Our Team
The HepaHealth team is dedicated to increasing access to healthcare. We are health professionals, scientists, entrepreneurs, and activists driven to achieve a hepatitis free Philippines.
Ryan Gersava
Co-Founder
Ryan is a Registered Medical Technologist and Founder of Virtualahan, a Davao-based social enterprise that breaks down employment barriers for socially excluded populations through online training, life coaching, and community building. His contributions to empowering people with disabilities have been internationally recognized by numerous organizations, most recently by being elected as an Ashoka Fellow.
“I’m driven by my lived experience of being left behind because I was born in poverty and I have a chronic condition. Many of the people I know are still suffering from the consequences of our action and inaction. These experiences shaped my mission of creating
positive impact through technology and social entrepreneurship.”
Jiska van der Reest, PhD
Co-Founder
Jiska’s background is in Nutrition & Health sciences, and she currently works as a cancer scientist at Harvard Medical School. In addition to her research, she is excited about translating scientific innovations from the lab into real-life applications to improve human health and wellbeing.
“Healthcare innovation is not just about inventing new treatments – the cycle is not complete until we ensure equal access to care.”
Ariel Carcallas
Community Manager
Ariel has advocated for hepatitis patients for many years and now manages our patient community. He headed the Davao City Chapter of the Yellow Warriors Society of the Philippines, a hepatitis patient organization, before joining HepaHealth.
“I lost my brother and sister to this devastating disease. Helping patients motivates me because the social problem that we are solving is huge in the Philippines.”
Anjelou Estrella
Health Program Manager
Anjelou has a background in public health and is recognized nationally for her contributions to health advocacy. She co-founded Team Dugong Bughaw, a youth organization that raises awareness for HIV/AIDS based in Iloilo City, before joining HepaHealth.
“Public health is everyone’s concern. The lack of some people’s knowledge on the
importance of health motivates me to work on solutions that will achieve our SDGs.”
