The Union is delighted to announce that Dr Bess Miller and Prof Steve Graham have been newly elected as members of the Board of Directors, and we would like to thank Dr Edward Nardell and Dr Robert Horsburgh for their tireless commitment to The Union.
In 2023, as part of a drive to improve the organisation’s governance and procedures, a new Board of Directors was directly appointed from the membership by the membership.
This transition period meant that further elections were held earlier this year, which resulted in the appointment of Bess and Steve to the Union Board, who will be replacing Edward and Robert. Evaline Kibuchi and Prof Guy Marks were also re-elected to the Board of Directors.
Guy, President of The Union, said: “Firstly, I would like to wholeheartedly thank Ed and Bob for their dedication to The Union during one of the most difficult periods in the organisation’s history. Their unwavering passion and devotion to our cause has been instrumental in the rejuvenation of The Union’s vision and mission. I can’t thank them enough.”
“I am also absolutely thrilled to be joined by Bess and Steve, who will bring a wealth of experience, expertise and energy that will help The Union continue to grow.”
The next round of elections will take place in September 2025. For more information, please email membership@theunion.org.
Board of Directors overview
The Union Board of Directors is voted on by the membership each year. Board members have a set term before they are up for re-election. As a Board member's term ends, they can choose to retire from the Board or present themselves for re-election. Any and all members are free to put themselves forward for inclusion in the elections.
After the results of the election are confirmed and the new board is assembled, the Board of Directors will appoint the Bureau which comprises the President, Vice President, Secretary General and Treasurer. The Bureau works closely with the Executive Director and management team to ensure that the global Union offices are delivering on the vision, mission and adhering to our core values.
The new Board of Directors
- Prof Guy Marks, President, Australia (2025-2027)
- Dr Keren Middelkoop, Vice President, South Africa (2023- 2025)
- Prof Christoph Lange, Secretary General, Germany (2023-2026)
- Luan Vo Nguyen Quang, Treasurer, Vietnam (2023-2025)
- Dr Erlina Burhan, Indonesia (2023-2026)
- Prof Steve Graham, Australia (2025-2027)
- Dr Stephen John, Nigeria (2023-2026)
- Evaline Kibuchi, Kenya (2025-2027)
- Dr Bess Miller, USA (2025-2027)
- Dr Ikushi Onozaki, Japan (2023-2025)
- Dr Syed Karam Shah, Pakistan (2023-2026)
- Richard Shepro, USA (2023-2025)
Bess Miller
Bess is a physician and epidemiologist, who has held senior leadership positions at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for nearly three decades.
During her time at CDC, she directed international TB/HIV control efforts for CDC headquarters and field staff in 45 PEPFAR-supported countries. Her primary focus was on establishing collaborative TB and HIV programmes, including TB infection control best practices at national, district and local levels. She is a TB clinician and has provided care for TB patients for over 25 years. In 2009, Bess received the Distinguished Service Medal of the US Public Health Service for leadership of domestic and international efforts to combat TB and AIDS.
Bess has been a Union member for over 30 years, serving as the President of the North American Region (2001-2003), Chair of the Health Sector Reform Working Group (1999-2001) and Co-Chair of the TB/HIV Working Group (2003-2005).
Bess explained why she was passionate about becoming a Union Board member: “In my positions at CDC, I have looked to The Union, for direction regarding programme, policy, and clinical management guidance. At this stage in my career, I would like to share my experience with The Union and give back, to the organisation that has provided so much to me and to health professionals around the world.”
Steve Graham
Steve is a paediatrician with over 30 years of clinical and research experience in global child health in African and Asia-Pacific regions, with expertise in TB, childhood pneumonia, HIV-related lung disease and asthma. Steve is recognised for his contributions and global leadership in the detection, treatment and prevention of TB in children and adolescents.
Steve first engaged with The Union as an early career researcher in 1996 and has been consistently active as a member ever since, serving as Chair of the Lung Health Section (2005-2010), member of multiple child TB and lung health working groups, and member of the Conference Scientific Committee for 10 years.
Steve has successfully implemented Union projects, such as the Malawi Child Lung Health Project on child pneumonia management at district hospital level and the DETECT TB project in Uganda that successfully implemented a decentralised model of care for child TB. For the last 15 years, Steve has been a technical advisor to The Union on child and adolescent TB and lung health. He has developed implementation tools for The Union to support healthcare workers at all levels of care, such as job aides, manuals and online trainings.
Steve shared why he wanted to become a Union Board member: “The Union is an organisation that I deeply respect as its values are very much aligned with what I strongly hold to be critical foundations for our collective goal to improve the health of often vulnerable populations.
“The Union's focus on generating evidence-based solutions and implementation to close policy-practice gaps has defined my own career. Now I’m at a stage where I feel that I have the insights, pragmatic guidance and innovative thinking to contribute at Board level.”
If you are interested in joining The Union or need to renew your membership, please email membership@theunion.org.