Keynote speaker

Title: The transformative role of digital innovations and artificial intelligence in product research and development and uptake in Africa

Short abstract:

As we strive towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and laying the foundation for the post-2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in Africa, need to embrace the opportunities presented by digital health solutions. Combining health technologies with other scientific innovations such as mobile and digital technologies (mHealth and eHealth), artificial intelligence (AI), big data processing, and other emerging technologies offers the potential for widespread transformation of health systems. Using tangible examples from Global Health EDCTP3, Dr Makanga will outline the transformative role of digital innovations and AI in product research and development in Africa and highlight the need for linking digital innovation to the priorities of governments and disease control programmes in order to ensure their uptake and integration in health systems.

Affiliation: Executive Director at Global Health EDCTP₃

Biosketch:

Dr Michael Makanga started his tenure as the Executive Director of Global Health EDCTP3 on 16 November 2023. He has extensive experience in the global health research sector and was previously the Executive Director of the EDCTP Association.

He is a clinician-scientist with nearly thirty years of health and clinical research work experience in African and European institutions. He has a medical degree from Makerere University, a master’s and PhD in pharmacology and therapeutics from the Liverpool University and School of Tropical Medicine, and is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

He has vast experience in global health, research for health capacity development, engagement with policy makers, ethics and regulatory authorities in both Africa and Europe. Moreover, he has served in various scientific and policy advisory boards involved in developing medical products and associated technologies for infectious diseases, including the World Bank, international product development organisations, philanthropies and pharmaceutical companies.

Title: Global Health - All for One and One for All

Short abstract: 

Equitable, affordable and accessible health care are some of the foundation stones of Global Health. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) spell these out in detail; but the problem is how to achieve them. 

We will look at some of the underlying causes and their consequences and look for sustainable, answers in our deeply divided world. 

Affiliation: Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre Malawi

Biosketch:

Elizabeth Molyneux is emeritus professor of paediatrics at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences in Blantyre Malawi. She lived and worked in Malawi for over 33 years. She is a co-founder of APLS (Advanced Paediatric Life Support course and ETAT (Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment) for WHO. In Blantyre she developed the emergency unit, started palliative care for children, the KMC unit and oncology services. More recently she is one of the NEST360 team trying to reduce preventable neonatal mortality in 5 African countries. Her research interests are wide and include neonatal care, infectious diseases, ‘tropical’ oncology, emergency care, health care delivery and health care systems.

Title: The political changes shaping the landscape of global health, Co-Chair STEG, International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat (IPPS)

Short abstract:

In our lifetime we have witnessed an incredible revolution in how we understand health for our populations – from community health, to public health, to international health, to global health to planetary health. An evolution underpinned by a strong scientific evidence base indicating the interconnected nature of our world, human health, animal health and the health of the planets natural systems. The global health architecture is undergoing a major transition, partly due to a shift in the financing mechanisms that have largely directed and supported public health systems in low- and middle-income countries. In a changing world – the global health architecture has to adapt and be responsive to the needs of our growing and changing populations, supporting both the epidemiological and demographic transitions underway.

Affiliation: Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)

Biosketch:

Shingai Machingaidze is an epidemiologist and global health leader. She has developed and led public health and clinical research programs that build the capacity of Africa-based scientists and institutions in Africa. Her expertise includes strategic engagement, planning and support of large public health programmes; conducting and managing clinical trials and clinical research; managing research grants and finances; as well as managing strategic partnerships and engagements with national, regional and international agencies. She has published in leading scientific journals and is a member of several institutional, regional and global advisory boards including the Advisory Committee for the Clinical Trials Community, the Global Advisory Council for Global Health Impact, and Co-Chair of the 100 Days Mission Science Technology Expert Group (STEG) at the International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat (IPPS). She was previously the Ag. Chief Science Officer for Africa CDC as well as the CPHIA Secretariat Lead and currently serves at the Head of Africa Strategy and Engagement at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

Title: Toward a New Global Health Framework

Biosketch:

Doctor Yazdan Yazdanpanah (M.D., Ph.D.), is Professor of Infectious Diseases at Paris Cité University, Director of the ANRS Emerging Infectious Disease and Head of Infectious Disease Department at Bichat Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris.

