Meet the PeerLINC Team
Dr. Eden Mendoza-Hisey
Head of PeerLINC, Community Engagement & GEDSI Lead
Dr. Eden Mendoza‑Hisey is the Head of PeerLINC, overseeing its strategic direction and implementation as a peer‑to‑peer knowledge hub supporting countries to accelerate the adoption of new, WHO‑recommended treatments for drug‑resistant tuberculosis. In this role, Eden leads the design and delivery of practical training, technical assistance, and peer learning that draws on real‑world implementation experience, while advancing community engagement and the integration of Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) across PeerLINC’s work and partnerships.
Dr. Yusie Permata
Senior Technical Advisor
Dr. Permata is a public health professional with over a decade of experience in tuberculosis (TB) control programs. She has worked with several international NGOs and TB initiatives in Indonesia, including the KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation through the Challenge TB project, the Public Health Institute's STAR Project, and the TB Reach Wave 3 project. Her areas of expertise include drug-resistant TB management, strategic planning, policy development, capacity building, and program implementation.
In her role at PeerLINC, she supports knowledge-sharing, capacity-strengthening initiatives, and facilitates peer-to-peer learning among high TB-burden countries on the programmatic and clinical aspects of implementing new TB treatments.
Dr. Irene Flores
Senior Clinical Advisor
Dr. Flores was initially trained as a Family Medicine specialist and practiced within the communities in the Philippines for more than 10 years. This foundation helped Dr. Flores immensely in her work in tuberculosis. Her dedication to this work resulted in her appointment as Chair of the Central Luzon Regional TB Medical Advisory Committee (TBMAC) and as a member of the National TBMAC. Dr. Flores was asked by the National TB Program to be the principal investigator of the BPaL Operational Research — a multi-country study to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the BPaL regimen in treating drug-resistant tuberculosis, which helped build the global evidence base for the treatment. In her role at PeerLINC, Dr. Flores is responsible for designing and delivering clinical training and capacity building packages for countries to help their TB programs implement new treatments.
Ms. Donna Mae G. Gaviola
Project Manager and Partnership Coordinator
With 18 years of experience in public health, Donna Mae Geocaniga-Gaviola brings a wealth of knowledge to her role as Project Manager and Partnership Coordinator for PeerLINC. She has worked extensively with TB patients, providing psychosocial services before moving to monitoring and evaluation for the National TB Control Program. During her time at the Department of Health she managed recording and reporting, planning, monitoring and evaluation, research, and digital tools. Her notable projects include coordinating the 2016 National TB Prevalence Survey, the 2016 Catastrophic Cost Survey, and transitioning reporting from paper to an electronic platform. At PeerLINC, Donna draws on her expertise to develop and execute plans efficiently. She leads coordination with staff and partners to ensure success of the initiative.
Mr. Anthony Geronimo
Laboratory Support Lead
A TB Laboratory expert with more than 15 years of experience in TB diagnosis and research, Mr. Geronimo is the Laboratory Support Lead for PeerLINC and the Laboratory Manager for Tropical Disease Foundation, Inc. His expertise spans a wide range of laboratory techniques used in the diagnosis and characterization of tuberculosis, including sputum smear microscopy, culture-based methods, molecular diagnostics, and drug susceptibility testing. He has a comprehensive expertise in biosafety protocols and quality assurance procedures essential for maintaining high laboratory standards. In his role at PeerLINC, Mr. Geronimo is responsible for designing and delivering laboratory training and lab capacity building packages for countries to help their TB programs implement new treatments.
Ms. Rachel Pena
Communications Lead
Rachel Pena is a communications and content strategist, specializing in communications with social impact. She has expertise in digital marketing, public relations, and brand storytelling, and holds professional certifications in social media marketing, digital strategy, and organizational communications.