audiences.
Featured public talks and video platforms
TEDx Cape Town
Made for Africa. Made in Africa: 3D Printing for Development
TEDx talk on additive manufacturing, health innovation, and context-specific technology pathways from Africa.
Watch TEDx talk
YouthX
Nedbank YouthX Changemaker feature
Public campaign role focused on technology, innovation, and mentoring young entrepreneurs using technology for good.
Watch YouthX videoFeatured institutional commentary
Institutional speaking
When Health Systems Are Under Pressure: Rethinking Health Innovation from Africa
Stanford Center for African Studies event on health systems under pressure and rethinking health innovation from Africa.
View Stanford event
Authored commentary
NHI: Innovations could help universal healthcare become a reality
Authored commentary on how innovation could support universal healthcare implementation in South Africa.
Read article
Institutional profile
Dr. Cherise Dunn | Harvard Center for African Studies
Harvard profile documenting Dr. Dunn’s health innovation, public-health, and Africa-focused platform experience.
View profileMedia and health-tech features
Media feature
Brand Eins
Brand Eins feature on digitalisation, innovation, and additive manufacturing, highlighting Dr. Dunn’s work with South Africa Makes in healthcare and emerging-market capability-building.
Video feature
Cape Health Tech Innovators
Wesgro video profile on Dr. Dunn, South Africa Makes, and health-tech innovation in the Western Cape.
Watch videoAdditional talks and convenings
Government keynote
Western Cape Government keynote
Keynote address to the Western Cape Government Department of Economic Development and Tourism on 3D printing, healthcare innovation, and socio-economic development priorities.
Executive leadership and institutional roles
Executive leadership and institutional roles
Selected leadership roles, public convenings, and platform engagements showing Dr. Dunn’s experience in operational governance, strategic partnerships, stakeholder accountability, public-health innovation, and venture ecosystem-building.
Leadership roles
Operational governance and stakeholder accountability
As Chair of Operations of the Harvard Graduate Council, Dr. Dunn represented the interests of more than 20,000 Harvard graduate students across 12 professional schools, stewarding operational governance, stakeholder accountability, and cross-school collaboration.
Public-health innovation partnerships
As Executive Director of Partnerships for the Harvard Chan Public Health Innovation and Technology Club, Dr. Dunn managed strategic partnership development for public-health innovation programming.
Venture and investment ecosystem leadership
As Director of Partnerships for the MIT Media Lab AI Ventures Leadership Council, Dr. Dunn enabled partnership and investment engagement for the AI Ventures cohort, supporting founder development and partnership pathways.
Global platforms, recognition, and media-backed honours
Global platforms, recognition, and media-backed honours
Selected global platforms, honours, distinctions, and media-backed recognition reflecting Dr. Dunn’s public profile across healthcare innovation, entrepreneurship, women in STEM, digital manufacturing, and emerging-market capability-building.
Platform context
BRICS Young Innovator Forum
BRICS forum bringing together young innovators around entrepreneurship, technology, and emerging-market innovation.
Global innovation platform
G20 Brasil
Startup20 engagement in Amapá, Brazil, within the G20 dialogue on entrepreneurship and innovation.
YouthX platform
YouthX Live
Nedbank YouthX stage focused on technology, innovation, and practical pathways for young entrepreneurs.
Changemaker profile
Nedbank Changemaker
Nedbank profile feature highlighting innovation, entrepreneurship, and public-facing changemaker storytelling.
Recognition and media-backed honours
Leadership program
International Visitor Leadership Program
Alumna of the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program for Women in Entrepreneurship.
Feature
Leading Ladies Africa
Feature recognising African women contributing to innovation, leadership, and practical change across the continent.
Recognition
Inspiring Fifty South Africa
Recognition as one of South Africa’s inspiring women in STEM and technology leadership.
Recognition
Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans
Profile in the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans list under Business & Entrepreneurship.
Feature
Top Women Leaders feature
South African women-in-leadership feature profiling Dr. Dunn’s innovation and entrepreneurship work.
Company feature
Fast Company South Africa Most Innovative Companies 2021
Company feature recognising South Africa Makes in Fast Company South Africa’s Most Innovative Companies coverage.
Feature
Wesgro Pioneers in the Health Tech Industry
Wesgro publication profiling Dr. Dunn and South Africa Makes in the Western Cape health-tech sector.
Venture recognition
UCT GSB Solution Space
Winner of Most Potential / Innovative Business in the Solution Space Impact Venture Incubation Programme.
Academic and leadership development
Development
Harvard MPH Research Grant
Research grant supporting applied public-health and health-management work at Stanford University.
Fellowship
Harvard South Africa Fellow
Selected fellowship supporting advanced study and leadership development at Harvard.
Leadership development
Harvard Public Health Leadership Lab
Leadership development focused on public-health practice, communication, and institutional impact.
Fellowship
Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Fellow
Research fellowship supporting doctoral training in cancer research.
Engagement fit
Engagement fit
A quick guide to the advisory, board, speaking, and partnership inquiries that tend to be the strongest fit.
Best-fit engagements
Strategic engagements with a defined decision context, stakeholder group, timeline, and intended outcome. Strong fits include health innovation strategy, governance, quality improvement, implementation readiness, partnership design, and capability-building.
Typical formats
Advisory consultations, strategic reviews, executive briefings, board or advisory committee discussions, speaking engagements, workshops, and partnership-scoping conversations.
Useful context to include
For a productive advisory conversation, include the organisation, decision context, stakeholder group, timeline, governance or implementation question, and intended outcome.
For advisory, consulting, board, speaking, or institutional partnership inquiries, use the inquiry form below or email hello@cherisedunn.com.
Contact
Work with Dr. Dunn
Strategic advisory for institutions making health innovation, governance, funding, partnership, and implementation decisions that require management discipline and executive judgement.
For health systems, universities, funders, boards, public institutions, and innovation partners assessing programmes, partnerships, funding decisions, quality-improvement priorities, or implementation pathways.
Required fields are marked with . Please share enough context for an informed response. If the form cannot confirm delivery, use the direct email fallback below.
Credential documentation and selected references can be provided for formal board, advisory committee, funder, or institutional due-diligence processes.