Stanford University

Navigating the Trade-Offs of Technological Innovations in Healthcare: Enhancing Provider Skills and Patient Outcomes

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Flyer for AHPP event: Navigating Trade-Offs of Technological Innovation in Healthcare

Co-sponsored by Peking University's Institute for Global Health and Development and the Asia Health Policy Program

This event delves into the complex landscape of technological advancements in healthcare, focusing on the critical balance between embracing innovative tools and managing their implications for provider skills and patient outcomes. It presents two pivotal papers that collectively shed light on the nuanced trade-offs inherent in the adoption of new technologies like robotic surgery. The first paper utilizes a Roy model to articulate the coexistence of new and incumbent technologies, emphasizing the trade-offs between different quality dimensions and productivity. The second paper examines the adoption of surgical robots in England's healthcare system. It offers an insightful analysis of how such technologies can bridge the skill gap among healthcare providers, potentially leading to more equitable patient outcomes. The study underscores a significant variance in the benefits of robotic surgery based on the surgeon's expertise, highlighting an uneven landscape of technology utilization. Through these discussions, the event aims to navigate the intricate interplay between technological innovation, healthcare provider skill enhancement, and the ultimate goal of improved patient care.

Breg 20240312

Nathaniel Breg earned his PhD at Carnegie Mellon University and his BA at Tufts University. His interest in health care providers intersects with questions from labor economics and industrial organization. Nate's current research investigates how providers respond to incentives, how they decide to adopt new technology, and how health care services affect local economies and local health. He is a 2020-2021 recipient of the Fellowship in Digital Health from CMU's Center for Machine Learning and Health. He previously worked at RTI International on evaluations of government health care initiatives, prospective payment systems, and health care delivery quality measures.

Tafti 20240312

Elena Ashtari Tafti is an applied microeconomist working on topics at the intersection of innovation, health, and personnel economics. In September 2023, she joined the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich as an Assistant Professor in Economics. Elena holds a PhD in Economics from University College London and is a Scholar at the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) and the Centre for Microdata Methods and Practice (CeMMAP).

 

Jianan Yang, Assistant Professor of Economics, Institute for Global Health and Development, Peking University

Via Zoom Webinar

Nathaniel Breg, Postdoctoral Scholar, Stanford University; and the U.S. Veterans Health Administration
Elena Ashtari Tafti, Assistant Professor, Ludwig Maximillian University
Seminars

Procurement Institutions and Essential Drug Supply in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (In-person seminar)

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Flyer for the talk "Procurement Institutions and Essential Drug Supply in Low- and Middle-Income Countries" with headshot of speaker Lucy Xiaolu Wang.

Note: This talk is also offered as a virtual webinar on April 4 at 6 p.m.

International procurement institutions have played an important role in drug supply. This paper studies price, delivery, and procurement lead time of drug supply for major infectious diseases (antiretrovirals, antimalarials, antituberculosis, and antibiotics) in 106 developing countries from 2007-2017 across four procurement institution types. We find that pooled procurement institutions lower prices: pooling internationally is most effective for small buyers and more concentrated markets, and pooling within-country is most effective for large buyers and less concentrated markets. Pooling can reduce delays, but at the cost of longer anticipated procurement lead times. Finally, pooled procurement is more effective for older-generation drugs, compared to intellectual property licensing institutions that focus on newer, patented drugs. We corroborate the findings using multiple identification strategies, including an instrumental variable strategy, the Altonji-Elder-Taber-Oster method, and reduced-form demand estimation. Our results suggest that the optimal mixture of procurement institutions depends on the trade-off between costs and urgency of need, with pooled international procurement institutions particularly valuable when countries can plan well ahead of time.

Coauthor: Nahim Bin Zahur (Queen’s University).

Lucy Xiaolu Wang 040424

Dr. Lucy Xiaolu Wang is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at University of Massachusetts Amherst, a Faculty Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, Germany, and a Faculty Associate at the Canadian Centre for Health Economics. Her research focuses on the economics of innovation & digitization in health care markets (national and global), particularly in the biopharmaceutical and digital health industries. Dr. Wang earned her PhD in economics from Cornell University, her master’s degree in economics from Duke University, and her bachelor’s degree in applied economics (specialty: insurance) from Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing, China. 

