In February 2026, Andra Blaj and Shreya Bhatt became Medic’s first Co-Executive Directors. Here, they share the paths that led them to this moment and explain why co-leadership is the only model that can advance Medic’s mission.
We know that behind every leadership transition, people really want to understand: who are the leaders, and do they care about the same things that I do?
And so, as we step into the role of Co-Executive Directors at Medic, we wanted to start with a conversation — about who we are, what drives us, and what we’re excited to build, together.
Our paths to Medic
We both came to Medic inspired by its founding belief: that technology could help close healthcare gaps in the last mile. Between us, we bring different but complementary perspectives. Shreya has supported Medic’s mission for twelve years, focusing on building teams, shaping strategy, and strengthening operations through every stage of growth. She believes everyone deserves care before a crisis hits, and technology can make that possible. Andra brings deep roots in open-source and community-led technology, and believes technology should be accessible to all. She’s driven by the quiet moments when it simply works and makes someone’s life a little better.
With roots in India and Romania, respectively, and time spent living in Senegal, we’ve witnessed firsthand what last-mile care looks like, and what’s missing. What it means when care doesn’t reach the people who need it on time, or at all. The gaps we talk about aren’t abstract to us. They are faces and stories we carry with us – sometimes all too personal.
Although we came to this work from different areas of expertise and corners of the world, we are driven by the same ethos: that the best solutions are built with and by communities, not for them.
Through this transition, we’ve been asked: Why two leaders? Because the challenges we’re tackling demand it. Whether it’s uniting a global community, building open-source technology that works at the last mile, or strengthening health systems, our work is increasingly multidimensional. Our leadership needs to be too.
Shifting power: Catalyzing a global community
But this isn’t just about us. Co-leadership signals what kind of organization we want to be: one that practices shared power, not just preaches it. And one built for resilience in a world that’s shifting fast.
We catalyze a global community united to bring healthcare to all in the digital age. We steward best-in-class open-source technology. And, in doing so, we support community health workers, the vast majority of whom are women, delivering care in some of the hardest-to-reach places on earth.
As two women in Global Majority countries leading this mission, we carry a deep sense of responsibility. We’ve both been in rooms where important decisions were being made, but where no one looked like us. And we know firsthand the radical transformation that happens when leadership truly reflects those it serves. We feel both the weight and the privilege of this moment. Not for what it means for us, but for a health worker who feels more seen, a health system more supported, and a community more in charge of the decisions that shape their lives. We do not take this responsibility lightly.
Moving forward: Building on the vision and mission of many
When our founders first began this journey in 2010, the idea that open-source technology on a low-cost device could meet the needs of health workers in places with limited connectivity, electricity, and digital literacy – let alone reach national scale and be truly community-driven – seemed unachievable.
Fifteen years later, our team and global community have proven this is possible. Today, the Community Health Toolkit (CHT) is integral to health systems in 24 countries, powering more than 182,000 health workers delivering essential care to an estimated 90 million people. A global team of talented and committed souls, along with over 45 cause-aligned organizations in the community, drives this mission forward every day.
Medic and the CHT didn’t achieve this impact by accident. We got here through catalytic vision and collective effort, the unflinching commitment of this community, and years of showing up together for the hardest problems in global health. We hold deep respect for what’s been built. We stand ready to honor that foundation and take it further.
Looking ahead, we’re excited to foster an open and active community of practice, strengthening the bonds that spark collective innovation so that we can reach even further, together. The CHT has proven it can scale. Now, we’re committed to keeping it at the frontier of what’s possible. As technology rapidly evolves, so must the platform – becoming smarter, more connected, and more accessible to everyone who builds on it.
As we step into this role, we commit to:
- Representing the communities we serve
- Defaulting to open — in our communication, our code, our decisions, and how we share power
- Protecting what works while ushering in what’s next
- And leading with the humility this work demands and the urgency it deserves.
The door is open: Build with us
To this community: whether you’ve contributed code, designed CHT tools, championed Medic’s mission, or are just finding us for the first time, thank you for being here. Medic exists because of you. This has always been a collective effort, and that won’t change. We commit to listening, learning, and building together with you.
And to the health workers at the heart of everything we do: we see you, and we’re here to make sure the world does, too.
As we begin this next chapter, we leave you with an invitation: Build with us. And hold us accountable along the way. This is your community as much as ours and, together, we will keep shaping what’s possible.