Project Coordinators
Nataly Martini
Graduating with a BPharm in 1995 from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, Nataly completed her PhD in 2001 looking into “The isolation and characterisation of antibacterial compounds from Combretum erythrophyllum (Burch.) Sond.”
In 2003, Nataly moved to New Zealand and her research interests evolved into developing socially aware health projects in developing countries. Her first online project, Visualising Issues in Pharmacy (VIP) in 2007 (http://creativewaves.omnium.net.au/vip/outline/) was hosted in Winam, Kenya.
Nataly’s other interests include the use of 3D animation in health education, research into irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inappropriate medication use in the elderly. She is currently employed as a lecturer in Pharmacotherapy at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Raul Caceres
Raul has used his experience in Engineering and the sciences as an online volunteer to support communities in rural areas. In 2006 he received an online volunteer of the year award from the United Nations and in 2007 he was invited to Stockholm to speak about social innovation during the Nobel Summit on Public Services. He was recently asked to contribute to a publication from the GTZ magazine on the use of Information and Communication Technologies to make a difference in rural areas.
His experience managing online projects includes setting up a beekeeping operation and a safe water project in Sierra Leone and a dairy cooperative and farm diversification project in Kenya. In his current role for the Cancer Council NSW in Australia, Raul works designing strategies for online community engagement as well as online health interventions for cancer patients and carers.
Diane Wiseman
Diane Wiseman is a senior tutor in Pharmacotherapy at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Having graduated with a BSc (Hons) in pharmacy from the University of Strathclyde, Diane worked as a hospital pharmacist in the UK before moving to Gibraltar, where she worked for 15 years as a community pharmacist.
Diane moved to New Zealand in 2005 and joined the School of Pharmacy in Auckland a year later. She has recently completed an MSc in Prescribing Sciences and would like to undertake a PhD. Research interests include the implementation of evidence-based medicine and guidelines.
Mary Smith
Mary has been an online volunteer with Nabuur - a website linking local communities in developing countries with online volunteers from around the world - since June 2005, and was recently voted as one of the runners up for Nabuur Volunteer of the Year.
Through Nabuur, she has worked on a wide variety of projects - mostly with communities in Africa - including assisting in setting up an internet cafe, researching low-cost rainwater harvesting methods, and finding organisations to donate books to schools. Mary prefers to work on projects that encourage local communities to build on their own skills, and which provide real long-term solutions to the issues that they face.
Mary has worked in IT since 1987. She likes to find solutions and can be very persistent in when something interests her. She enjoys reading, especially science fiction, and her favourite way to relax is to be by water. She hopes she has a good sense of humour!
Ashley de Regil
Ashley holds her bachelor’s degree in psychology and ethics from the University of Toronto and is a recent graduate from the Masters in social work program at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Her graduate work focused on issues of international migration and development, while her thesis research was performed in Costa Rica focusing on using film and participatory action research methods to address the issue of xenophobia towards Nicaraguan immigrants living in Costa Rica.
Her research interests and experience vary from working with abandoned children and women in Southern India to Inuit Indigenous Peoples in the Eastern Arctic region of Canada, to working with Bri Bri and other local indigenous tribes in the Southern Caribbean region of Costa Rica. Ashley currently lives in Costa Rica and is involved in a number of community based initiatives.
Jennifer Wells
Jennifer works full-time as a vocational rehabilitation counselor. For the past 17 years, she has worked with people with disabilities, primarily people diagnosed with severe mental illness.
She is also very interested in leadership, leadership development and team-building, as well as international development issues specifically those focused on enhancing the independence and rights of people with disabilities. She has an undergraduate degree in Psychology/Criminal Justice and a Master's Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling.
Almost 2 years ago, after completing a year-long leadership development program, Jennifer began volunteering through the United Nations online volunteering website. She was able to help with two proposals focused on establishment of a Disability Resource Center and an Employability Skills Center for people with disabilities in Pakistan. She was then introduced to Nabuur (http://www.nabuur.com) and she has been working as a volunteer with them ever since. Presently, she manages a group which provides resources to projects for addressing the needs of people with disabilities. She also facilitates projects in Gamauli, Khandbari and the Sankhuwasabha District of Nepal as well as projects in Kenya and Uganda.
