Maureen Akolo, PhD, MPH
Kenya
Aga Khan University
Maureen Akolo is a Public Health specialist and Senior Lecturer at Aga Khan University in Nairobi, Kenya, with over 18 years of experience in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/ sexually transmitted infection (STI) research among key populations. She also serves as a clinical services manager at an HIV/STI research center and is a mentor with the International AIDS Society’s HIV Vaccine program.
Mackfallen Anasel, PhD
Tanzania
Mzumbe University
Mackfallen Anasel, is a lecturer and researcher in Health Systems Management at Mzumbe University, Tanzania, with over 15 years of experience in teaching, research, and health systems strengthening. His work focuses on monitoring and evaluation, policy implementation, and reproductive and child health. He currently leads and co-leads several national and international projects funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Infection (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the European Commission.
Ian Shane Asiimwe, MD
Uganda
Arua Regional Referral Hospital
Ian Shane Asiimwe is a consultant and fistula surgeon at Arua Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda and a Senior Lecturer at Kampala International University. His clinical and research work focuses on female urology, particularly urinary incontinence and fistula care, and he is an active member of the National Fistula Technical Working Group, ISOFS, and a FIGO fellow.
Till Bärnighausen
Germany
Alexander von Humboldt University and Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University of Heidelberg
Till Bärnighausen is a population health researcher and Adjunct Professor of Global Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Senior Faculty at the Wellcome Trust Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa. He focuses on evaluating global health interventions, improving health delivery systems, and developing population-based research methods, with over 300 publications and extensive international research funding.
Alexandre Delamou, MD
Guinea
University Gamal Abdel Nasser of Conakry, Guinea
Alexandre Delamou is Professor of Public Health and Director of the Africa Center of Excellence for the Prevention and Control of Transmissible Diseases at the University Gamal Abdel Nasser of Conakry, Guinea. Her research focuses on maternal and child health, reproductive health, infectious disease control, and health equity, with nearly 150 publications and extensive involvement in policy, program development, and capacity-building initiatives in Guinea and West Africa.
Claudia Denkinger, MD, PhD
Germany
Heidelberg University
Claudia Denkinger is a long-time collaborator in diagnostics development in low- and middle-income countries and is currently at Heidelberg University, affiliated with the Center for Tuberculosis. Her work aligns closely with global health priorities and equitable partnerships, including promoting low- and middle-income country (LMIC) authorship in publications.
Charlotte Feretti, Ed.D., R.N.
United States
San Francisco State University
Charlotte Feretti is a community health expert and nursing educator with extensive experience serving underserved populations. She has taught at San Francisco State University, directed school-based health programs, and continues to contribute to Head Start, CASA, and the American Academy of Nursing.
Sharlene Jarrett, PhD, MSc
Jamaica
Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition
Sharlene Jarrett is a Senior Researcher at the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition. She received a Doctor of Philosophy from The University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research interests are Clinical Psychology, HIV, Mental Health, Monitoring & Evaluation, Research, Gender, and Family Planning.
Francis Kakooza, PhD
Uganda
Infectious Disease Institute, Makerere University
Francis Kakooza is a molecular microbiologist and global health leader serving as Head of the Global Health Security Department at the Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University. He also directs the Africa CDC’s Implementation Science program and contributes to World Health Organization (WHO) guideline development on STIs and antimicrobial resistance.
Emmanuel Katabaro, MD, MPH
Tanzania
Health for a Prosperous Nation
Emmanuel Katabaro is a medical doctor and Project Director at Health for a Prosperous Nation (HPON) in Tanzania, with over eight years of experience in HIV prevention and health services research. His work focuses on improving HIV care retention and viral suppression, HIV prevention for adolescent girls and young women, and he is a fellow of the Global Health Equity Scholars program at UC Berkeley.
Christian Leinhardt, MD, DTM, MSc, PhD
France
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)
Christian Leinhardt is Director of Research at the French Institute for Research on Sustainable Development (IRD) and an internationally recognized tuberculosis researcher. He collaborates closely with UCSF’s Center for Tuberculosis, including as Multi-Principal Investigator (MPI) of the FAST-TB platform supporting innovative tuberculosis (TB) clinical trials.
