HANDS Board Members
MESFIN WOLDESENBET, M.D.
Founder and President
Dr. Mesfin Woldesenbet completed his initial medical training at the Addis Ababa University Medical School in Ethiopia in 1988. He did his pediatrics residency training at Harlem Hospital in New York City, and fellowship neonatology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He worked as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas and was the Medical Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital in Houston, Texas. He is currently a practicing Neonatologist at St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Henderson, Nevada.
RAYMOND LABERGE
Neonatal Technology & Equipment Development Officer
Raymond (Ray) Laberge is a National Board of Respiratory Care Registered Respiratory Therapist, currently practicing in the neonatal ICU at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital, Houston, Texas. He completed his training at Coleman College for Health Sciences, Houston Community College System, Houston, Texas in August 2008. Prior to that, Ray has been a United States Navy from May 1996 to August 1999. He has been awarded Employee of Quarter and Healthcare Excellence Award at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital, in 2013.
MIMI KEBEDE ZERIHUN
Public Relations
Mimi Kebede Zerihun is a Strayer University Graduate with an MBA degree in Management. She is currently the Senior Operations Manager for CBRE in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Previously she served on the Advisory Board for a nonprofit organization, “Ezra and Friends” School for Autism, (2010 – 2013).
SOLOLIA DEBELA
Project Coordinator
Sololia Debela is a board certified family nurse practitioner who has been providing primary and urgent care services with both compassion and professionalism in Northern Virginia. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Radford University in Radford, VA and earned her Master of Science in Nursing degree at Chamberlain University in Chicago, IL. She is recognized as a Certified Medical Examiner for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Her goal is to empower people with the knowledge and support they need to achieve their health goals. She is passionate about ensuring access to high-quality care for all people regardless of race or socioeconomic status.
DEREJE KEBEDE
Project Coordinator
Dereje Kebede is a Senior Captain at Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He has been involved in many charitable organizations. He currently serves as a Country Project Coordinator for Horn of Africa Neo Neonatal Development Services.
DELNESSAHOU TADESSE
Legal Advisor
I was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, an Ethiopian citizen, currently a senior partner and owner of The Law Offices of Tadesse and Delnessahou Legal Counseling General Partnership, a graduate of the Addis Ababa University, School of Law with an LLB degree. Member of the Ethiopian Bar Association and Pan Africa Lawyer’s Union.
DEREJE KEBEDE
TBA
Selam Mengistu, born and raised in Ethiopia, studied nursing & became a registered nurse in the state of Maryland. She currently holds a Master's Degree in Nursing and Business Leadership. She practiced as a Neonatal ICU nurse for over ten years. She volunteered to travel to Ethiopia with the HANDS team starting March of 2022. She became a HANDS board member in July 2023.
Andrea Beckman
TBA
Andrea graduated from University of Maryland, School of Nursing in 2015. Over her eight year career she has worked as a NICU nurse in three hospitals and fills roles including charge nurse, transport nurse, bedside nurse, preceptor, and neonatal resuscitation nurse. She has been a volunteer with HANDS since 2017 and participated in five trips to hospitals in both Bahir Dar and Hawassa.