Our Team

We are a diverse group of innovators, investors, technologists, philanthropists, and global health practitioners coming together with the same goal – solving health security challenges through innovation and impact investment.

Team

Andrew Nerlinger

Executive Director

Dr. Andrew Nerlinger is a physician, venture capital investor, and social impact innovator. He is the Executive Director of the Global Health Security Fund, a Geneva-based nonprofit that supports impact investment in global health security innovation. He is also the Co-founder of PandemicTech, an Austin-based venture philanthropy launched in 2016 that supports health security innovators on the front lines of fighting pandemic infectious disease threats. Andrew is a Venture Partner at Bill Wood Ventures, an Austin-based family office that invests in early stage technology companies, and he previously served as Partner at Vesalius Ventures, a Houston-based telemedicine and digital health venture capital firm. He is a graduate of the Yale University School of Medicine (MD) and the University of Notre Dame (BS, mathematics and philosophy).

Lisa McDonald

President, Board of Directors

Dr. Lisa McDonald is a physician entrepreneur with extensive experience in innovation ecosystem development, technology commercialization, and global health impact investment. She currently serves as President of the Global Health Security Fund (GHS Fund), a Geneva-based nonprofit that supports impact investment in health security innovations with a focus on the Global South. The GHS Fund leverages innovation ecosystem development and investment models that Lisa began developing as co-founder and Managing Director of PandemicTech, an Austin-based firm launched in 2015 that invests in and supports innovators developing technologies to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats. Lisa then founded the Texas Global Health Security Innovation Consortium (TEXGHS), a grassroots innovation ecosystem formed within the University of Texas at Austin that brought together over 100 global technology-focused organizations during the earliest stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lisa served as the Director of Healthcare at Austin Technology Incubator, the longstanding incubator of the University of Texas at Austin, from 2017-2023 where she worked with over 50 startups and graduated 10 portfolio companies following either successful acquisition or funding rounds. Lisa earned a Doctor of Medicine (MD) from Yale University School of Medicine, a Master of Science in Technology Commercialization (MSTC) from the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin.

Bill Wood

Board of Directors

Based in Austin, Texas, Bill Wood is one of the most experienced venture capitalists in Texas. His track record spans over three decades and parallels the emergence of Austin as one of the world’s strongest technology driven economies. He has provided start-up financing, board level guidance and mentoring to dozens of start-ups, several of which have sustained multi-billion dollar market capitalizations.

Bill founded or co-founded two of the most active venture firms in Texas. In 1984, he was one of the original founding partners of Austin Ventures which went on to become the largest firm in the region with over $3 billion of capital under management. In 2006, he founded Silverton Partners which is now the most active venture firm in the state. In 2018, Bill retired from Silverton Partners but continues to invest in early stage companies through his family office (Bill Wood Ventures).

Bill is a past recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur-of-the-Year award. He was also the winner of the Austin Technology Summit’s “Pillar of the Community” award, recognizing his lifetime contribution to the community. Finally, he was the inaugural inductee into the Austin Technology Hall of Fame.

Bill graduated from Brown University, Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude. He received his MBA from Harvard University. Bill has served on the Board of Trustees of Brown University and is a Trustee Emeritus of the University.

Elina Viitaniemi

Board of Directors

Director at ESCA CancerSupport; former Global Health and Innovation Expert at UNAIDS; Co-Founder and manager of the Health Innovation Exchange (HIEx). Experienced international professional, directing a Swiss cancer supper organization. Connecting governments and health response implementers to relevant new technologies and innovations, and supporting the sustainable scale-up and financing of new technologies for health. Skilled at creating connections and facilitating partnerships, passionate about creating transformation at a human level through through kindness, respect and a profound inner change.

