Stopping

Ebola:

Inside the Response

The Ebola outbreak, declared in 2026, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is the fastest growing on record, it is also taking place in an area of persistent humanitarian crisis since 1999. To successfully bring the outbreak under control requires both an alliance of community, national leadership and international solidarity and to bring together public health and humanitarian responses. The podcast is a real time exchange between frontline operations, science, policy and humanitarianism, exploring solutions with some of the world’s most respected experts and strategists on outbreaks and humanitarian action and documenting the fast-moving response in DRC.

Each episode examines a different aspect of the response and what is required to stop transmission and save lives within a broader humanitarian crisis. Hosted by Ruth Mukwana and Julien Harneis, Senior Ebola Coordinator in Bunia, DRC, the series is produced by the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs at Fordham University and the University of Pretoria.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you stream your favorite podcasts.

Current episode

What Ebola Has Taught Us and Why It Matters Now

The responders working to contain the 2026 Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak are building on lessons drawn from previous responses to Ebola and other epidemics. The episode features three voices who have helped shape the global response to Ebola and created global public health alliances. Jean-Jacques Muyembe is a Congolese virologist, co-discoverer of Ebola, and Director General of the DRC’s National Biological Research Institute. Peter Piot is a co-discoverer of Ebola and a leading figure in global health, and Deborah Birx, physician, diplomat and global health leader who helped coordinate the international response to the 2014 West Africa epidemic. The guests discuss lessons learned, from the discovery of Ebola to today, and how they can be applied to the current response. They explain what worked, what failed, and which lessons remain most relevant to the ongoing operation to contain this outbreak.

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Previous episodes

What Ebola Has Taught Us and Why It Matters Now

The responders working to contain the 2026 Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak are building on lessons drawn from previous responses to Ebola and other epidemics. The episode features three voices who have […]

Listen on Spotify
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Amazon

Holly Curtis

Assistant Provost for Corporate Relations at Fordham University

Linkedin
hcurtis2@fordham.edu

Holly Curtis is an accomplished education leader, currently serving as the Assistant Provost for Corporate Relations at Fordham University. In this role, she fosters partnerships between academia and industry, driving innovative collaborations and advancing strategic goals. Prior to this, Holly was the Chief of Staff at Ascend Public Charter Schools, where she oversaw strategic planning for one of New York’s largest charter networks, and she also led MBA Admissions at NYU Stern School of Business.
With a strong background in strategic leadership, education management, program development, and recruitment, Holly’s career began in international development with Pencils of Promise in Laos. Her work there shaped her expertise in strategic planning and talent development.

Holly holds an MBA from NYU Stern and a BA in International Political Economy from Fordham University. She is deeply committed to advancing diversity and inclusion, and is a certified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). She is also an alumna of NYU’s Global Inclusive Leadership Management Institute.

Martine van der Does

Helen Hamlyn Humanitarian Fellow and Global Program Director

Linkedin
Work Location
  • Netherlands and Jordan
m.vanderdoes@fordham.edu

Martine van der Does is a Dutch national and humanitarian expert with over 15 years of international experience. With a background in architecture she started her career working on humanitarian shelter at Delft University of Technology but soon moved to the field with Médécins sans Frontières (MSF) as a Construction Logistician. In 2010 Martine joined the Netherlands Foreign service where she worked in the Africa Department, Stabilisation and Humanitarian Aid Department and served as a Diplomat in Afghanistan and Jordan. In 2018 joined the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Myanmar where she worked in remote areas on protection and water and habitat issues. Until recently Martine was the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Netherlands Government in Amman, Jordan. 

Martine is academically involved as a lecturer at Delft University in the Netherlands and Fordham University in New York. In the past years she also ran the prestigious International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (IDHA) as a Course Director in Geneva. Martine holds a Master of Science Degree in Architecture from Delft University of Technology and a Masters of Arts Degree in International Humanitarian Action from Fordham University. In her time off she is an active cyclist, runner, and enjoys ultraraces.

She accepted a position as Helen Hamlyn Humanitarian Fellow at the IIHA in 2024.

Seriously considering the IDHA and want to learn more? Book an appointment with Martine on the left. 

Martine hosts Corporate Humanity, a podcast produced by Fordham University’s Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs. 

Academic Background

Master of Science in Architecture (MSc) and Master of Arts in International Humanitarian Action (MIHA) and IDHA 24 

With the IIHA since: 2008

Current courses: IDHA and non-academic courses

In my free time I enjoy: Traveling, mountains, playing guitar and endurance sports such as long (distance) running, cycling, skiing and swimming. 

“In a world you can be anything, be kind to yourself and the people you work for and with. ”