Dr. Gita Pillai is the CEO of PeopleTree. Gita has over 25 years of global heath leadership experience, collaborating with governmental and non-governmental partners to expand access to services and achieve health outcomes at scale. Her technical expertise includes maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health, and nutrition. Gita has worked in South, Southeast, and Central Asia, Africa, and Latin America, with her most recent assignment in the Kyrgyz Republic as the country lead for the JSI USAID COVID-19 Project. As CEO for Possible Health, Gita led the transition to National Nepali Leadership. With CARE in India, Gita managed the Integrated Nutrition and Health Program, which was co-financed by the governments of India and the U.S. The program improved health and nutrition outcomes for over 8 million people in 123,000 villages and was recognized as one of the largest and most successful food security and health initiatives worldwide.
Gita also served as Chief of Party for the Gates Foundation Urban Health Initiative in India. In this role, Gita led a consortium of organizations to implement strategies that reached over 800,000 families across 2,100 slums and 42 district hospitals. In Central Asia, Gita and the ZdravPlus Project team played a catalytic regional role with national governments to improve labor, delivery, postpartum, and newborn care in 53 maternity hospitals across 5 countries. The resulting health and survival impact was achieved in partnership with WHO and UNFPA. Gita has a reputation of engendering commitment and motivation, engaging participation, and stimulating joint planning and action. She is known for facilitating collaboration and dialogue between non-government organizations, government departments, and communities. Gita is well-versed in strategies that improve the lives of the most vulnerable and disenfranchised populations, especially in fragile and resource-poor settings. Her experience includes teaching and mentoring graduate students at George Washington University. Gita received her Ph.D. in Population and Family Health from Johns Hopkins University and her M.P.H. from the University of Michigan.
