Speaker Biographies | Africa Patient Congress 2021

 

Bisi Bright

1st Vice-Chair/CEO, Livewell Initiative LWI

Bisi Bright is a Pharmacist, Lecturer and Public Health Manager. She is 1st Vice Chairman, CEO and Founder of LiveWell Initiative LWI, a self-sustaining nonprofit. She is an Internship Preceptor at Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston USA and, a Doctoral Thesis Co-Supervisor at the University of Helsinki in Finland, with publications in internationally recognised peer reviewed journals. She served as IAPO Regional Steering Committee Member for Africa from 2011-2013; and delivered a paper at the inaugural Africa Regional IAPO Meeting in Johnnesburg, in 2013. She led LWI to win the first-ever IAPO Global Photocontest at PSD 2013 with a photo titled TRIPLETS. At the global level, Bisi Bright served on the FIP as HMiS Africa/Middle East Rep and served on 3 International Working Groups including Patients as Partners Working Group, an IAPO-Partnered Project.. Bisi founded another PatientsOrganisation, Women in Hepatitis Africa WIHA in 2017, and doubles as Deputy National Coordinator of the Hepatitis national chapter in Nigeria, Exco of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria HFN. Her latest work is in relation to COVID-19 Study Protocols and Prophylaxis Clinical Trials Research and Covid Resilience for greater impact. Bisi Bright is happily married and well travelled.

Christopher Agbega

Advocacy Officer, Sharecare Ghana

Christopher Komla Agbega is a person living with Hereditary Motor Sensory Neuropathy and is currently an Advocate for Sharecare Ghana and a member of the Our Views Our Voices Global Advisory Committee on NCDs. Chris' rise to this position started as a member of the of Sharecare Ghana and later the Ghana NCD Alliance where he currently serves as an advocate and a peer trainer. An active member of the team that developed the Advocacy Agenda for PLWNCDs in Ghana, Chris has participated in NCD-related events both in and out of Ghana such as the annual Ghana NCD High-Level Meeting and the 3rd Global NCD Alliance Forum in Sharjah - UAE. Christopher Agbega currently works at the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations as the COVID-19 Projects Officer. 

Danjuma Adda

Executive Director, CFID Taraba and Chagro-Care Trust

Danjuma is a Nigerian prince and accomplished Public health expert on a mission to raise awareness about Hepatitis. Danjuma was infected with Hep B while in clinical rotations and then lost his own mother to the disease several years later. Even though Hepatitis kills more people per year than HIV/AIDS, it receives just a fraction of the global health funding. Danjuma is a leading voice for Hepatitis patients in Nigeria and uses his platform to advocate for the most vulnerable populations across Africa. He wants to change the narrative about Hepatitis and raise awareness about the deadliness of the disease.

Delese Mimi Darko

CEO, Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana

Mrs. Darko graduated with a Bachelor of Pharmacy from the KNUST and a postgraduate master’s degree in business administration from the University of Northampton. Her 30-year carrier encompasses the regulation of food and drugs including clinical trials regulation, marketing authorization and post approval safety monitoring of medicines and (allopathic and herbal) cosmetics, household chemicals and medical devices. She has risen through the ranks of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to become the first female Chief Executive Officer in 2017. She led the FDA process of designation by the NEPAD/African Medicines Regulation Harmonization (AMRH) as a Regional Centers of Regulatory Excellence in 3 very critical areas, namely, Medicines Safety (pharmacovigilance), Clinical Trials and Drug Registration. She has contributed both to the growth of research and the local manufacturing industries in Ghana.

Dr Adeline Edgal

Chief Scientific Officer – SSA Novartis Global Health

Adeline is the Chief Scientific Officer for SSA. She is responsible for the medical affairs strategy of increasing the companies’ patient reach across the region. Adeline is a medical doctor by training. She joined Novartis in 2012 after several years in clinical practise. She also had several years of experience working in health insurance before joining Pharma. Adeline has built his career with medical affairs, first joining Novartis as an MSL, before taking on roles of increasing responsibility as Medical Advisor responsible for several therapeutic areas and then Cluster Medical Head, covering both English and French West and Central Africa Adeline has a special interest in vulnerable populations (including children) and is passionate about improving and extending the lives of patients across the SSA region. Adeline enjoys travelling, movies, reading and music in her down time.

Dr Chrispin Kambili

Medical Affairs Lead Global Public Health group, Johnson & Johnson

Dr Chrispin Kambili leads the Medical Affairs function with the Global Public Health group at Johnson & Johnson. Dr Kambili was born and raised in Malawi. He received his medical degree from Columbia University in New York City, and undertook his post-graduate medical training at Columbia University Medical Center and at the New York Hospital. He is board-certified in infectious diseases by the by the American Board in Internal Medicine. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Dr Kambili worked for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and worked on assignment to the New York City Department of Health served as Assistant Commissioner of Health in charge of TB control and prevention. Dr Kambili also served as Regional Medical Director for Africa at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative where he led and oversaw efforts to build capacity for HIV/AIDS vaccine clinical trials in eastern and southern Africa.

