About Belén Rios Scholars
We are pleased to introduce the passionate and driven scholars working to protect and advance human rights in memory of Belén Ríos. In honor of Belén’s integral work in the human rights field, these public health leaders have received full scholarships to pursue an LL.M. in National and Global Health Law at the Georgetown University Law Center. These scholars embody Belén’s passion for social justice and continue her seminal work in advancing the right to health for all people.
Belén Ríos Scholars
Daniel Dorado | 2024 Belén Ríos Health and Human Rights Scholar
Daniel Dorado is the 2024 Belén Ríos Health and Human Rights Scholar.
His interests include the intersection of health, human rights, intellectual property, artificial intelligence, noncommunicable diseases, corporate accountability, and various forms of liability.
Before enrolling at Georgetown Law, he worked as the director of policy organizing and tobacco campaign at Corporate Accountability, a nongovernmental organization challenging transnational corporations. He also worked with the Court of Justice of the Andean Community, the Ecuadorian Constitutional Court, and the Colombian National Superintendence of Health.
Currently, Dorado serves in various roles, including as a member of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) expert group on liability, co-regional coordinator for the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control in Latin America and the Caribbean, vice president of the Ecuadorian Tobacco Control Interinstitutional Committee, and member of the Cancer Research UK – International Prevention Advisory Group. He is engaged in multilateral processes, such as the WHO FCTC, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the pandemic treaty, and the plastic treaty.
His Master’s in Law thesis on “Compulsory Licensing of Medicines and the Right to Health in the Andean Community” was published and awarded honors. Dorado has an extensive academic background with publications in various academic outlets.
Dorado holds a law degree from Javeriana University-Colombia and a Master in Law with a focus in constitutional law from Simon Bolivar Andean University-Ecuador, with additional specializations and certifications in other legal fields (Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer, among others).
Berenice Cerra | 2023 Belén Ríos Health and Human Rights Scholar
Berenice Cerra was the 2023 Belén Ríos Health and Human Rights Scholar.
Cerra is interested in the intersection between health and human rights, noncommunicable diseases, the right to food, the regulation of transnational companies and food marketing, sexual and reproductive rights, sexual orientation and gender identity, and non-discrimination policies.
Before enrolling at Georgetown Law, Cerra served as an advocacy and legal coordinator at the Fundación Interamericana del Corazón (Argentina), where she worked on legal research in public health and human rights. Specifically, she was in charge of developing tobacco control and food advocacy activities. Additionally, she is a member of the global legal fellowship program for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in association with the O’Neill Institute.
Cerra holds a master’s degree in human rights from the University of Lanús, where she graduated with honors. She also received her first law degree with a specialization in public international law at University of Buenos Aires. She is the 2023-2024 Belén Ríos Scholar at Georgetown Law.
Allan Maleche | 2022 Belén Ríos Health and Human Rights Scholar
Allan Maleche was the 2022 Belén Ríos Health and Human Rights Scholar.
Maleche is a dynamic leader, an advocate of the high court of Kenya, and a human rights defender with over fifteen years of experience in law, ethics, governance, policy, health and rights, including eight years managing rights-based programs that protect affected, marginalised, and vulnerable populations.
He is currently serving as the executive director of Kenya Legal & Ethical Issues Network on HIV & AIDS (KELIN). He sits and co-chairs the UNAIDS Human Rights Reference group and is a member of the International Advisory Board for the Global Health Centre.
Maleche previously served on the board of the Developing Country NGO Delegation to the Global Fund Board, where he also was a member of the Global Fund’s Audit and Finance Committee and chair of the Implementers Group of the Global Fund Board.