Board of Directors

Dr. Gifty Kwakye, MD, MPH, is the Arthur W. Fleming, M.D. Research Professor and a Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery in the Division of Colorectal Surgery at the University of Michigan. She received her medical degree from Yale University in 2010 and holds a Master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopkins. Dr. Kwakye's research interests include understanding the local factors that contribute to pelvic floor disorders and recto-vaginal fistulas in developing countries and improving access to surgical care. Dr. Kwakye helped to establish the program to support the development and advancement of colorectal surgery training in Ghana and other regions in need.

Lyen C. Huang, MD, MPH, FACS, FASCRS, is an Assistant Professor of Surgery with adjunct appointments in Family & Preventative Medicine and Population Health Sciences at the University of Utah. Dr. Huang received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Stanford University and his Master of Public Health degree from the University of Cape Town. He completed General Surgery Residency at Stanford and a fellowship in Colon and Rectal Surgery at the Mayo Clinic. He has received funding from NCATS and the NIH HEAL Initiative. His research uses behavior change and implementation science to improve peri-operative opioid stewardship and community health.

Dr. Lowry, a colorectal surgeon, is Adjunct Professor of Surgery at the University of
Minnesota. In 2005, Dr. Lowry was the President of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. Clinically she cared for patients with a full spectrum of colorectal
conditions with a particular interest in pelvic floor disorders. Active in surgical education
for her entire career, she is also passionate about mentorship and serves as a mentor
to practicing surgeons, trainees, and students through various organizations. Her
efforts now focus on using her clinical, educational, and leadership experience to build capacity in low- and middle-income countries.

Dr. Jonathan A. Laryea, Professor of Surgery at UAMS, holds the Nolie & Norma
Mumey Endowed Chair in surgery. He serves as Division Chief of Colorectal Surgery
and Medical Director of the Cancer Service Line at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer
Institute. He is board certified in general surgery, colorectal surgery, and clinical
informatics. He also holds a Master’s degree in Biomedical Informatics. Dr. Laryea is a
member of various surgical associations, and has clinical interests in minimally invasive
and robotic surgery. His research focuses on racial disparities, biomedical informatics,
and machine learning/artificial intelligence. He actively participates in global surgery
initiatives across Africa.

Ashley Duby, MS is an experienced project manager with over 17 years of experience.  She has a Master’s degree in organizational leadership for business administrators and has a proven track record of successfully managing diverse research portfolios within large academic institutions, non-profit organizations, educational workshops, and other large events.

A second-year undergraduate Neuroscience student at the University of Michigan, Anastasia serves as the Director of Marketing for the UM Global Surgery Student Alliance chapter, and has since worked with her committee on maintaining the website of the Global Colorectal Surgery Education initiative. In the past, she has worked on logo and flyer design for a current project in Rwanda, and is involved in a handful of global-work oriented student organizations on campus, such as M-HEAL!