Dr Dalia Dawoud

Scientific Adviser, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Dr Dalia Dawoud is Scientific Adviser at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). She holds a PhD in pharmaceutical policy and economics from King’s College London. Her current work is focused on the use of real-world evidence to inform drug development and health care decision making. Key research projects that Dalia works on include the IMI GetReal Initiative and Horizon 2020-funded HTx (Next generation Health Technology Assessment) project. She serves as Associate Editor for ISPOR journal Value in Health and for Elsevier’s journal Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy. Dalia holds adjunct position as Associate Professor at Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University.

Dr. Miriam Mutebi

Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi

Dr. Miriam Mutebi is a Breast Surgical Oncologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. She is also the Vice-President of East Africa of the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), treasurer for the Kenya Society of Hematology and Oncology (KESHO), and on the Board of Directors of the Union for International Cancer Control(UICC). She is the co-founder of the Pan African Women's Association of Surgeons (PAWAS - www.africanwomensurgeons.org) and is part of the Kenya Association of Women Surgeons. She did her general surgery residency at AKU. She subsequently did a two-year fellowship in Breast Surgical Oncology, which included a year in plastics and reconstruction at the University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital in South Africa followed by a Mammadi Soudavar International Surgical Oncology Fellowship at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York. She then worked for 2 years as a Graduate Surgical Oncology Fellow at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York, and also completed her Master’s degree in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Systems Research at the Weill Cornell University, New York, with a focus towards understanding the barriers to the diagnosis and treatment, for women with cancers in Africa, thus designing interventions to mitigate these barriers.

Dr. Miriam Mutebi

Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi

Dr. Miriam Mutebi is a Breast Surgical Oncologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. She is also the Vice-President of East Africa of the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), treasurer for the Kenya Society of Hematology and Oncology (KESHO), and on the Board of Directors of the Union for International Cancer Control(UICC). She is the co-founder of the Pan African Women's Association of Surgeons (PAWAS - www.africanwomensurgeons.org) and is part of the Kenya Association of Women Surgeons. She did her general surgery residency at AKU. She subsequently did a two-year fellowship in Breast Surgical Oncology, which included a year in plastics and reconstruction at the University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital in South Africa followed by a Mammadi Soudavar International Surgical Oncology Fellowship at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York. She then worked for 2 years as a Graduate Surgical Oncology Fellow at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York, and also completed her Master’s degree in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Systems Research at the Weill Cornell University, New York, with a focus towards understanding the barriers to the diagnosis and treatment, for women with cancers in Africa, thus designing interventions to mitigate these barriers.

Dr Padmaja Kamath

Director, Regulatory and Scientific Affairs at Global Self-Care Federation

Dr. Padmaja Kamath is the Director of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs at the Global Self-Care Federation (GSCF). Before joining the self-care industry, Dr. Kamath worked in the areas of regulatory compliance and product stewardship within food contact materials and chemicals sectors. Dr. Kamath holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain and a Master’s in Public Administration from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.

Dr. Elizabeth Juma MD MPH

World Health Organization Africa

Dr. Elizabeth Juma is a Medical Officer in charge of malaria case management in the tropical and vector borne diseases unit of the communicable and non-communicable diseases cluster at WHO Regional Office for Africa. Prior to joining WHO, Dr. Juma worked at the Kenya Medical Research Institute focusing on clinical trials dedicated to discovering effective malaria treatments and vaccines. She has also worked as a National Malaria Control Program Manager at the Ministry of Health in Kenya and served in various capacities in the development of health policies and guidelines for the control of malaria in Kenya and across Africa. She has served as a member of WHO technical expert groups on case management and vector control and contributed to the development of the WHO malaria treatment guidelines and various training manuals for health workers and programme managers.

Dr Gertrude Sika Avortri

Patient Safety Focal Point, World Health Organization Africa

Dr Gertrude Sika Avortri is the focal point for Integrated Service Delivery (ISD) and Primary Health Care (PHC) under the Assistant Regional Director’s (ARD) at the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Africa. She is a professional Nurse and Midwife and holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Nursing with Psychology from University of Ghana; Masters of Science (MSc) in Nursing Studies from King’s College, London, Masters in Public Health (MPH) from University of Pretoria and PhD in Health Studies from University of South Africa. Her focus areas of work are: Healthcare Quality Assurance; Patient safety, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC); Integrated People-Centered Health Service Delivery; and District Health System strengthening. She is a member of the Inter-country Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa countries and provides country support in her focus areas within the context of Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable development Goals.