Biju Jacob

Lead Advisor for Innovation

Dr. Biju Jacob is an experienced leader in innovation strategy, research infrastructure and startup advisory with a decade of experience in early-stage discovery, clinical research, and regulatory affairs. Academically trained as a medical geneticist and a serial entrepreneur by passion, he has advised 100+ biomedical/healthcare startups in conceptualizing, building, and running new ventures. He is currently Lead Advisor for Innovation at the Global Health Security Fund, a Geneva-based nonprofit that supports impact investment in global health security innovation. He was previously Country Director for India with the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Health Innovation and Investment Exchange, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Narayana Hrudayalaya Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Center, and Group Head for Clinical Research & Healthcare Innovations at Narayana Health. He is a recipient of the BIRAC Innovation 2024 Award, ISBA National Award for Entrepreneurship 2010, and CV Raman Young Scientist Award 2007. He holds a PhD in Human/Medical Genetics and an MS in Biotechnology from Bangalore University.

Luis Ochoa Carrera

Lead Advisor for Biosafety and Biosecurity

Mr. Ochoa currently serves as the High-Containment Lab/Pandemic Safety Manager and Responsible Official for the Select Agent Program for the Office of Environmental Health and Safety at Michigan State University. From October 2019 to June 2021, he worked as the Director of the Epidemiological Surveillance and Research Laboratory Network of the Mexican Institute for Social Security (IMSS) and from March 2013 to October 2019 he served as BSL-3 Lab Coordinator at the National Reference Laboratory in Mexico. He is currently the President of the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA-International) and is a founding member and past President of the Mexican Biosafety Association (AMEXBIO). Mr. Ochoa has served as a mentor of different mentoring programs for Sandia National Laboratories, the Next Generation Global Health Security Network, and the IFBA Mentorship Program. He is also Senior Advisor for PandemicTech, member of the IFBA Board of Directors, and is a Certified Biosafety Professional from IFBA in four disciplines. He holds a Master´s Degree in Public Health Management focused on Biological Risk Management from Universidad del Valle de México.

Darja Könnig

Program Manager

Dr. Darja Könnig is a global health professional with expertise in regenerative medicine, clinical research, and innovation strategy. She currently serves as Program Manager at the Global Health Security Fund (GHS Fund), a Geneva-based nonprofit that supports global health security initiatives through innovation-driven programming.

At the GHS Fund, Darja leads the development and implementation of BioPrevail, a multilateral initiative that advances locally grounded, innovative solutions to biosafety and biosecurity challenges. Her work integrates human-centered design and design thinking methodologies to foster cross-sector collaboration and shape context-responsive approaches to biological risk mitigation.

Prior to this role, Darja supported the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme as a member of the UN-Biorisk Working Group, where she coordinated internal health security activities under the leadership of Dr. Michael J. Ryan.

She also serves on the Board of Directors of the International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance (IRHA), a Geneva-based NGO promoting ecosystem-based adaptation for sustainable water, food, and health security in vulnerable communities.

Darja holds a PhD in Biology and Regenerative Medicine from the Julius Wolff Institute – Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Freie Universität Berlin, as well as an MSc and a degree in Sports Management from Freie Universität Berlin. She is the recipient of a teaching award from the Berlin-Brandenburg School for Regenerative Therapies, and has been recognized for innovation with a ‘Science to Startup’ award from Humboldt Universität and a design prize from Berlin’s first Science Hackathon.

John Arnold

Board of Directors

John Arnold is the Co-founder and Co-chair for Arnold Ventures, a philanthropy dedicated to evidence-based policy solutions that maximize opportunity and minimize injustice. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Meta and of Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

Joana Gonçalves

Office Manager & Project Coordinator

Joana serves as Office Manager at the Global Health Security Fund (GHS Fund), a Geneva-based nonprofit that supports global health security initiatives through innovation-driven programming, and as Project Coordinator for BioPrevail, a multilateral initiative advancing innovative solutions to biosafety and biosecurity challenges.
At the GHS Fund, Joana supports operations, coordination, and cross-team collaboration, ensuring smooth alignment across projects and organizational activities. She brings experience from The Global Fund, where she served as Business Support Officer, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), where she held multiple roles including Project Officer for the “Colline de Pregny” initiative.

