She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and a Fellow of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health (UK); a Fellow of the National Post graduate Medical college of Nigeria; a Fellow of the West African College of Physicians, a West African college of Physicians GOLD MEDALIST. As a Professor of Pediatrics with accrued experience of more the 25 years at the Medical Schools of the University of Benin and the University of Jos in Nigeria. She is a prolific writer, author of several Scholarly publications and contributed to book chapters.
She has been active in Postgraduate medical Education activities at National and Regional Levels: has trained and mentored many Pediatricians. She has accrued experience of more than 25 years in the practice of Neonatal Medicine in West Africa and currently practices Neonatology at the Federal Medical Center, Asaba, Nigeria.

Dr Abdulmalik is passionate about mental health advocacy and policy development. He contributes a weekly column, since 2016, titled ‘Your Mental Health & You’ for a national daily, The Nigerian Tribune on Thursdays.
In 2019, he founded the Asido Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Mental Health Advocacy organization, which promotes mental health awareness and combats stigma and discrimination www.asidofoundation.com.
He has published 72 peer-reviewed articles and served as Mental Health Consultant to the West African Health Organization (WAHO).

He is currently a senior lecturer at the School of Public Health, University of Sydney in Australia, where he teaches global health and uses realist methods and theories from institutional economics to study health system governance. Dr Abimbola is also the editor in chief of BMJ Global Health, and the current Prince Claus Chair in Equity and Development at Utrecht University, where he is working on justice in global health research.

The clinical track of his work is in general paediatrics and infectious diseases. The overall aim of his research is to generate evidence for vaccine policy in Africa. His current research is focused on vaccine seroepidemiology research including its application to estimating population immunity, force of infection and vaccination coverage in African settings, and on the managing pneumococcal conjugate vaccine programmes in Africa with only pneumococcal carriage data. He received an EDCTP Career Development Fellowship in 2005 and was awarded the MRC/DFID Africa Research Leader Fellowship in 2018. He is a member of the Kenyan National Immunisation Coordinating Committee, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Africa Regional Immunisation Technical Advisory Group, the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme’s Advisory Group, and the WHO Technical Advisory Group for RSV Vaccines.

She is involved in tutoring clinical year medical students of the University of Ghana. Dr. Appiah-Pippim obtained her medical degree from the School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in 2011.
She runs mental health clinics on part time basis with two of Ghana’s premier private hospitals, the Cocoa and Trust Hospitals.
She has been in the mental health space for almost a decade.

He has been practicing as a physician for seventeen years, initially in Nigeria and more recently in The Gambia.
He had his research training with the American Thoracic Society (ATS). As a fellow of the society, he has been awarded numerous scholarships and one joint research grant to conduct a study on COPD in Nigeria.
He is currently a final year PhD student under the LSTM/Lancaster University MRC Doctoral Training Program. He also works as a Consultant Clinician with the MRCG at LSHTM.

She obtained her medical degree from the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, and fellowship in Psychiatry from the West African College of Physicians. She works as a leader of multidisciplinary teams in the sectors of health, education and juvenile justice. She is the Acting Director of the Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CCAMH), Head, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University College Hospital Ibadan, Nigeria, and President of the African Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (AACAMH).

She has over 20 years of experience as a Haematologist. Her specialties include Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia, Sickle Cell Disease and Haemophilia.
Dr. Benneh-Akwasi Kuma’s publications have resulted from collaborations with both local and international research partners. Advocacy is one of her passions and she has engaged in various platforms to create awareness on haematological diseases. She is currently serving as the Faculty Chairperson of Laboratory Medicine; Ghana Chapter and the College’s Faculty Secretary of the Laboratory Medicine.

Chibanda started developing the Friendship Bench approach in 2006 with the explicit objective of taking what he had learned in his clinical practice and research, to meet the needs of millions of people struggling with mental health that have no access to services. He now leads the team to scale it up across the southern African country. Dr Chibanda supervised on the International Diploma in mental health, human rights and law at the University of Pune, India in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) 2006–2010. As a senior registrar in psychiatry at Harare Central Hospital, he led the team that developed Zimbabwe’s national mental health policy 2003–2006. Chibanda graduated in medicine from Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia in 1993. He holds Master’s degrees in psychiatry (2004) and epidemiology and public health (2007) from the University of Zimbabwe and a PhD in psychiatry from the University of Cape Town (2015).

Established just over 5 years ago, AREF focusses on talented emerging health researchers in the continent providing them with stepping-stones to a successful research career in Africa for Africa. Research that will impact on policies to improve health and save lives in Africa and World-wide. Tumani is Past President of the West African College of Physicians.