Karen Eggleston
Karen Eggleston, Director of the Stanford Asia Health Policy Program
Lucy Xiaolu Wang, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition; Canadian Centre for Health Economics
Seminars

Procurement Institutions and Essential Drug Supply in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (Webinar)

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Flyer for the talk "Procurement Institutions and Essential Drug Supply in Low- and Middle-Income Countries" with headshot of speaker Lucy Xiaolu Wang.

Note: This talk is also offered as an in-person seminar on April 5 at 12 p.m.

International procurement institutions have played an important role in drug supply. This paper studies price, delivery, and procurement lead time of drug supply for major infectious diseases (antiretrovirals, antimalarials, antituberculosis, and antibiotics) in 106 developing countries from 2007-2017 across four procurement institution types. We find that pooled procurement institutions lower prices: pooling internationally is most effective for small buyers and more concentrated markets, and pooling within-country is most effective for large buyers and less concentrated markets. Pooling can reduce delays, but at the cost of longer anticipated procurement lead times. Finally, pooled procurement is more effective for older-generation drugs, compared to intellectual property licensing institutions that focus on newer, patented drugs. We corroborate the findings using multiple identification strategies, including an instrumental variable strategy, the Altonji-Elder-Taber-Oster method, and reduced-form demand estimation. Our results suggest that the optimal mixture of procurement institutions depends on the trade-off between costs and urgency of need, with pooled international procurement institutions particularly valuable when countries can plan well ahead of time.

Coauthor: Nahim Bin Zahur (Queen’s University).

Lucy Xiaolu Wang 040424

Dr. Lucy Xiaolu Wang is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at University of Massachusetts Amherst, a Faculty Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, Germany, and a Faculty Associate at the Canadian Centre for Health Economics. Her research focuses on the economics of innovation & digitization in health care markets (national and global), particularly in the biopharmaceutical and digital health industries. Dr. Wang earned her PhD in economics from Cornell University, her master’s degree in economics from Duke University, and her bachelor’s degree in applied economics (specialty: insurance) from Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing, China. 

Karen Eggleston
Karen Eggleston, Director of the Stanford Asia Health Policy Program

Online via Zoom Webinar

Lucy Xiaolu Wang, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition; Canadian Centre for Health Economics
Seminars

A Pivotal Partnership: The U.S.-Japan Alliance, Deterrence, and the Future of Taiwan

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Michael Breger
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On January 13, 2024, Taiwan elected Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as its next president. Mr. Lai received 40.05% of the vote, the lowest winning percentage since 2000. In addition to the DPP’s losing control of parliament, President-elect Lai will face a litany of practical and existential challenges during his presidency, chief among them the looming threat of Chinese military and economic coercion. As Taiwan looks to the United States for support in deterring China, the United States, in turn, must continue to shore up its alliance network in East Asia, particularly with Japan, the most consequential partner in the region.

How should we assess efforts to adapt the U.S.-Japan security and technology alliance to meet these challenges? What should we look for in 2024 given Taiwan’s election results and the political uncertainty in the United States and Japan? The Japan Program at Shorenstein APARC and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA convened a panel discussion, titled “U.S.-Japan Alliance Adaptation to Intensifying Strategic Competition with China,” to weigh in on these questions.

The speakers included Larry Diamond, the Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the William L. Clayton Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution; Matake Kamiya, professor of international relations at the National Defense Academy of Japan; Oriana Skylar Mastro, Center Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies; and Jim Schoff, senior director of the US-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative at Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA. APARC Deputy Director and Japan Program Director Kiyoteru Tsutsui moderated the discussion.

The panelists assessed the state of the U.S.-Japan security and technology alliance, examined current initiatives aimed at bolstering military cooperation, proposed additional measures to be taken, and considered various economic security policies related to supply chains, export controls, and high-tech industries. The speakers all acknowledged that Japan is the critical swing player in the gathering geopolitical storm in the Taiwan Strait and agreed that Japan's choices in responding to the increasing security challenge will be consequential, if not decisive. While each panelist suggested some form of strategic promotion and coordination of policies to address rising threats to the economic and national security of the United States and Japan, they asserted that enhanced communication with other like-minded partners is needed to achieve this objective.

A Consequential Election

Diamond noted that domestic issues were at the forefront of Taiwan’s elections. While the island's semiconductor industry is booming, other sectors struggle to keep pace, and citizens cite rising inequality, elder care, and energy policy as major domestic policy issues.

