Our Team

ISUH's staff, leadership, and advisory bodies bring together expertise in public health, urban planning, architecture, community development, health equity research, nonprofit management, and international partnership development, drawn from institutions and practice contexts across six continents.

  • Executive Director

    Giselle Sebag is Executive Director of the International Society for Urban Health. She is a globally recognized urban health leader with 15 years of experience advising governments, multilaterals, NGOs and private sector companies to develop sustainable, inclusive and resilient cities that promote and enhance resident health. 

    Prior to joining the International Society for Urban Health, Giselle was a public sector consultant at Bloomberg Associates, where she advised cities developing evidence-based urban health solutions with the aim of improving the lives of the greatest number of citizens. Previously, Giselle was the Vice President of Programs at the Center for Active Design (CfAD), where she oversaw the development, planning and implementation of innovative programs such as Fitwel, a leading certification system committed to building health for all, developed in partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to implement environmental design and operational changes that support healthier workplaces, homes and communities. Prior to that, Giselle was Head of the Built Environment portfolio at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) where she selected, managed key relationships with, and advised Fortune 500 companies, governments, multilaterals, philanthropic foundations and NGOs in strategic planning, partnership building and evaluation of their healthy cities ‘Commitments to Action.’ 

    Giselle holds a Master's of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, joint M.Sc. degrees in international cooperation and urban development from the Technische Universität Darmstadt and international cooperation in sustainable emergency architecture from the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, and bachelor's degrees in architecture and government from the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Architecture (UTSOA) and College of Liberal Arts. 

  • Director of Healthy Housing

    Camille Medema, MPH, BSN RN is a public health professional with extensive field-based experience in the US and Latin America. She is passionate about working with communities to find solutions that improve health and well-being, especially with a race equity lens. Camille graduated from Calvin University with a BSN in nursing, and a Masters in Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis. She has worked in community-based programs in mental health and maternal and newborn care in the US. She also lived for 7 years in Bolivia, where she led WASH programs, large-scale data collection for field trials in conservation, and supported grass-roots organizational project planning, monitoring, and evaluation.

    Prior to joining ISUH, Camille was program manager for ARCHIVE Global, supporting Mud to Mortar in Bangladesh. The stories of transformation and success that she hears in her work – through in-depth interviews with key actors in the fight against chagas disease, monitoring a community health promoter training program, or surveys of farmers who conserve their water resources – are the input and inspiration for her work.

  • Director of Communications, Events & Community

    Lauren Schiff brings over a decade of experience in program management, community building, and event production, with expertise in cultural, wellness, and education-based events, conferences, activations, and festivals. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art History with a Minor in Communications, and a Masters of Arts in Arts and Cultural Management, with a focus on Placemaking.

    Lauren is passionate about using the arts and culture as powerful tools to foster collaboration and raise awareness around critical urban health issues. Based between Barcelona and the US, she brings a global perspective to ISUH’s mission to drive social change by creating engaging, impactful experiences that promote collaboration, awareness, and creative approaches to urban health challenges.

  • Strategic Partnerships Lead

    A creative urban planner, project manager and communication specialist, Ezrah has lived in nearly 10 different cities over the past 10 years. They are passionate about cities, their streets, their cultures and their people. They are enthusiastic about urban design and a fervent believer that public spaces are the backbone of our cities worldwide and should be at the heart of city building and planning today.

    Ezrah has a Masters in International Public Management from Sciences Po Paris with a major in Global Health; they also studied Geography and Urban Studies at the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia. Ezrah has worked for the United Nations; the Council of Europe; the French government; and in several think tanks and NGOs across the world, such as The Young Foundation or Future Cape Town.

    A self-taught chef, Ezrah currently divides their time between their passion for cities and their love of cooking.

  • Healthy Housing & Neighborhoods Research Assistant

    Kanij Fateema is an urban planner, architect, and researcher motivated to advancing transportation equity, fair housing policy, and community-driven economic development. She holds a Master’s in Regional Planning from Cornell University, where her research focused on infrastructure finance, informal economy, and sustainable urban development.