Past President of Nigerian Medical Association. President of Commonwealth Medical Association. Chairman, Socio-Medical Affairs Committee of World Medical Association (WMA). WMA Council Member. WMA Executive Committee Member. Coordinator, Coalition of African National Medical Associations. Life Member, SOFPON and WONCA.
Delivered over 45 public Guest lectures/Keynote addresses.
Has several publications, including “Enabulele, O. Covid-19 Pandemic: A Possible Reversal Mechanism for Outward Medical Tourism by African Political Leaders. World Medical Journal. 2020; 66(3):15-22.
Received over 50 awards.
Married with children.

Dr. Essuman was the first Ghanaian to graduate with a Fellowship in Family Medicine from the West African College of Physicians in 2005. He is currently the Chair of the Faculty of Family Medicine in Ghana, having served in previous positions as Secretary, Training Coordinator and Chief Examiner. He has considerable international experience through his collaboration with family medicine & primary care institutions and organisations in Africa, Europe, and the USA. He serves as the West African Representative on the Executive Committee of Primafamed Network – an organisation of academic institutions in sub- Saharan Africa with global partners which among other objectives, seeks to build interprofessional capacity at the primary care level. Dr. Essuman’s passion is to see the practice of family medicine firmly rooted in the health delivery system in Ghana, thus his research seeks to explore the impact of community- orientated primary care in the health delivery system in Ghana.

Her public health journey included that of working for the World Health Organization as the Family and Reproductive Health Adviser and Program Manager for Reproductive, Child and Adolescent Health and Tuberculosis in Sierra Leone. As a result oriented public health profession, her expertise includes that of designing, planning and implementing complex integrated health services, health system strengthening, Reproductive,Maternal,Newborn,Child and Adolescent health(RMNCH) and infectious disease(TB, Covid, Ebola).

She qualified at the University of Oxford, completing postgraduate training in Liverpool, UK. She holds an MA in intercultural studies, from Africa International University, Nairobi, Kenya, and a postgraduate diploma in medical education.
She has worked in The Gambia for 12 years. During her time as clinical director of the MRC clinic, she has introduced a wide range of changes aimed at ensuring that patients receive safe and high-quality care.

He got his Medical degree from the I. YA. Horbachevsky Ternopil State Medical University in Ukraine.
His research experience spans vaccine trials involving the 10- Valent pneumococcal vaccine, Pneumosil and the Novel type 2 Oral polio vaccine (nOPV2). Currently leads and coordinates clinical trial activities at one of the trial sites for the nOPV2 phase 3 vaccine trial.

Academic head of the DES of Pediatrics at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of N’Djamena Chad since 2015.
Past President of UNAPSA, and past Member of the standing Committee of AIP/IPA.
Fellow WACP Paed since 1992, founding member of the 1st WACP Francophone Chapiter and VP (2008 to 2016) P-E (2016- 2018) President of thé College (2018 – 2020) and IP WACP.
Fields of interest: Perinatal health, community healt, Ecosystem approach to Human health.

She is a fellow of the West African College of Physicians (Paediatrics) and holds a Master of Science in Public Health from the LSHTM, and a PhD from the University of Munich. Her research has focused on interventions for vulnerable populations and newborn immune ontogeny and the effect of vaccines on this development. She has managed grants and sat on various committees including committees for WHO and Africa CDC.

Dr. Ihekweazu trained as an infectious disease epidemiologist and has over 20 years’ experience working in senior public health and leadership positions in several National Public Health Institutes, including the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the UK’s Health Protection Agency, and Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI). Dr. Ihekweazu has led several short- term engagements for WHO, mainly in response to major infectious disease outbreaks around the world including the WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

He completed his Master of Science degree in Human Immunity in 2005 and then a PhD in Immunology in 2011, from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom. Afterwards, he did his postdoctoral training at the MLW and Cornell University, and later returned to establish his research group at the MLW. Dr Jambo was awarded the Wellcome Intermediate Fellowship in 2015 and then the MRC African Research Leader in 2020. His research focuses on understanding immune responses in mucosal tissues including nasal, lung and gut. Currently, his group is working on understanding the interplay between natural- and vaccine-induced immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in sub-Saharan African populations, with an aim of optimising vaccination strategies in low COVID-19 vaccine coverage settings.

Penda is also a PhD candidate at the LSHTM, and her PhD research explores women in the Gambia’s acceptance of maternal vaccinations as well as related health system factors. She holds a BSc from Carleton University and an MSc from King’s College London. Penda hopes to make a positive impact by improving policy related to public health and health interventions in her home country of The Gambia.