Dr. Marlene Thomas

Global Lead Integrated Molecular Medicine, PHC , Roche

I joined Roche in 2008 and worked in cancer research, clinical/biomarker development and market implementation. Working in Pharma research and early clinical development, I was able to successfully launch and implement various biomarker assay development programs into clinical trials globally. At Roche Pharma Germany I was heading the Medical Affairs Personalized Healthcare team. My group managed translational research studies, covered the entire early Biomarker and companion Diagnostics portfolio across disease areas, lead local launch and implementation strategies. I joined the global organization back in 2017 with leading our medical efforts around comprehensive genomic profiling based on Foundation Medicine services. Meanwhile, I evolved the team and we integrate molecular medicine more holistically into innovative cancer care concepts by connecting it to RWD, digital health solutions and targeted treatment options. Working with a variety of different stakeholders in health care, I had the opportunity to co-create new concepts in precision medicine.

Dr. Marlene Thomas

Global Lead Integrated Molecular Medicine, PHC , Roche

I joined Roche in 2008 and worked in cancer research, clinical/biomarker development and market implementation. Working in Pharma research and early clinical development, I was able to successfully launch and implement various biomarker assay development programs into clinical trials globally. At Roche Pharma Germany I was heading the Medical Affairs Personalized Healthcare team. My group managed translational research studies, covered the entire early Biomarker and companion Diagnostics portfolio across disease areas, lead local launch and implementation strategies. I joined the global organization back in 2017 with leading our medical efforts around comprehensive genomic profiling based on Foundation Medicine services. Meanwhile, I evolved the team and we integrate molecular medicine more holistically into innovative cancer care concepts by connecting it to RWD, digital health solutions and targeted treatment options. Working with a variety of different stakeholders in health care, I had the opportunity to co-create new concepts in precision medicine.

Dr. Mohamed Gad, MD, MA

Adviser – Health Economics at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Mohamed Gad is a health economist at the Department of Global Health & Development, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). His role involves leading development, planning and implementation of health economics research activities for the International Decision Support Initiative (iDSI) programme, working with national governments, funders and international organisations across the world with a specific focus on Low and Middle Income Countries. Between 2015-2017, Mohamed was part of the NICE International team where he worked to support evidence-informed decision making through Health Technology Assessment (HTA), and adaptation of global knowledge products and clinical guidance in Low- and Middle-Income countries. Mohamed studied medicine and surgery and graduated from Ain Shams University in Cairo in 2012. He later studied at Erasmus University Rotterdam and Management Center Innsbruck where he acquired his master’s degree in health economics and management with specialisation in decision making in healthcare.

Dr Neda Milevska-Kostova

Vice-Chair at IAPO

Dr Neda Milevska-Kostova is president of Studiorum, a regional think-tank working on research and policy aspects of health and wellbeing in Europe. Neda has over 20 years experience in health research, policy and patient advocacy. She holds a MSc in functional pharmaceutics (University of Tokyo), MA in public policy (University of Pittsburgh, USA), and a PhD in public health (University of Sheffield, UK). Neda is also a Vice-president of Health First Europe, an umbrella organization based in Belgium working on improving access to innovative health technologies in Europe. In 2018, she was awarded the title Primarius by the Minister of Health for exceptional and long-term commitment to the advancement of health system and population health in Macedonia.

Dr Nicholas Adomakoh

Global Medical Affairs Lead for Anti-infectives, Sandoz International GmbH

Dr Nicholas Adomakoh is the Global medical Affairs lead for Anti-infectives at Sandoz International GmbH, Germany. He is responsible for the development and implementation of strategy to leverage the company’s antibiotic portfolio to address unmet needs in the clinical management of infectious diseases, and AMR. Nicholas obtained his medical degree from King’s College London in 1992, and has worked for 20 years as an infectious diseases physician prior to joining industry. During this time, he spent 10 years in strategic planning and implementation of dengue and vector-borne disease control programmes, and lead public health interventions at national and regional level, as part of the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS. Nicholas has a particular interest in digital technologies for optimising the use and repurposing of antibiotics, and is an advocate for the role of ICT in health systems strengthening and overcoming barriers to universal health coverage in resource constrained settings.

Ellos Ellard Lodzeni

IAPO Board Treasurer

Ellos is a health rights, social justice and governance advocate as well as a patient for patient safety champion with an enormous passion on health matters. He is the patron and founder trustee of Patient and Community Welfare Foundation of Malawi, the only cross-disease patient movement in Malawi which articulates and amplifies the patient voice and drives the crusade for patient-centered health care in Malawi.