We need to learn from history and take threats seriously in terms of rhetoric, action, and ideology.
Larry Diamond
Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy, FSI

However, for Diamond, Taiwan’s active security challenge supersedes these domestic concerns, and Taiwan faces a grim reality. The U.S., Japan, and Taiwan are not prepared militarily, economically, or psychologically for a potential blockade or military confrontation with China, he said. Diamond argued that Taiwan must have more robust defenses to withstand pressure from Beijing.

Diamond invoked 20th-century history, issuing a warning: “I cannot underscore enough that this is a dangerous situation. We need to learn from the experience of the 1930s. Russia is trying to swallow Ukraine, a country with sovereignty. China, Russia, and Iran are cooperating. North Korea is sending supplies to Russia. We need to learn from history and take threats seriously in terms of rhetoric, action, and ideology. China is preparing for war against Taiwan; it is preparing to push the U.S. out of Asia, and it will likely happen in this decade.”

Diamond argued that Chinese intervention in Taiwan would not be the terminus of their expansion and suggested that “if you want to deter war, you better prepare for it. Anyone who believes that China would stop with Taiwan is breathtakingly naïve. We are running out of time. Urgent appeals are needed to get the U.S., Japan, Taiwan, and the European public to exit from their wishful thinking and slow pace of preparation.”

Japan’s Role and Relevance

Kamiya remarked upon recent changes in Japan’s military stance, citing the residual influence of Japan's postwar pacifism. According to Kamiya, the Japanese public has gradually accepted the reactivation of its self-defense forces and a dramatic increase in defense spending over the coming years.

For Kamiya, increased military spending is ushering in new levels of strategic alignment and unlocking new opportunities for the U.S.-Japan collaboration. He asserted that the future success of the U.S.-Japan alliance in countering China depends on whether Japan can maintain its current changes to its defense policy and whether both nations can ensure the preservation of rules-based international order. The military has a role of deterrence in establishing peace, he said.

Ensuring a Collaborative Approach

Schoff agreed that increased interdependence is necessary in an era of strategic competition but asked, “How can we compete effectively without undermining other partners? There is a consensus that national security consists of territorial and economic aspects, so maintaining an advantage means maintaining and advancing technological development and economic security.”

Schoff argued that U.S.-Japan leaders' summits would help achieve such collaboration, citing “two plus two” meetings of the Japan-U.S. Economic Policy Consultative Committee (EPCC) as particularly relevant. He highlighted semiconductor collaboration, government agency cooperation, and information sharing as some of the most helpful tools to confront this challenge.

Schoff also discussed U.S.-Japan joint security initiatives and some of the challenges to the U.S. presence in the Indo-Pacific, including malware targeting critical infrastructure organizations in Guam and elsewhere carried out by Volt Typhoon, a state-sponsored actor based in China that typically focuses on espionage and information gathering. He argued that the United States and Japan must collaborate on information sharing to address this and other cyberthreats.

Schoff also commented on Japan’s development of a new joint force command, the nation’s first. “As Japan builds this capability, we can more effectively leverage U.S. forces in Japan with an operational command in Japan. We can plan together, train together, and exercise together, but it depends on how much INDOPACOM wants to participate,” he said.

Deterrence and Force

Mastro, like Diamond, painted a solemn portrait of the escalating tensions in the region. She indicated that over the past 25 years, the Chinese military has rapidly modernized, stating that “this isn't the 1990s; the military balance of power used to be in Taiwan's favor.”

Dealing with a forceful China that has come to accept that aggression is a good way of doing business is bad in the long term.
Oriana Skylar Mastro
Center Fellow, FSI

Mastro also ruled out any sort of diplomatic resolution to the situation, arguing that there is nothing Taiwan or the DPP can do to placate Beijing. “It looks like a very real possibility of war over the Taiwan Strait. The conditions for peace and reunification have already failed.”

Citing U.S. deterrence as the most important action to defend Taiwan, Mastro asserted that “there is nothing more important than Japan for U.S. deterrence. The southern islands of Japan are the only options close to the conflict zone, as Australia and South Korea are too far away.” Being the only country with a geographic location and potential for aggregate military, naval, and air power, Japan is the critical nation in the equation.

“If Japan and the U.S. were to join the fight, China would never attack Taiwan, but if China does not attack Japan, Japan will not join,” Mastro said. “If the Chinese attack Taiwan, they will likely tell Japan not to worry and that the Senkaku islands are safe.” She added that any guarantees of non-aggression from China are not necessarily trustworthy.