Dr. Cham is currently the Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of The Gambia as well as the Chairperson of the Gambia Government / Medical Research Council The Gambia Joint Ethics Committee.
Dr. Mohammadou Kabir Cham has a long-standing professional experience in the health sector with over four decades experience in Leadership and Management of Health Services at national and international levels.

She directs the Vaccine Centre at LSHTM and divides her working time between London and The Gambia, West Africa, where she leads the vaccine research at the MRC Unit-The Gambia in West Africa. She trained in Germany, France, USA, South Africa and the UK and holds an MD from the University of Cologne and a PhD from Imperial College, UK. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in the UK and the West African College of Physicians and an MRC Senior Researcher. Her translational research portfolio focuses on innate and acquired immune responses to infection and vaccination, including in pregnant women and infants and the conduct of clinical trials of novel vaccines and adjuvants. She is the director of IMPRINT- the IMmunising PRegnant women and INfants network, a UKRI-GCRF-funded multi-disciplinary and global network of scientists, clinicians and public health representatives with a special interest in vaccines for pregnant women and newborns and has published over 250 articles. Her team developed the LSHTM COVID-19 vaccine tracker which provides a comprehensive overview over the vaccine pipeline, results of clinical trials and global vaccine implementation.

He is the immediate past Africa Regional President of the World Organisation of Family Doctors. He is a member of several boards under Food & Drugs Authority, Ghana; Medical and Dental Council, Ghana; Ghana Tertiary Education Commission and West African College of Physicians. He is a member of the Africa Union Joint Signal Management Group which is monitoring COVID-19 vaccine safety across Africa. He is currently the Vice Rector of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons.

She has held a range of senior leadership and technical roles in organizations focused on enhancing and improving public health, including JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., the World Health Organization and the Liberian Ministry of Health. She currently serves as the Director for the Academic Office of the University of Liberia and the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia, Liberia.
Dr. Macauley serves on several professional and technical Boards
Dr. Macauley holds a medical degree from the University of Liberia and a Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
She is a Fellow of the West African College of Physicians (WACP) and is the current President-Elect of the College and a Fellow of the Liberia College of Physicians and Surgeons. She is a member of numerous professional organizations and associations and has co-authored several journal articles.

Professor Madhi completed his undergraduate and postgraduate training at the University of the Witwatersrand, qualifying as paediatrician in 1996 and obtaining his PhD in 2003. He currently also holds the positions of Director of the South African Medical Research Council Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytical Research Unit (VIDA) and is Research Chair in Vaccine Preventable Diseases of Department of Science and Technology/National Research Foundation. He currently serves as the Chair of the National Advisory Group on Immunization in South Africa and is a member of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) since 2019.Shabir has co-authored over 460 scientific publications since 1997. His research has focused on the epidemiology, and clinical development of lifesaving vaccines against pneumonia and diarrheal disease. Over the past decade, he has focussed on vaccines being developed for immunization of pregnant women for the benefit of the women and their young infants. He is leading the first two COVID-19 vaccine studies being undertaken in Africa.

He has been involved in several studies including Haemophilus influenzae type B surveillance and clinical trials (for Pneumococcal, Meningococcal and the novel Oral Polio-2 Vaccine(s) – the latter of which he currently coordinates).

She completed her Master of Science degree in Epidemiology in 2010 and then a PhD in Epidemiology and Population Health in 2018, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom.
Her research is focused on better measurement and reduction in the burden of newborn mortality in developing countries, particularly neonatal infections, infection control, antimicrobial resistance, and stillbirths. Currently, her group is working on understanding on the aetiology and transmission dynamics of serious infections in newborn in the community and hospital settings, infection prevention and control, antimicrobial resistance, and stillbirths. She has served on several technical and advisory committees, including the WHO Sepsis Expert Technical Group.

She has several years of experience in clinical paediatrics with interest in paediatric infectious diseases and neonatology. She trained in medicine at the University of Ibadan, and postgraduate paediatrics training at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, obtaining the fellowship of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria in paediatrics. Her research experience spans the Gambian 9 valent pneumococcal vaccine trial, clinical trials in Oxford, and maternal immunization trials. She currently coordinates a maternal RSV vaccine trial.

She is also Consultant in Child and Youth Psychiatry at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. From 2011 to 2020, she was pioneer director of the University’s Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CCAMH) from which over 150 graduates have completed a Masters’ or Postgraduate diploma in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH) from 14 African countries. Olayinka is a past Chief Examiner & Training Coordinator in the Faculty of Psychiatry, West African College of Physicians (WACP) and President of the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (IACAPAP) from 2010 to 2014. She has published over 120 journal articles and book chapters.

