'Leading questions' series #1 - 'The cultural dimensions of leadership' with Christian Ntizimira

'Leading questions' series #1 - 'The cultural dimensions of leadership' with Christian Ntizimira

The first in the 'Leading questions' series, this Virtual Dialogue explored how different cultural perspectives may affect views of leadership and what practical repercussions these may have on how people lead, design organisations, and pursue their missions.

• Do traditional interpretations of what makes a great leader overshadow alternative leadership mindsets and practices?
• What is the influence of culture on the effectiveness of leadership styles and behaviours?
• What are the implications for leaders and organisations serving the needs of local communities?

Drawing on his pioneering work on palliative care in Rwanda, Christian Ntizimira, Founder and Executive Director of the African Center for Research on End-of-Life Care (ACREOL), brought his perspective to these questions in an informal exchange exploring the cultural dimensions of leadership.

Recording

Guest speaker

Dr Christian Ntizimira is the Founder and Executive Director of the African Center for Research on End-of-Life Care (ACREOL) in Rwanda.

Christian is a Fulbright Alumni and graduated from Harvard Medical School, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, former City Manager, Kigali, City Cancer Challenge Foundation, and the former Executive Director of the Rwanda Palliative Care and Hospice Organization (RPCHO), a non-profit organisation focused in home-based care in the City of Kigali.

Christian pioneered the integration of palliative care and end of life care into health services rendered to Rwandan cancer patients and in the community settings. Through his programme (2008-2013), more than 1500 health care providers and community health workers have learned the principles of cancer prevention control and palliative care leading to a five-fold increase in the prescription of morphine, an essential pain medication.

He was named Young Cancer Leader by the Union for International Cancer Control in 2016 and Distinguished Young Leader by the Harvard Global Health Catalyst in 2017. In 2021 he was awarded the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize in the Emerging Leader category.