Born and raised in Bavaria, IIyena Kozain spent her childhood growing up between Germany and the US. She studied and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Union College, Schenectady, NY. IIyena deviated from her post graduate pre-medical track to delve into the world of global health starting with a social entrepreneurship focused Minerva fellowship in Ddegeya, Uganda.

She then spent four years as the Director of Financial Aid and Assistant Director of Admissions at an experiential-learning high school (Proctor Academy) in rural New Hampshire, where she additionally led the language and cultural immersion programs for students in Guatemala and China. In 2019-2020 she completed her Global Health Corps (GHC) fellowship year as the New Business Development and Partnership Officer with Jhpiego Uganda where she supported resource mobilization for the NGO in-country. 

Following her GHC year, IIyena joined the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) Uganda country team as a Senior Associate on the Sexual Reproductive and Maternal Neonatal Health (SRMNH) team. She oversees functional bi-directional referral systems between communities and clinical services and supports emergency care system strengthening sub-nationally at the district level and nationally with Ministry of Health. 

IIyena is an avid traveler, enjoys spending time with family and friends, good food, camping, hiking, and any and everything outside.