Clinics IV Life Welcomes New Directors to Its Executive Board

JULY 02, 2023, AUSTIN, TX – Clinics IV Life, a Texas-based nonprofit led by a global team of global humanitarians working to counter the climbing rate of maternal mortality in emerging nations, is proud to announce the appointments of Kemi Olugemo, MD FAAN and Hesham A. Hassaballa, MD, FCCP, FAASM to the nonprofit’s Board of Directors. The appointments are to take immediate effect.

KEMI OLUGEMO, MD FAAN

Dr. Olugemo is a physician scientist, and philanthropist who believes that purpose should drive the decisions and impact we all make in the world. Her work is devoted to advancing global health and gender equity. Dr. Olugemo is on numerous nonprofit boards, including developing and implementing the communication strategy for Women of Color in Pharma (WOCIP) and founding a nonprofit organization to support indigent healthcare in West Africa (Zebulon Foundation, Inc.).

During the past two decades, Dr. Olugemo has also been involved in healthcare policy, patient advocacy, community education initiatives, and developing life-changing medicines for people with rare and ultra-rare neurological diseases.

Dr. Olugemo is Vice President, Global Clinical Development at Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, a member of the Scientific Committee of the International Society for CNS Clinical Trials and Methodology (ISCTM), Co-Chair of the COVID-19 ISCTM/ECNP Joint Working Group, and serves on the Physician Research Council (PRC) for Circuit Clinical and the Leadership Council of CNS Summit. In addition, Dr. Olugemo has created a nonprofit in Africa that serves the healthcare needs of the underprivileged. You can view the project, Zebulon Foundation here

Connect with Dr. Olugemo on LinkedIn

HESHAM A. HASSABALLA, MD FCCP FAASM

Hesham Hassaballa, MD, FCCP, FAASM, is a practicing Intensivist with 17+ years of clinical practice. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine. Dr. Hassaballa is Regional Medical Director for Sound Physicians’ Critical Care Practice in the Midwest, overseeing clinical operations in multiple ICU programs. He is the Medical Director of both Critical Care and Respiratory Therapy at Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora, IL. At Rush-Copley, Dr. Hassaballa chairs numerous hospital committees, is part of the Medical Staff Leadership, and has delivered solid improvements in process and outcome metrics, including ICU length of stay, hospital length of stay of ICU patients, and mortality.

Dr. Hassaballa is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Course Director for Rush University Medical Center, Assistant Professor of Medicine for the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center College of Medicine, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine for Drexel University. He serves as a peer reviewer for the Society of Critical Care Medicine. He has presented research several times at national meetings and published numerous articles in peer-reviewed medical journals.

Dr. Hassaballa is a noted author, with articles appearing in newspapers and websites globally. He has published a medical thriller, “Code Blue,” and recently released, “How Not To Kill Somone in the ICU,” which offers his Top 10 tips for helping patients survive the ICU.

Connect with Dr. Hassaballa on LinkedIn

DISRUPTING CHARITABLE HEALTHCARE

The unique clinic model developed by Clinics IV Life relies on a shared practice agreement and donor partnerships that ensure its clinics are self-sustaining, removing the need for the continued use of donor funds beyond construction and equipping a site.

“Projects that rely on an annual donation cycle have proven ineffective in providing long-term solutions for the issues they seek to address. They typically do not integrate effectively with in-country health systems. This historic donor-reliant form of aid is both wasteful and unsustainable, creating unhealthy dependencies in the very patient demographics it seeks to assist,” says Robert Turner, founder of Clinics IV Life, on why creating self-sustaining charitable care is critical to improving the long-term outcomes of disadvantaged communities.

Unlike traditional charitable models, Clinics for Life does not seek funding from the general public. 

“We form close corporate partnerships with companies that serve the maternal and newborn health markets and share our vision. Our clinic model offers the best ROI in terms of corporate giving. We pair each clinic with a corporate partner, and for a single donation, a company can generate more than 30 years of health impact in a community. It’s a gift that keeps on giving, both for the patients and the donors,” says Kemi Olugemo, chair of Clinics IV Life’s Fundraising Board, on their approach to funding.

ABOUT MATERNAL AND INFANT MORTALITY

Every minute of every day, around the globe, four newborns die; every two minutes, an expectant woman dies, often in childbirth. It is estimated that 85% of these deaths, primarily occurring in developing countries, are avoidable with access to proper medical care. In India alone last year, 2.7 million babies were stillborn, and nearly 600 thousand died in their first month.

Historically, women suffer more from health inequalities and require more complex medical interventions than their male counterparts on a more frequent basis. Access to procedures taken for granted in developed nations, like ultrasounds and fetal monitoring, are luxuries in developing countries, only affordable to those with money. 

ABOUT CLINICS IV LIFE

Clinics IV Life was created specifically to address these health inequities that are commonplace in emerging nations. Their hybrid clinic model overcomes continued reliance on donor funding by creating self-sustaining businesses, obviating the need for financial donor support to ensure the ongoing success of each clinic. Donor funds are only utilized for the construction and equipping of a clinic.

Clinics IV Life views every element of the patient-provider ecosystem as being of equal value and places great emphasis on ensuring its doctors, nurses, and staff can serve their patients in a safe, secure, and welcoming environment while having access to the latest medical technology and training and a global network of knowledge provided by colleagues who selflessly volunteer their time and skills.

The Clinics IV Life Boards include physicians, pharmacists, psychologists, public health professionals, and business leaders who have brought their knowledge, connections, and resources to this needed cause.  

Find out more by visiting: https://clinics4life.com/

Media Contacts:

Kemi Olugemo, MD, FAAN
Board Chair, Fundraising
Cell: +1 (571) 425-8111
Email: kemi.olugemo@clinics4life.com

Gil Bashe
Board Chair, Executive
Cell: +1 (732) 371-0922
Email: gil.bashe@finnpartners.com