Joana began her career at the ICRC, contributing to diplomatic advisory support, visitor services, data and trends analysis, and event organization. She continues to build her professional journey in international project coordination and draws inspiration from working alongside experienced colleagues in the field.

Joana completed a Commercial Apprenticeship in Business Administration, Economics, and Services in Geneva, and has since pursued professional development through courses in project management and change management. She is a firm believer in finding solutions and spreading positivity, values she brings into her professional work and team collaborations.

Eduardo Flores

Grant and Project Manager

Eduardo Flores Mendoza is a project and grant management professional with over a decade of experience leading international initiatives that span sustainability, innovation, and community development. He currently serves as Grant and Project Manager for the BioPREVAIL program at the Global Health Security Fund, where he coordinates the planning and implementation of the BioPREVAIL Built Environment Design Sprint to support diagnostic laboratories in low-resourced settings.

Eduardo brings a strong track record in managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects—from design to execution—including budgeting, donor reporting, stakeholder engagement, and the facilitation of in-person and virtual events. His work has included leading partnerships with public and private sectors, designing entrepreneurship workshops, and delivering innovation-focused programming across continents.

Prior to joining BioPREVAIL, Eduardo held roles at the International AIDS Society, where he oversaw international advocacy projects, managed partnerships with global networks, and facilitated high-level events for industry and civil society actors. He also co-founded and scaled Ligalab – a civil society organization in Mexico dedicated to promote and strengthen civic engagement, and has worked with IUCN and other international NGOs on program development, grant oversight, and sustainability-focused initiatives.

Eduardo holds a Master of Science in Design for Sustainable Development from Chalmers University of Technology, a Master’s in Public Administration, and a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture. He is a Professional Fellow in Environmental Sustainability by the US Department of State, and he is fluent in English, Spanish, and French.

Ambassadors

Laura and John Arnold

Ambassadors

Laura and John are the Founders and Co-Chairs of Arnold Ventures, a philanthropy dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through evidence-based policy solutions that maximize opportunity and minimize injustice. They believe philanthropy should be transformational and should seek through innovation to solve persistent problems in society. As co-founders, Laura and John actively engage in the organization’s overall direction and daily execution. Laura is an attorney and a former oil company executive. John is an investor.

Senior Fellows

Rica Zinsky

Senior Fellow

Rica Zinsky is a biologist with extensive international experience in research, diagnostics, and global health. She studied biology at the University of Greifswald and conducted research at the Fritz Lipmann Institute in Jena and in an institute of pathology.

Her professional background includes work in both academic and applied laboratory settings, with a strong focus on infectious diseases and laboratory safety. She completed a fellowship with the European Respiratory Society in Turin, where she specialized in tumor biology and cytogenetics. During and after the Ebola outbreak, she worked for Public Health England (now UKHSA) in a laboratory in Sierra Leone, contributing to frontline diagnostic efforts and capacity building under challenging conditions.

Rica worked for the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop the 4th edition of the Laboratory Biosafety Manual and the 2nd edition of the Laboratory Biosecurity Guidance, helping to shape international standards for safe and secure laboratory practices. Currently, she is a Senior Fellow at the Global Health Security Fund.

Jade Mason

Senior Fellow, In Memoriam

Jade Mason was an expert in Health Security and a Senior Fellow at the Global Health Security Fund. Jade worked at the World Health Organization (WHO) Headquarters in the Health Emergency Programme’s Executive Office, under the leadership of Executive Director Dr. Michael J. Ryan. Her work primarily focused on strategic and policy matters related to Health Security, particularly on biological risks.

Prior to joining WHO, Jade completed a Master of Science in Global Health at the University of Geneva, where she specialised in One Health capacity in fragile contexts. She then spent an additional year at the University as a researcher, furthering her work by concentrating on building innovative community-led solutions to address One Health challenges in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya.

Additionally, Jade held a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Human Anatomy and Public Health and a Bachelor of Commerce degree with majors in Management and Economics.

Join the GHS Fund Team

Contact us to explore opportunities to join the GHS Fund team and learn more about how you can support innovative solutions to global health security challenges.