When considering "how bad it would be for Japan and the international system if we lost Taiwan,” Mastro replied that “Dealing with a forceful China that has come to accept that aggression is a good way of doing business is bad in the long term.” She argued that a Taiwan contingency would directly affect Japan and that China and Russia are building a relationship to counter the U.S.-Japan security partnership.

As for the practical details of the U.S.-Japan security partnership, Mastro suggested that the United States would not make Japan a joint command unless the nation was “all in.” Mastro also provided a timeline for preparations, stating that, “we have to be ready by 2027 if we want this war to be prevented.”

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Panelists discuss the US-Japan alliance
Left to right: Larry Diamond, Matake Kamiya, Jim Schoff, Oriana Skylar Mastro
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A panel discussion co-hosted by Shorenstein APARC and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA examined the key dynamics at play in the unfolding regional competition over power, influence, and the fate of Taiwan.

Resistance, Diplomacy, Democracy, and the Future of Myanmar

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Flyer for the seminar "Resistance, Diplomacy, Democracy, and the Future of Myanmar" with a portrait of speaker H.E. Daw Zin Mar Aung, Union Minister of Foreign Affairs​, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the National Unity Government of Myanmar.

Co-sponsors:
Southeast Asia Program, Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) and the
Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL)
in the
Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI)
Stanford University

Discussants:
Larry Diamond, Mosbacher Senior Fellow of Global Democracy, FSI
Scot Marciel, Oksenberg-Rohlen Fellow, APARC 

Chair: Donald K. Emmerson, Director, Southeast Asia Program, APARC

Optimism marked the New Year’s Day statement released on 1 January 2024 by Myanmar’s opposition-in-exile — the National Unity Government (NUG) and the advisory National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC). The “daily expansion” of territory controlled by inter-ethnic “revolutionary forces” and the “steady shrinking of military-controlled areas” were attributed to the “key success” of the Burmese people’s “defensive war.” Reportedly, as of December 2023, the junta’s forces may have ceded more than 180 outposts and strongpoints in the country to trans-ethnic rebel militias bent on overthrowing the regime. Meanwhile, NUG is working internationally to gain recognition and support while trying to persuade the junta’s foreign backers to desist. Leading those and related efforts is NUG’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Daw Zin Mar Aung. In this webinar, she will address the challenges met, the progress achieved, and the chances of undercutting and overthrowing Myanmar’s brutal dictatorship for the benefit of the country’s long-suffering people.

Daw Zin Mar Aung

Daw Zin Mar Aung, in addition to her service as NUG’s foreign minister, is a member of the committee that represents Myanmar’s elected parliament as it was before its dispersal by the military junta that seized power on 1 February 2021. In democratic contests prior to the termination of democracy, she was twice elected to parliament. Honors she has received include nomination by the World Economic Forum as a World Global Leader (2014) and selection as a CDDRL Draper Hills Summer Fellow at Stanford (2013). She received an International Women of Courage Award from the US State Department in 2012 after having spent eleven years in Burmese prisons for her activism on behalf of democracy and human rights. She is also a co-founder of the Yangon School of Political Science.

Donald K. Emmerson
Donald. K. Emmerson

Online via Zoom Webinar

Daw Zin Mar Aung, Union Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Unity Government of Myanmar (NUG)
Seminars

Bringing AI from Code to Clinic: Perspectives from a Cross-Functional Team

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Bringing AI from Code to Clinic

Please note that this event is now webinar only

In this seminar, three presenters from Google Health will share their perspectives on what it takes to bring a medical AI product from “code to clinic” in Southeast Asia. Google Health’s mission is to help everyone, everywhere be healthier, applying cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to improve patient outcomes and care delivery and incubate new AI-based products from initial research to clinical deployment. Representing different facets of a multidisciplinary team of experts (Product, Partnerships, and Program Management), the presenters will discuss the journey of developing and deploying a diagnostic AI solution that addresses an unmet need for the detection of diabetic blindness in Southeast Asia, real-world challenges and opportunities (particularly in the context of low- and middle-income countries), and the importance of building strategic partnerships and trust.

