Dr. Si Thura Named CPI’s New Executive Director

Dr. Si Thura, Community Partners InternationaI’s (CPI) Country Director in Myanmar, will be promoted to Executive Director effective June 1, 2017.

He will assume the responsibilities handled by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Sandee Pyne, who will be stepping down at the end of June. “Dr. Si Thura’s appointment marks the culmination of a long-planned transition to local leadership and the next evolution in CPI’s commitment to Myanmar,” said Dr. Thomas J. Lee, Chair of CPI’s Board of Directors. “Over the past few years, we have carefully shifted our programmatic, financial, and executive leadership into the capable hands of Myanmar national staff. The Board of Directors is delighted that Dr. Si Thura will bring his deep experience and strong leadership to guide CPI as we look to the future.”

Dr. Si Thura joined CPI in 2009 as the organization’s first Myanmar-based staff member. Starting from a small office in Yangon, he has played an instrumental role in bringing CPI from its roots on the eastern border to the forefront of health systems strengthening in Myanmar. Today, under Dr. Si Thura’s stewardship, CPI employs 80 staff in nine locations in Myanmar, all supporting the organization’s network of community-based partners to deliver lifesaving health care to hundreds of thousands of people in conflict-affected, remote rural, and urban poor communities across the country.

Dr. Si Thura has successfully positioned CPI as a key contributor to national health reform efforts in Myanmar, leveraging the unique relationships and expertise that the organization has developed over 20 years to support cooperation between the national government and ethnic and community-based health care providers around shared priorities in health. In 2016, Dr. Si Thura received InsideNGO’s Emerging Leader Award in recognition of his significant contributions to health care in Myanmar.

“I am deeply honored to have this opportunity to lead the organization to which I have dedicated almost a decade of my life,” said Dr. Si Thura. “The political transition taking place in Myanmar has brought pivotal opportunities to transform the health status of Myanmar’s under-served and marginalized communities and ensure that every person has access to the affordable, good quality health care they need to thrive. CPI is uniquely placed to play a key role in making this happen. As we look to the future, I will ensure that we remain true to our founding principles of equity and community empowerment in health care while supporting Myanmar’s ambitious goal of achieving health for all by 2030.”

Commenting on Dr. Si Thura’s appointment, CPI’s CEO, Dr. Pyne, said, “Dr. Si Thura and I have been working towards this transition since I joined CPI in 2013. I am thrilled that he has accepted the position. No one is better placed to build and strengthen CPI’s impact in the future.”

In recognition of Dr. Pyne’s significant contribution to CPI’s development, Dr. Lee said, “CPI’s Board of Directors is deeply grateful to Dr. Pyne for her professionalism, unwavering passion, and commitment in successfully guiding CPI through this period of change. We wish her the best as she moves forward to new opportunities.”

“As we prepare to celebrate our 20th anniversary, we are proud of our legacy and exceptionally confident about the future,” Dr. Lee added. “We remain steadfast in our mission to build and strengthen our community partners and provide lifesaving health care to those who need it most in Myanmar.”