Current Inspire Fellows
Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish
Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, MD, MPH, is Palestinian medical doctor who was born and raised in the Jabalia refugee Camp is a passionate and eloquent proponent of peace between Palestinians and Israelis. Before his three daughters were killed in January 2009 during the Israeli incursion into Gaza, Dr. Abuelaish worked as a researcher at the Gertner Institute at the Sheba Hospital in Tel Aviv. Abuelaish has been an important figure in the Israeli-Palestinian relations for years, working in Israeli hospitals, treating Israeli and Palestinian patients and fully believe that health is an engine for the journey to peace. This horrific tragedy did not harden Abuelaish’s heart; neither did it weaken his resolve to act for humanity. He continues to live up the description bestowed upon him by an Israeli colleague, as a magical, secret bridge between Israelis and Palestinians.Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish currently is Associate Professor of Medicine at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health; University Of Toronto. He has been invited to give speeches in The European Parliament, Belgian Parliament, House of Commons, the American Congress, state department, Forum 2000 in Prague. In addition, he has given speeches all over the world in academic institutions, Universities and organizations in Canada, USA and Europe.
Paula Frederick
Justine Hardy
Justine Hardy has been a journalist for twenty-four years, many of those spent covering South Asia. She is the author of six books on the region. After the earthquake in Kashmir in October 2005, Hardy worked with a local NGO in Kashmir rebuilding homes, schools, and medical centers in some of the worst affected areas, as well as moving into conflict mediation. Having completed her training in conflict trauma therapy, she founded Healing Kashmir in 2008, an integrated mental health project addressing the debilitating mental health situation in the region.
Daniel Holmberg
Daniel Holmberg began his career in humanitarian aid in the South Sudan civil war in the early 1990s with the United Nations. He served with the International Committee of the Red Cross between 1995-97 in the aftermath of the Rwanda genocide and on the front-line in the civil conflicts in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the early 2000s, he served as a Country Logistics Manager in Iraq, Liberia and Northern Sudan. Most recently, Daniel was the Country Director in Pakistan for Action Contre la Faim/Action Against Hunger. This year, he will be assuming a position as the Senior Humanitarian Advisor with the USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance in Sudan.
Col. Benjamin Paganelli
Col. Paganelli (Lt Col [ret] USAF) is a partner and senior consultant with Viable International Applications (VIA) Unlimited, a research and consulting firm focused on success in the international community. In 2004 Paganelli attended the NATO Planning School and began his assignment as the chief air planner to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Afghanistan and in the same role for the development of NATO’s first rapid response force (NRF). Paganelli joined the faculty of the United States Air Force Academy in 2007 and was named an Assistant Professor of Political Science in 2009. He is a combat veteran of Operations Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and ISAF.