Profile: Anna Barbara Proietti, ’00, Brazil
November-December 2007
The year 2000 wasn’t the first time Anna Barbara Proietti stepped onto U.S. soil, but it just might have been the most memorable.
Proietti joined the Eisenhower Fellowships network in 2000 to exchange ideas with leading experts involved in supplying blood and its components in a safe and effective manner. She was able to meet with the likes of the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and even a small fire and marine insurance company in St. Paul, MN. Proietti obtained a comprehensive understanding of the interrelationships between federal agencies, hospital and community blood centers, nonprofit organizations, and professional associations in the United States. Meeting with these organizations and the other Multi-Nation Fellows of 2000 created a new path for her to translate her ideas into action and results.
Today, Anna Barbara continues her success as President of Fundacao Hemominas in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. This is the state center of hematology and blood transfusion with 22 regional centers. As such, she is head of the institution that provides blood and its components to over seventy percent of the population of the state, collecting more than 250,000 units of whole blood per year. She was invited to this position in 1999 by Itamar Franco, Governor of Minas Gerais State from 1998-2003, then confirmed by Aecio Neves, Governor from 2003 to the present day. Anna Barbara continues her commitment to building professional relationships to develop her field so that it benefits humanity. In 2004, President Lula of Brazil presented Anna Barbara with the National Prize for Public Sector Management.
Anna Barbara keeps connected with her fellow Fellows and is a strong contributor to the EF network. She feels that Eisenhower Fellowships has continuously influenced her personal and professional life, “with the beginning of partnerships that last to the present date.” In the past few years she has led the revival of Brazil’s nominating committee, serving as coordinator for welcoming new Fellows from her country.
Anna Barbara has visited several countries abroad where she has had meetings arranged for her, including Turkey, Ireland, Greece, France, and Germany. These visits, she says, are always dotted with fascinating discussions and reminiscing about past experiences with the fellowship. She feels a lasting bond with these folks, saying “the friends I made during and after the fellowship, in connection to it, are remarkable.” As with many other unique experiences, Anna Barbara has realized “there is before and after! The network makes us feel as if the world is small and close, for we have friends and contacts all over it! And we have access to people that have been through the same experience and that provides a unique sense of understanding and belonging.”
In addition to coordinating Brazil’s EF Nominating Committee, Anna Barbara is now working closely with her fellow Brazilian Fellows, as well as others in Latin America, to organize the Latin America Regional Conference in Ouro Preto, the historical former capital of Minas Gerais near the current capital (Belo Horizonte). The title of the conference is “Leadership for Development and Sustainable Growth – Facing the Challenges in Latin America.” They plan to welcome 150-200 fellows from Latin America, U.S., Europe, Africa, and Asia to discuss subjects of regional and global interest, such as development, environment, and health issues.
Anna Barbara feels that conferences provide “very good opportunities to meet other Fellows and to make professional and personal contacts. The conferences and discussions are very stimulating, as they provide opportunities to expand our views and thoughts about the world.” This conference acts as the perfect segue into the Eisenhower Fellowships’ Fall Single Region Program which will draw new Fellows from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay.
