Plenary Speakers
Alexander Pym
Director of Infectious Disease, Wellcome
United Kingdom
Alexander leads the Infectious Disease team at Wellcome, a global charitable foundation which supports science to solve urgent health challenges. With an extensive background in molecular microbiology and translational medicine, Alex leads Wellcome’s work on infectious disease, supporting research into ways to reduce the risks and impacts of infectious disease globally. Alex joined Wellcome from Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson where he led the discovery and development of new drugs for tuberculosis (TB) and related diseases. Alexander spent his early career working as a doctor in rural South Africa, where he led the district TB control program. After working on some of the first HIV clinical trials of HAART in London he completed a PhD in Molecular Microbiology at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, supported by a Wellcome Research Fellowship. He went on to spend over a decade in South Africa working initially on clinical drug development at the South African Medical Research Council, before leading a translational research group at AHRI.development at the South African Medical Research Council before leading a translational research group at AHRI.
Anna Levin
Associate Professor, The Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo
Brazil
Anna Levin graduated as a physician at the University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil, where she went on to complete her training in Infectious Diseases. Her main interest is healthcare-acquired infections and antimicrobial resistance, an emerging field when she started her career. Sheis currently professor at USP in Infectious Diseases (ID), head of the Division of ID in Hospital das Clinicas, USP’s main teaching hospital, where she also presides the Infection Control Committee. She is currently involved in the global collaborative research network “Centres for Antimicrobial Optimisation” (CAMO-Net) with researchers in the UK, Uganda, South Africa and India.
Tumani Corrah
Founder & Co-President, Africa Research Excellence Fund
Gambia
Professor Sir Tumani Corrah is Emeritus director of the Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He is the Founder and President of the Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF). Established nine years ago, AREF focuses on the continent’s emerging health researchers, providing them with the knowledge and essential skills for a successful research career that will impact policies to improve health and save lives in Africa and the rest of the world. To date, AREF has impacted the scientific careers of over 650 health researchers from 41 African countries.
More to follow…