Doctor Yazdan Yazdanpanah became an M.D. from the Lille School of Medicine, France in 1996. He qualified from the same institution first as a hepato- gastro-enterologist in 1996 and next as infectious disease specialist in 2002. He obtained a Master of Science Degree in epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, US, in 2000, and a Ph.D. in public health from the Bordeaux School of Public Health in 2002. In 2006, he became Professor of Infectious Disease at Lille University Hospital. His research interests include the clinical epidemiology of HIV, viral hepatitis and emerging infectious diseases, and the pharmaco-economics of antimicrobial agents.

He was one of the initiators and coordinators of Inserm “REACTing » (REsearch and ACTion targeting emerging infectious disease) which goal was to optimize and coordinate the existing research capacities during emerging and re-emerging infection threats. In February 2017, he was appointed Director of the Thematic Institute “Immunology, Inflammation, Infectiology, and Microbiology” of Inserm. Yazdan Yazdanpanah was Chair of the Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness International Network (2018-2020) and Chair of « The European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership » (EDCTP) board (2018-2022). Since 2021, he is Director of the ANRS Emerging Infectious Disease French Funding Agency.

Professor Yazdanpanah has authored over 750 publications in Pubmed (author or investigator) and was cited on Clarivate’s “Highly Cited Researcher awards in 2024” list.

Title: Global Health Research Today: Balancing Preparedness, Everyday Threats, and Equity

Short abstract: 

Global health research faces the dual challenge of preparing for future pandemics while tackling the persistent burden of diseases of poverty. Advances in methods and data science offer powerful tools, but stark inequalities remain in who leads, who benefits, and who can access these innovations. These inequities are amplified against a global funding landscape now in crisis. Ensuring that research capacity and leadership are strengthened in underserved regions is essential for both equity and effectiveness. This talk addresses how the present situation demands bold action to reshape priorities and deliver truly global health research.

Biosketch:

Trudie Lang is Professor of Global Health Research at the University of Oxford and a specialist in research methodology and capacity development for strengthening research systems in health systems. Trudie’s career began with a focus on malaria, where she recognised that the methodological and capacity barriers in low-resource settings are the same irrespective of disease. She has since advanced cross-cutting approaches to drive better research equity in underserved regions, establishing The Global Health Network as a global community for knowledge mobilisation and connecting between regions, organisations and types of research. Her work supports local teams to lead studies and generate evidence for everyday disease burdens as well as during outbreaks. Trudie has applied this work in major epidemics including Ebola, Zika, COVID-19 and mpox, helping to embed research within response efforts. Through this work, she continues to champion equitable, data-driven approaches that address diseases of poverty and strengthen global preparedness for future health threats.

Title: The Future of Global Public Health: Building Resilient and Sustainable Health Systems Together

Short abstract: 

The next era of global public health will be defined by strong national leadership and the ability of countries to shape their own health security agendas. The rise of national public health agencies worldwide offers a powerful opportunity to translate evidence-based science into decision-making resulting into action closer to communities. Yet, as health emergencies become more frequent, complex, and transboundary, this leadership must be reinforced with sustained domestic investment and strategic coordination across national, regional, and global levels. At the same time, WHO will continue to leverage its unique role as global convenor—bringing countries and partners together, setting evidence-based standards, and supporting implementation where it matters most. Only through such collaboration can we ensure that progress in public health is not merely scientific, but also structural—anchored in national systems that are resilient, responsive, and equitable.

Biosketch:

Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu is Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, where he leads the Organization’s global preparedness for and response to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks and humanitarian crises, across WHO’s three levels.

He previously served as Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa and Assistant Director-General for the Division of Health Emergency Intelligence and Surveillance Systems, including the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin.

A trained infectious disease epidemiologist, Dr Ihekweazu has held leadership roles in public health agencies across Africa and Europe. Most notably, he served as the founding Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) from 2016 to 2021, where he played a central role in strengthening Nigeria’s public health infrastructure. He also held leadership roles at the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the UK Health Protection Agency, and Germany’s Robert Koch Institute.

Dr Ihekweazu holds a medical degree from the University of Nigeria and a Master of Public Health from Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, Germany. He is a Fellow of the UK Faculty of Public Health and an alumnus of the European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and received an Honorary Doctor of Science from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.