Tiwari 012324

Richa Tiwari's work focuses on driving research on Google’s health innovations and working with partners on real-world deployment of digital and AI solutions in APAC and Africa. Richa holds a PhD in Molecular Biology and has over a decade of experience in Pharma, bringing cancer treatments to market and running clinical trials. An accidental technologist and a scientist at heart, Richa is passionate about bringing forward cutting-edge health tech innovations to address healthcare challenges

Virmani 012324

Sunny Virmani, during his time at Google and Verily Life Sciences, has focused on translating machine learning research into real-world clinical applications working with key opinion leaders and partners globally. His team’s pioneering research in the field of diabetic retinopathy screening using machine learning has helped advance the technology in this field significantly. Previously, he has held Product Management positions at Carl Zeiss Meditec and Philips Healthcare building products in the field of medical imaging. By education, he is an engineer with a Masters degree in Biomedical Engineering.

Sawhney 012324

Rajroshan Sawhney leads Partnerships for Google Research (Health AI & Sustainability). During his time at Google, Raj has focused on catalyzing the adoption of human-centered AI in healthcare by driving strategic partnerships across both public and private sector in APAC, working closely with regulators, policy makers and academic partners to improve health outcomes in low-resource environments, and to develop go-to-market strategies to graduate research into real-world deployments.  Prior to Google, Raj was the Head of Strategic Partnerships and Corporate Development at a leading Computer Vision startup based out of San Francisco and Singapore. Raj holds a Computer Science BE (Hons) degree from BITS-Pilani, is a member of Mensa International and the India Young Leaders Forum.

Karen Eggleston

Webinar via Zoom

Richa Tiwari, Sunny Virmani, Rajroshan Sawhney
Seminars

Nonprofits and the Scope of Government: Theory and an Application to the Health Sector

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Nonprofits supply many tax-financed services like healthcare and education. Yet nonprofits are absent from the canonical property rights theory of ownership. Extending the government “make or buy” decision to nonprofits and ex post frictions based on contracts as reference points suggests that contracting out to a nonprofit can be optimal when “mission” alignment credibly signals adherence to the spirit and not just the letter of the contract in unforeseen contingencies. The model sheds light on differential nonprofit presence across the spectrum of basic services, as illustrated by an application to the health sector.

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Asia Health Policy Program working paper # 67

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Asia Health Policy Program working paper # 67
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Karen Eggleston

Rie Hiraoka

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Visiting Scholar at APARC, 2024
rie_hiraoka_2024_headshot.jpg Ph.D.

Rie Hiraoka joined the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) as visiting scholar in January 2024 for one calendar year. She is currently a professor at Kyoto University for Advanced Sciences, as well as an advisor for the Institute of Future Initiatives and consulting general manager at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank. Previously, she served as a director at the Asian Development Bank. While at APARC, she will be conducting research regarding public policies for innovation, science and technology development.

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Hikaru Yamagishi

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Japan Program Postdoctoral Fellow, 2023-2024
Hikaru_Yamagishi.png Ph.D.

Hikaru Yamagishi joined the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) as Japan Program Postdoctoral Fellow for part of the 2023-2024 academic year. She received her Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University in 2022, and most recently was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Program on U.S.-Japan Relations at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. Her research focuses on democratic institutions and electoral competition, with a special interest in the case of Japan.

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Payne Distinguished Lecture Series: Creative Maladjustment and the Climate Crisis

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2024 Payne Distinguished Lecture Series with Kumi Naidoo

The Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University are pleased to welcome social justice and environmental activist Kumi Naidoo to deliver the 2024 Payne Distinguished Lecture Series in International Relations Theory and Practice.


As we veer ever closer to a global climate catastrophe, it has become clear that incremental tinkering with our systems — including political, environmental, social, and economic systems — will not be an adequate solution. Drawing on Martin Luther King’s idea of Creative Maladjustment, this lecture will argue that rather than responding to the polycrisis with an approach of system recovery, maintenance, and protection, what is urgently needed now is system innovation, redesign, and transformation.

It is imperative that we change the trajectory we are on as a species. Yet activism is failing to win at the scale and speed necessary to do so. The communications deficit that must be addressed by those seeking transformative change will likely need to be multilayered and imbued with intersectionality. This lecture posits the power of artivism — a fusion of art and activism — as a vital force capable of resonating with diverse audiences, instilling a sense of urgency, and fostering various pathways for participation. At this critical juncture, pessimism is a luxury we simply cannot afford. The pessimism that flows from our analysis, observations, and lived realities can best be overcome by the optimism of our thoughts, actions, and creative responses.

