Laos

Souliya Channavong has more than five years of experience in public health with a focus on immunization. She is currently a Vaccine-Preventable Diseases and Immunization Technical Officer at the World Health Organization Lao Country Office. Her focus in the immunization program is on monitoring and evaluating vaccine delivery, surveillance of adverse events following immunization, and community engagement.

Souliya is an alumna of the Fulbright Foreign Student Program at Michigan State University, where she conducted research on the role of viral load in the progression of HIV diagnoses to the development of AIDS in the Michigan patients' population. She holds a master's of science degree in epidemiology. While completing her degree she was an intern in the knowledge management unit at the Pan American Health Organization. Souliya obtained her bachelor's degree in medicine and surgery from Guangxi Medical University, where she worked as a clinician in internal medicine, obstetrics, pediatric, and surgery.

Thome has been working in the development sector, with a focus on natural resource management and climate change, for more than seven years. He is currently working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a program analyst for the Environment Unit. Prior to joining UNDP, he worked at CARE International and Oxfam, where he managed natural resource management and climate change projects.

Thome has worked extensively in climate change adaptation and mitigation. At UNDP, he also manages projects on COVID-19 recovery in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Lao PDR. Through his work, he engages with community members and policymakers.

Thome is an alumnus of the YSEALI Professional Exchange Program. He obtained his master's degree from the University for Peace in Costa Rica and has a degree in environment management and restoration from Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Poland.