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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Rachel Nugent, Ph.D., a leading global expert on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) who helped to establish the RTI Center for Global Noncommunicable Diseases, announced her retirement at the end of the year. After Nugent’s retirement, RTI’s NCD team will be led by Hala AlMossawi, vice president of global health, on an interim basis. Nugent will serve as a consultant supporting the center’s efforts to develop sustainable solutions to the NCD crisis.
“I feel very fortunate to have reached the culmination of my career at RTI, an organization that lives its mission to improve the human condition,” Nugent said. “I especially appreciate the tremendous work and fellowship of the center’s staff and the unwavering support of RTI’s leadership for our vital work in noncommunicable diseases.”
Dr. Nugent joined RTI in 2016 to lead a new initiative to address the large and growing burden of NCDs in lower- and middle-income countries. Under her leadership as vice president of global noncommunicable diseases, the initiative grew and evolved into RTI’s NCD Center, which brings together multidisciplinary expertise to prevent and manage NCDs around the world. The team has partnerships and projects in more than 40 countries across Asia; Africa; South, Central, and North America; the Caribbean; and the Pacific Islands.
Paul Weisenfeld, executive vice president for international development, marveled at Nugent’s accomplishments and extended thanks on behalf of RTI.
“Rachel has made outstanding contributions to RTI and to the global health and international development communities throughout her extraordinary career,” Weisenfeld said. “At RTI, Rachel grew our NCD practice into a global force that expanded our ability to deliver on our mission to improve the human condition around the world. We’re thrilled that she will remain part of our team as a consultant supporting our continuing work to develop sustainable solutions to the NCD crisis. On behalf of everyone at RTI, I’m happy to extend to Rachel our deepest thanks and best wishes for a joyful retirement.”
Over her career of more than 30 years, Dr. Nugent has served as a leading researcher, practitioner, and policy advisor, working primarily on economic policy related to noncommunicable diseases in partnership with NGOs, academics, multilateral organizations, and country governments. In addition to supporting her twin boys through their last year of high school, Rachel’s near-term plans include fly fishing, improving her Spanish and volunteer work on reproductive choice and gun control.
The RTI Center for Global NCDs leverages its multidisciplinary technical expertise, research capacity, and programmatic experience to address the global burden of NCDs by designing, implementing, and evaluating policy, prevention, and treatment interventions that save lives.