Dr Oreh is a Fellow of the West African College of Physicians (Family Medicine) and holds an MBBS degree from University of Nigeria and Masters of Science (MSc) degrees in International Health Management from Imperial College and Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in addition to certification in Leadership, Strategic Project Management and Public Policy from the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Oxford University Saïd Business School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government respectively.
Her interests include equitable healthcare, primary healthcare, blood safety, infectious diseases, global health systems and services strengthening, and health policy. In January 2021, the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Centre for Women and Development named Dr Adaeze Oreh a recipient of the former President of Liberia’s 2021 Amujae Leadership Award.

He currently works with GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical Company in Belgium as Director, Clinical Read-Out Team Leader, specifically on the development of RSV and DTP new generation vaccines. He has previously worked as Vaccinologist / Clinical Immunologist at Medical Research Council, The Gambia and the Regional Adviser of Health Research and Knowledge Management for WHO Regional Office for Africa, Congo. His worked has focused on immune-epidemiological studies, biomarker discovery studies as well as clinical trials on mainly measles, tuberculosis and pneumococcal diseases for the past over 20 years.

Dr Sall is a virologist with a PhD in Public health. Dr Sall is an expert in epidemics response and control more specifically for arboviruses and viral haemorrhagic fevers (Ebola, Zika, Yellow fever).

Trainer for team building and institutional analysis. Was technical advisor to the Minister of Health and Prevention of Senegal. Was Head of the Mental Health Division at the Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Action. Author of several articles and training manuals in mental health for decentralized teams.

Victor worked as the Senior Campaign Officer for United for Global Mental Health and the Co-Chair of the Child and Youth Working Group of the Global Mental Health Action Network before moving on to a new position with the MHPSS Collaborative, hosted by Save The Children, in Copenhagen Denmark, as the MHPSS and Youth Engagement Advisor. Victor’s work and experience over the years have put him at the forefront of the global discourse on youth mental health and he is very passionate about conversations regarding the decolonization of mental health as well as representation in the global mental health sector.

She obtained her medical degree from the Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana and an MSc and PhD in epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Her interests are in epidemiology and control of infectious diseases through vaccines to improve the health of children particularly in developing countries. She was awarded an MRCG/LSHTM West African Fellowship which focused on relation between pneumococcal serotypes in nasopharyngeal carriage and disease after the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. She currently leads one of two cohorts of a COVID19 drug trial looking at prevention and treatment of severe covid 19 associated pneumonia.

He has been working for the past 15 years at the National Hospital for Tuberculosis and Pulmonary Diseases and at the National Tuberculosis Programme of Benin. He is lecturer at the School of Medicine, University of Abomey-Calavi. He is the Assistant Secretary General of the West African College of Physicians. He is also the Deputy of the Executive Secretary of the West and Central African Network for Tuberculosis control (WARN-CARN-TB). His main research interests are : tuberculosis and comorbidities (HIV, diabetes, hypertension) , and sleep disordered breathing.

He holds an MSc in Global Health from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom funded by the competitive British Chevening Scholarships.
He is a doctoral candidate in Epidemiology and Population Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. His research aims to understand the broader social and geographic factors that impact country-level immunization systems in West Africa. His doctoral training is funded by two prestigious international research fellowships; the EDCTP career development fellowship and the Wellcome Trust/Imperial College London Global Health fellowship.

She also serves as the director for immunization for the USAID-funded five-year MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership project. She is a public health physician with interests in vaccine research, policies, and programs to improve immunization access, coverage, and equity within integrated primary healthcare systems. Dr. Wonodi has nearly 30 years of public health experience and is a recognized leader in the immunization field, where she has mentored many, assisted countries’ immunization programs and led several multi-million-dollar research and implementation projects on innovative ways to improve capacity building, vaccination uptake and accountability for immunization services. Her most recent work is on understanding and addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.
Dr. Wonodi obtained her medical degree from the University of Benin, Nigeria, and her masters and doctorate in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as a Bill and Melinda Gates Scholar. She founded the Women Advocates for Vaccine Access (WAVA) in 2016 as a platform to mobilize a grassroots movement to promote equitable access to vaccinations at country and global levels. She is a member of the Gavi CSO Constituency Platform Steering Committee and represents the Constituency as an observer at the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) for immunization. She has won several awards; her most recent being the 2021 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School’s Excellence in International Public Health Practice Award.