Biography
From pharmacy and pharmaceutical supply chains in Kenya, to senior leadership in global health programs, to Cabinet Secretary for Health and Permanent Representative of Kenya to UN-Habitat.
Early Career
Before entering public service, Susan Nakhumicha built her career inside the systems that keep healthcare running, including procurement, warehousing, distribution, contracting and grants management at some of Kenya's and the world's leading health institutions.
Early career
Her professional journey began in pharmaceutical supply chains at MEDS, a joint venture of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Christian Health Association of Kenya. Working on the sourcing and distribution of essential medicines and supplies to faith-based health facilities across the country, she gained a first-hand understanding of how dependable supply systems determine whether patients actually receive care.
Private healthcare
She went on to serve in supply-chain and operations roles at The Nairobi Women's Hospital, a specialist healthcare network, where she strengthened procurement practices, inventory management and service delivery within a fast-growing private hospital group.
Global practice
Her exposure to global pharmaceutical practice deepened at Pfizer, one of the world's largest biopharmaceutical companies, through experience in commercial operations, compliance standards and the discipline of a multinational quality-driven environment.
Healthcare networks
At AAR Healthcare, a leading provider of outpatient and emergency medical services in East Africa, she contributed to the systems and logistics that keep a multi-clinic network running, from procurement and contracting to the movement of supplies between facilities.
Development & research
She held a senior supply chain leadership role at UCSF Global Programs for Research and Training, where she managed grants funded supply chains supporting health programs, combining donor compliance, forecasting, distribution and performance management in programs delivering care at national scale.
Education & Professional Development
Her education combines the sciences of health with the disciplines of management, pharmacy and healthcare knowledge joined to procurement, supply-chain management, leadership and administration, and continuously deepened through professional training in grants management and quality-management systems.
Foundational education in pharmacy and the health sciences, grounding her career in a clinical understanding of medicines, medical commodities and the people who depend on them.
Professional training in procurement and supply chain management, the discipline at the core of her career, spanning strategic sourcing, contracting, logistics, inventory and distribution systems.
Advanced study in healthcare management and administration, pairing operational expertise with the governance, finance and leadership capabilities required to run institutions.
Continuing professional development in leadership and administration, alongside training in grants management and quality management systems, including institutional policies, procurement manuals and standard operating procedures.
Professional Expertise
«Leadership is most meaningful when expertise is transformed into service and service into lasting impact.»