The Payne Lectureship is named for Frank E. Payne and Arthur W. Payne, brothers who gained an appreciation for global problems through their international business operations. Their descendants endowed the annual lecture series at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies in order to raise public understanding of the complex policy issues facing the global community today and to increase support for informed international cooperation.

The Payne Distinguished Lecturer is chosen for his or her international reputation as a leader, with an emphasis on visionary thinking; a broad, practical grasp of a given field; and the capacity to clearly articulate an important perspective on the global community and its challenges.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Kumi Naidoo is a prominent South African human rights and environmental justice activist. At the age of fifteen, he organized school boycotts against the apartheid educational system in South Africa. His courageous actions made him a target for the Security Police, leading to his exile in the United Kingdom, where he remained until 1990. Upon his return to South Africa, Kumi played a pivotal role in the legalization of the African National Congress in his home province of KwaZulu Natal.

Kumi also served as the official spokesperson for the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), responsible for overseeing the country's first democratic elections in April 1994. His dedication to democracy and justice led to notable international roles, including being the first person from the global South to lead Greenpeace International as Executive Director from 2009 to 2016. He later served as the Secretary General of Amnesty International from 2018 to 2020.

In the realm of education, Kumi has shared his expertise, lecturing at Fossil Free University and holding a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellowship at the Robert Bosch Academy until early 2022.

Currently, Kumi serves as a Senior Advisor for the Community Arts Network (CAN). He holds the position of Distinguished visiting lecturer at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, and is a Professor of Practice at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. Additionally, he continues to represent global interests as a Global Ambassador for Africans Rising for Justice, Peace, and Dignity. He also holds positions as a Visiting Fellow at Oxford University and an Honorary Fellow at Magdalen College.

In a testament to his family's commitment to positive change, they have established the Riky Rick Foundation for the Promotion of Artivism, honoring the legacy of their son and brother, the now late South African rapper Rikhado “Riky Rick” Makhado through a commitment to supporting artivism and mental health in South Africa.

Kumi has authored and co-authored numerous books, the most recent being Letters To My Mother (2022), a personal and professional memoir that won the HSS 2023 non-fiction award by the National Institute Humanities and Social Sciences.

Michael A. McFaul
Michael A. McFaul

In-person: Bechtel Conference Center (Encina Hall, First floor, 616 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford)

Virtual: Zoom (no registration required)

Kumi Naidoo

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kumi_headshot_-_kumi_naidoo.jpeg

Kumi Naidoo is a prominent South African human rights and environmental justice activist. At the age of fifteen, he organized school boycotts against the apartheid educational system in South Africa. His courageous actions made him a target for the Security Police, leading to his exile in the United Kingdom, where he remained until 1990. Upon his return to South Africa, Kumi played a pivotal role in the legalization of the African National Congress in his home province of KwaZulu Natal.

Kumi also served as the official spokesperson for the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), responsible for overseeing the country's first democratic elections in April 1994. His dedication to democracy and justice led to notable international roles, including being the first person from the global South to lead Greenpeace International as Executive Director from 2009 to 2016. He later served as the Secretary General of Amnesty International from 2018 to 2020.

In the realm of education, Kumi has shared his expertise, lecturing at Fossil Free University and holding a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellowship at the Robert Bosch Academy until early 2022.

Currently, Kumi serves as a Senior Advisor for the Community Arts Network (CAN). He holds the position of Distinguished visiting lecturer at Stanford University’s Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, and is a Professor of Practice at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. Additionally, he continues to represent global interests as a Global Ambassador for Africans Rising for Justice, Peace, and Dignity. He also holds positions as a Visiting Fellow at Oxford University and an Honorary Fellow at Magdalen College.

In a testament to his family's commitment to positive change, they have established the Riky Rick Foundation for the Promotion of Artivism, honoring the legacy of their son and brother, the now late South African rapper Rikhado “Riky Rick” Makhado through a commitment to supporting artivism and mental health in South Africa.

Kumi has authored and co-authored numerous books, the most recent being Letters To My Mother (2022), a personal and professional memoir that won the HSS 2023 non-fiction award by the National Institute Humanities and Social Sciences.

Payne Distinguished Lecturer, 2023-25
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Kumi Naidoo African Human Rights and Environmental Activist
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