Mary Oakes Smith

Mary Oakes Smith "is a World Bank fellow in information technology and its applications for education and health. She is specialized in policy, strategy and implementation guidelines on applications of new communications technologies for distance learning and telemedicine in developing countries.

"From 1984-99, Ms. Smith, a senior official with the World Bank, managed industry, energy and telecommunications portfolios, as well as financial replenishment operations for the Bank. During her career tenure with the Bank, she worked in Latin America, the Middle East, East Asia, South Asia, and became increasingly concentrated on countries of Sub-Saharan Africa.

"Ms. Smith was awarded a Learning and Leadership Fellowship by the World Bank to study and develop strategies and applications of information technology for education and health in Sub-Saharan Africa and other low income areas of the world. She carried out her work with Stanford’s Connect Program and San Diego State University’s graduate program in educational technology, as well as informally with Yale University’s Temple Medical and Duke University Medical Center on telemedicine. She also worked informally with industry, including Apple Computer, Cisco Systems and Hewlett-Packard. She has supplemented her fellowship year with advanced telemedicine training, and has recently formed a consultancy to advise on applications of information and communications technologies for distance learning and telemedicine in developing countries."

• Advisory Board, UNFIP