    Kanij has contributed to research and policy analysis on housing disparities, transportation access, and urban mobility through her work with organizations such as WSP-USA, the Cornell Mui Ho Center for Cities, CNY Fair Housing, and the Redlining Lab. Internationally, she has collaborated with the World Resources Institute (WRI) on road safety and mobility initiatives in Bangladesh and led gender-responsive and community centered site planning for Rohingya refugee camps with the International Organization for Migration (IOM). She also spearheaded a pilot project advocating for safer public buses for women and children in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

    Committed to supporting marginalized communities, Kanij currently serves as an Encampment Response Coordinator for the City of Ithaca, developing equitable, destigmatized, and trauma-informed policy solutions for unsheltered individuals. She recently joined the International Society for Urban Health as a Research Assistant for the International Healthy Housing Innovations Project in and with Communities (I-HIP Co).  Through her work, she remains dedicated to fostering housing justice, social equity, and data-driven urban policies.

  • Project Coordinator,  I-HIP Co (International Healthy Housing Innovations Project in and with Communities)

    Marina Kolovou Kouri is an architect and urban researcher working at the intersection of housing, land, and urban poverty. She has collaborated with practitioners, grassroots organizations, and international partners across South and Southeast Asia, documenting and supporting locally led housing and urban initiatives.

    At the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), she coordinated regional programs on community-led housing and participatory planning, working with partners and urban poor networks across 11 countries to support collective housing, infrastructure upgrading, climate adaptation, and grassroots advocacy. Prior to this, she managed projects in Myanmar with Women for the World, ranging from co-design initiatives with communities and architecture students to research on displacement and urban inequalities.

    Through research, advocacy, and storytelling, Marina’s work highlights community voices and local knowledge, connecting everyday experiences to broader urban justice and policy discussions. Currently, she coordinates aspects of the International Healthy Housing Innovations Project in and with Communities (I-HIP Co), facilitating exchange between Asia-based partners and curating materials that showcase community-driven innovations.

    She holds MSc degrees in Architecture (Technische Universität Berlin) and Urban Design in Development (University College London).

  • Communications & Community Coordinator

    A Programs & Engagement Specialist and Communications Strategist with over 10 years of experience at the intersection of education, culture, community engagement, and wellbeing, Xavier brings a background in participatory cultural mediation and UX/UI systems design that informs a systems-based approach to engagement. They hold an MA in Arts and Cultural Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising & Marketing, combining strategic communications expertise with interdisciplinary systems thinking.

    Their work focuses on strengthening participation, reducing isolation, and building inclusive infrastructures that support belonging in urban environments. Xavier has collaborated with NGOs, cultural institutions, and international think tanks, including IGCAT, contributing to global programs, research-driven initiatives, conferences, and digital ecosystems that connect policymakers, researchers, and community leaders.

    They are the founder of Artist Ally, a community-based education and publishing initiative supported by the City of Barcelona, focused on strengthening professional networks and sustainable creative livelihoods for immigrant artists and cultural practitioners. Across projects, Xavier advocates for care, inclusion, and equitable access to knowledge, believing that thoughtful communication and well-designed systems are essential to advancing urban health and social wellbeing.

    At ISUH, Xavier brings a commitment to clarity, strategic coordination, and community-centered engagement to help translate research and policy into accessible, meaningful participation.

    Outside of work, they enjoy ​gardening at Barcelona's Botanical Garden, hiking, and arts and wellbeing gatherings that reinforce their belief in collective care and connection to place.

  • Executive Assistant

    A naturally curious and outgoing individual, I thrive on engaging with others and building meaningful connections. With over 10 years of experience across multiple industries, I’ve developed a broad and deep knowledge base. One of my proudest moments was being part of a team that repatriated over 1,000 citizens from around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Having been stranded myself during that time, I felt a personal connection to the mission and collaborated with various organizations to ensure everyone made it home safely.

    Since then, I have contributed to many missions, both big and small, providing relief and support wherever I can.

  • Storytelling and Content Development

    Camilla leads story telling and content development telling inspiring stories of human-centered, cost-effective, sustainable development projects around the world that improve health and well-being, decrease environmental damage, and promote equity.

    Camilla is an award-winning director/producer of independent feature documentaries (PBS, Animal Planet, Planet Green), and a content development specialist in public programs, educational coursework, and interactive media for children. (The Jim Henson Company, LEGO, and Scholastic).

    Camilla was previously Program Manager for CGI America (Clinton Foundation) and Head of Programs for Urban Green Council. MA, Documentary Film Production, Stanford University. BA, Literature, Brown University.