Dr. Zerihun Tadesse, member of the Health Campaign Effectiveness Coalition Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), was recently interviewed by the Task Force for Global Health about the importance of compassion in the fight against NTDs.
“I found compassionate leadership as a gateway to working smarter, to excel, and to maintain my interest,” said Zerihun. “If I work harder and harder, the risk of burnout would be very high, and there is no way for me to give compassion to others when I’m not taking care of myself. I really want to belong to the modern leaders and the best way is to be a compassionate leader.”
In the interview, Dr. Tadesse discusses the challenges of the past two years, as well as the difference that compassion and human connection can make.
“Little things make a lot of difference. It works very well if you first connect as human beings before you connect as coworkers,” said Dr. Tadesse.
Dr. Zerihun Tadesse is the Country Representative for Ethiopia at the Carter Center. He has practiced for nearly 30 years, serving as a general practitioner, psychiatrist, and as Director of Disease Prevention and Control for Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health before joining the Carter Center in 2009. As the organization’s country representative, he oversees numerous programs on neglected tropical diseases, including trachoma, river blindness, lymphatic filariasis and guinea worm.