John Mwangi

Co-Chair – Africa Regulatory Network (IFPMA) Head of Regulatory Affairs

John currently works at Bayer as Head of Regulatory Affairs responsible for East & West Central Africa Region based in Kenya, responsible for Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Health divisions. He has previously held different roles in Pharmacovigilance and Quality Control within the Pharmaceutical Industry. He has been an active member of several industry associations including KAPI (Kenya Association of Pharmaceutical Industry) where he has served as member since 2013 including as past executive secretary and continues to serve in in various committees within KAPI. John is passionate about supporting the streamline of Pharmaceutical Regulatory Systems & Policy and is currently a member of the Africa Regulatory Network (ARN) within the IFPMA (International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations) where he is the current co-chair. Additionally, John represents Bayer in the Africa Engagement Committee of the IFPMA and is currently a member of the Africa Strategy for the Global Self Care Federation (GSCF).

Johnpaul Omollo

Health Research and Development Officer at PATH

Johnpaul Omollo is a public health professional and a health Policy analysist. He has extensive expertise in health policy formulation, health policy advocacy, monitoring and evaluation, health systems strengthening and program management. Currently he is the Health Research and development advocacy officer at PATH. Before joining PATH, Mr Omollo was the National Coordinator of the Health NGOs Network (HENNET). Before that, He served as the Health Systems Strengthening Officer at LVCT health, and The Quality Control and Quality Assurance officer in an influenza effectiveness study at the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Mr Omollo was a member of the Universal Health Coverage, Health Benefits Advisory Panel (UHC-HBAP), a team charged with the responsibility of designing an affordable, responsive health benefits package for the delivery of Universal Health Coverage in Kenya. He also serves as a member of the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization partnership platform.  He previously served in the global Gavi CSOs steering committee and the global financing facility civil society steering committee. He holds a Master’s in Public Health

Kawaldip Sehmi

CEO, International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations

Kawaldip is the chief executive officer of the International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations.He has an academic background in public health and law and has a passionate belief in improving access to services through digital health and justice services. As the managing director of an international children’s legal center, he led a team of international lawyers improving the rights of the child, including right to health, by applying Remote Courts. He has also served as the chief executive officer of an international mental health charity, specializing in niche mental health services supporting young people and adults with complex mental health, personality disorder and substance misuse problems access telehealth and digital mental health services. Kawaldip is a passionate advocate of the WHO’s human rights based approaches to health and strengthening of the institutional, legislative, policy, practice and standards framework. He believes this support is needed to achieve the health goals outlined in the Sustainable Developmental Goals 2030, specifically in SDG 3.8,.to ensure universal health coverage for all.

Kongnso Emile Tata

Ph.D. fellow, Medical Law and Ethics, Dschang School of Law and Political Science–Cameroon

Kongnso Emile Tata is a Ph.D fellow, Medical Law and Ethics, He has served as a Law teacher at COTECH Bafut, he was a Jurist in Practice at Nji Law Chambers, Bamenda. He was a legal adviser at the Maroua Military Tribunal and he is the founder and CEO of the Centre for the Promotion and Protection of Patient’s Rights in Cameroon, he is also an expert on Arbitration Law. He published articles on “Medical Errors in Hospital Institutions: Setting the platform for legal interventions in Cameroon” and on “The Neutrality of Medical personnel during armed conflicts: NW and SW regions of Cameroon in mind”.

Manan Shah

Vice President, Global Public Affairs, LEO Pharma

Manan Shah is Vice President & Head of Global Public Affairs for LEO Pharma, a Danish healthcare company focused on medical dermatology. Throughout his career, he has worked in numerous NCD areas including diabetes, hemophilia, multiple sclerosis, obesity, and medical dermatology. Additionally, Manan is an adjunct assistant professor of public health at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s School of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, having developed and currently teaching multiple courses including: Social & Economic Determinants of Health, Mental Health Advocacy, and Politics of Public Health. He has a Master’s in Public Affairs and Politics from Rutgers University, an MBA from the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, and undergraduate degrees from American University. Currently he is a candidate for the Master of Laws (LLM) from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Manan is also a counsellor for Crisis Text Line, a global not-for-profit organization providing free mental health texting services through confidential crisis intervention.

Samuel Agyei Wiafe

Executive Director at Rare Disease Initiative Ghana

Samuel Agyei Wiafe is a clinical psychologist who graduated from the University of Ghana. He is the Head of unit for Clinical Psychology at the Ga East Municipal Hospital in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Samuel Wiafe is the Founder and Executive Director of Rare Diseases Ghana. He serves as an Advisor on the African Taskforce for Rare Diseases to FYMCA Medicals LTD. Samuel is a selective participant in the 4th International Summit in Human Genetics and Genomics held at the National Institute of Health by the National Human Genome Research Institute. He is a Co-chair of the Developing Nations Committee of the Undiagnosed Disease Network International (UDNI) and a member of the Panel of Experts from the WHO Collaborative Global Network for Rare Diseases. Samuel is also a member of the International Rare Disease Research Consortium (IRDiRC) and serves on the patient Advocacy Constituent Committee (PACC).