Natnael A. Abebe, MD, is a Regional Advisor for the NCDI Poverty Network and the Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In that role, he focuses particularly on Ethiopia’s and Uganda’s PEN-Plus initiatives.

Dr. Abebe’s previous work centered on decentralizing cancer care, particularly through the development of models to extend palliative care to periurban and rural communities. Additionally, he has been actively involved in the clinical and programmatic management of noncommunicable diseases, and he spearheaded the Ethiopian PEN-Plus initiation project as a medical coordinator.

As a medical oncologist and palliative care specialist, Dr. Abebe has been recognized for his contributions to expanding palliative care in low-income countries. He received the IDEA-Palliative Care Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncologists in 2022 and the International Physician Award from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine in 2023.

Dr. Abebe completed his medical oncology fellowship at Tata Memorial Hospital in India and pursued Palliative Medicine training at the Cipla Palliative Care & Training Centre in Pune, India, and St. Christopher’s Hospice in London, United Kingdom. He studied leadership at the University of Delaware, where he was also honored as a 2022 Mandela Washington Fellow under the Young African Leaders Initiative.