Joel Manyahi, MD, PhD
Tanzania
Muhimbili University of Health and Sciences
Joel Manyahi is a senior lecturer at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences and a clinical microbiologist at Muhimbili National Hospital, Tanzania. He holds an M.Med in Microbiology and Immunology from Muhimbili University and a PhD from the University of Bergen, Norway.
Daniel Maweu
Kenya
University of Stirling
He has mentored numerous students in Epidemiology and Public Health, including 15 Ph.D. and 27 Master’s trainees, and has taught courses on epidemiologic methods, research design, and infectious disease epidemiology. He has also led HIV-related workshops in Iran and internationally and participated in UCSF’s ITAPS program as both a mentee and mentor.
Agatha Mnyippembe
Tanzania
Health for a Prosperous Nation
Agatha Mnyippembe is a public health researcher with nearly 10 years of experience, focusing on research implementation for vulnerable populations. Her work primarily addresses HIV care and the sexual and reproductive health of young women and adolescent girls.
Henry Molell, PhD
Tanzania
Mzumbe University
Henry Molell is an Associate Professor and Principal at Mzumbe University’s Mbeya Campus, specializing in Health Systems Management and public health research. He leads multiple national and international projects on health systems strengthening, HIV/AIDS response, and digital health, and serves as a technical advisor to the Tanzanian Ministry of Health and other government bodies.
Lawrencia Mushi, PhD
Tanzania
Mzumbe University
Lawrencia Mushi is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Quality Assurance Unit in the Department of Health Systems Management at Mzumbe University. She has over 18 years of experience in teaching, research, and program development in health systems, implementation science, and health monitoring and evaluation, and has served as PI, Co-PI, and technical advisor on multiple national and international projects.
Bertha Mwinuka, PhD
Tanzania
Mzumbe University
Bertha Mwinuka is a lecturer in the Department of Health Systems Management at Mzumbe University, Tanzania, with over eight years of teaching and research experience. Her work focuses on health financing, health system performance, and financial sustainability, with additional interests in emergency management, epidemiology, and public health.
Louisa Ndunyu, MD
Kenya
Maseno University
Louisa Ndunyu has over 10 years of experience in infectious disease research, antimicrobial resistance, and infection prevention and control in Tanzania. He leads national antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance efforts, has more than 35 peer-reviewed publications, and chairs the human health subcommittee of Tanzania’s AMR Surveillance and Research Technical Working Group.
Nelson Njau, PharmD
Tanzania
Muhimbili National Hospital
Nelson Njau is the Head of the Department of Pharmacy at Muhimbili National Hospital with extensive experience in pharmaceutical practice, public health programs, and supply chain management in Tanzania. He serves as lead pharmacist and Co-Investigator on HIV service delivery studies, leveraging his expertise in pharmacy networks, health economics, and program analysis to reach underserved populations.
Nokuthula Nkosi, PhD
South Africa
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Nokuthula Nkosi is a Senior Lecturer in the Nursing Education Department at the University of the Witwatersrand and a mental health nurse specialist. Her research focuses on mental health promotion through psychosocial interventions, particularly for vulnerable populations in low-resource communities.
Dedan Daniel Okello, MMED PAED(BU), MBcHB, BHsM, DCM
Uganda
Busitema University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Uganda
Dedan Daniel Okello plays a key role in clinical care at the pediatric ward of Mbale Regional Referral Hospital and actively collaborates with UC San Francisco fellows and Busitema University faculty. This partnership strengthens clinical training, research, and educational initiatives, fostering innovation and knowledge-sharing that benefit both students and the local community.
Hamid Sharifi, PhD, DVM
Iran
Kerman University of Medical Sciences (KMU)
He is a Professor of Epidemiology at Kerman University of Medical Sciences (KMU) and Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance at KMU’s HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center. Trained as a veterinarian, he earned his Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Tehran in 2011.
Rachel Thompson, PhD
Language Centre, University of Ghana
Ghana
Rachel Thompson is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Ghana and Director of the Africa Interdisciplinary Research Institute. Her work focuses on digital media, health communication, and political discourse, with a strong commitment to interdisciplinary research and youth capacity building.