Meet the people building this.
Led by lived experience. Governed by clinical rigor. Held up by neighbors.
Somaneh “Bouba” Diemé
Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer
Bouba received a heart transplant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in October 2022 after six years on the transplant waiting list and nearly six years living with a mechanical heart pump. He is Malian Senegalese, grew up in Mali, and built his career across South Africa and the United States before founding Heart of a Giant in Boston.
He founded this organization because he knows what it means to navigate a health system that was not built with you in mind, and because he believes the community relationships that sustained him through his own illness are the most powerful health intervention available.
He leads HGF’s vision, external partnerships, and fundraising, and signs every note the same way: In health.
Named. Unposed. At work.
Cil Weekes-Cabey
Health Operations Manager
Patricia Nunn, RN
Lead Health Coach
Cherise Moore
Project Manager
Deanna
Program Development
Shirline
Behavioral Health and Social Work
Stacey Brown
People Operations Manager
Arpoo Eisendrath
Accounting Manager
Roseline Giglio
Financial Manager
Angella Henry
Development and Engagement Manager
Olarinde Williams
Grants Coordinator
Melissa Richardson
Communications and Marketing
Bilal Khan
System Administrator
Not a trophy wall. A working governance body.
Clinicians, public health leaders, and community practitioners who believe that community health infrastructure is essential, not optional.
Dr. Malika Fair, MD MPH FACEP
Board President | Association of American Medical Colleges
Emergency physician and health equity leader. Dr. Fair brings national health equity policy expertise and a deep commitment to the communities HGF serves.
Dr. Emefah Loccoh, MD
Board Member | Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Cardiologist bridging the clinical and community sides of HGF's work.
Olivia Thomas, MS RDN LDN
Board Member | Director of Nutrition and Nutrition Innovation, Boston Medical Center
Deep expertise in food, culture, and health equity. Understands how nutrition intersects with cardiometabolic risk in the communities HGF serves.
Lawrence Vinson III
Board Member | The CLVT Firm
Organizational and strategic leadership expertise supporting HGF's governance and long-term institutional development.
Laura Randall, CFRE
Secretary | Certified Fundraising Professional
Deep roots in the Boston nonprofit ecosystem. Supports HGF's development strategy and donor relationships.
Somaneh "Bouba" Diemé
Founder Director | Heart of a Giant Foundation
“HGF is filling a gap our system has never been designed to close. These aren't just screenings. They are sustained relationships between community members and trusted health advocates. The clinical outcomes are remarkable.”
Dr. Emefah Loccoh, MD, Cardiologist, Brigham and Women's Hospital, HGF Board Member
Serious expertise. Shared belief.
Our advisors are clinicians, researchers, public health leaders, and innovators who bring deep expertise to the work and share our belief that community health infrastructure deserves serious investment.
Desirée Allen
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Prof. Joe Amadi-Echendu
University of Pretoria
Dr. Jocelyn Carter
MGH and Harvard Medical School
Dr. Ousmane Dieye
Cabinet de Cardiologie SAKINA
Dr. Lauren Eberly MD MPH
University of Pennsylvania
Matt Houston
Boston Scientific
Prof. James Intriligator
Tufts University
Dr. Saba Islam MD
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Dr. Neal Lakdawala MD MBA
Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Dr. Lucas Marinacci MD
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Myrtise Maurice MSW MPH LICSW
Perspectives Health Services
Prof. Kevin Oye
Tufts Gordon Institute
Benjamin Perkins
Upstream Impact Solutions
Dr. Nicole Singh MD
Sislen and Associates
Dr. Judith Thermidor
Age Strong Boston
We are building a governance body that reflects the ambition of this work.
If you are a clinician, researcher, community practitioner, or organizational leader who believes community health infrastructure deserves serious investment and serious governance, we would like to hear from you.
Get in touch →One door, placed where you are ready