20th International Congress on Infectious Diseases (ICID)
3 – 6 December, CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa
South Africa is home to one of Africa’s top economies providing the continent an unparalleled location of commerce, natural beauty, diverse populations, and so much more. The country’s broad-based economy is one of the most advanced amongst developing economies and boasts infrastructure to match any first-world country.
Richard joined CARB-X following almost 20 years in large pharma Infection R&D teams followed by 4 years at a small antibacterial biotech company where he supported the progression of small molecule compounds from discovery through to late-stage clinical development and registration. He obtained his PhD in molecular microbiology from the University of Adelaide, and prior to joining industry he had two post-doctoral positions in the AMR area, one in Australia and one in Canada. He currently serves as the Chief Scientist at CARB-X, a global non-profit organization that supports a diverse and innovative pipeline of traditional and non-traditional products to prevent, diagnose, and treat infections caused by drug-resistant bacterial pathogens.
Douglas Scarsi is a seasoned professional serving as the Senior Director, Client Services at Hybrid Healthcare Communications. Joining Hybrid in 2011, Douglas brought with him a wealth of experience and a commitment to delivering exceptional service. Over the past 12 years, he has played a pivotal role in collaborating with numerous clients, overseeing projects ranging from conventions to state-of-the-art digital engagement assets.
His dedication to client success, coupled with his ability to navigate complex projects with finesse, exemplifies his leadership within the healthcare communications industry. His relentless pursuit of innovation continues to drive positive outcomes for his clients.
Research of Stefan Kaufmann focuses on infection biology. He combines basic research and clinical studies for better understanding of protection and pathology of intracellular bacterial infections and for the rational design of novel intervention measures against diseases caused by these pathogens. His research led to the characterization of biosignatures for prediction of active tuberculosis and a novel tuberculosis vaccine which is in several phase III trials for safety and protective efficacy.
Stefan Kaufmann is Founding Director Emeritus of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, Emeritus Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen, and Senior Professor at the Charité University Clinics in Berlin, Germany as well as Faculty Fellow of the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, USA.
He published > 1000 publications mostly in high-ranking journals with > 100,000 citations and is amongst the 0.01% most cited scientists of ca. 7 million scientists in 22 major scientific fields globally. He has received numerous prizes and awards and was President of the German Society for Immunology, the European Federation of Immunological Societies and the International Union of Immunological Societies. He was member of numerous international advisory boards and committees, including World Health Summit, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), TB Alliance and European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP).
Kyeng Mercy Tetuh is an Epidemiologist with over ten years of experience in strengthening health systems to detect and respond promptly to public health threats. She currently leads the Epidemic intelligence unit of Africa CDC. The unit supports the establishment of early warning systems which involves digitalizing EBS processes, strengthening EBS workforce, developing EBS standards and procedures, and establishing Epidemic intelligence networks at national, regional and continental levels to foster early detection and information exchange using the all hazard multisectoral approach. Prior to joining Africa CDC, Kyeng served as the Executive Director of Value Health Africa where she developed and coordinated projects on early detection and reporting of national priority diseases.
Mercy holds a Master's in Public Health and Epidemiology and PHDc in Tropical and infectious disease at the school of health sciences in the University of Nairobi
Professor Sir Tumani Corrah is Emeritus director of the Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia @The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He is Founder and President of the Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF). Established 9 years ago, AREF focusses on the continent’s emerging health researchers, providing them with the knowledge and essential skills to a successful research career in Africa. Research that will impact on policies to improve health and save lives in Africa and the rest of the world. To date AREF has impacted on the scientific careers of over 650 health researchers from 41 African countries.
Anna Levin is an Associate Professor at the Department of Infectious and Parasitic Disease of The Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP) and the coordinator of the Group of Hospital Infection Control in the Hospital das Clinicas of FMUSP.
Anna’s research expertise includes therapy for resistant infections, interventions to reduce healthcare associated infections, and optimising antimicrobial prescribing practices.
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.
Dr. William Wint's expertise spans from ecological entomology in the '70s to tropical and temperate community ecology in the '80s to environmental resource assessment (i.e., flying around Africa in small airplanes counting animals) in the '80s and '90s to spatial analysis, spatial data management, and vector, host, and disease risk modeling in more recent times. More specifically, his current activities focus on mosquito, tick, sandfly, and biting midge-borne diseases in Europe and the rest of the Old World and Bovine TB in the UK. As Managing Director of a small consultancy (Environmental Research Group Oxford Limited) and a Senior Research Associate at the Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Dr. Wint has a foot in the commercial and academic sectors and does his best to promote communication between the two.
Sean Wasserman is a clinical academic with training in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. He has an active program of clinical research on treatment optimization for tuberculosis, HIV, and associated opportunistic infections. His research aims to address clinically significant questions through translational studies, emphasizing reducing the infection burden in underserved populations. Sean has spent most of his career in Cape Town, South Africa. After completing specialist training in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, he undertook a PhD in the clinical pharmacology of linezolid for drug-resistant tuberculosis. Sean recently took up a position at St George’s, University of London, as a Reader in Infectious Diseases at the Institute for Infection and Immunity.
Sean maintains an adjunct appointment as Associate Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town, where he is a Principal Investigator at the Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Africa (CIDRI-Africa). He also holds honorary appointments as an Associate Professor at the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, University of Exeter, and as an International Fellow at the Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University. Sean was a pharmacologist on the ACTG Tuberculosis Transformative Science Group from 2019 to 2023 and is a member of the NIH-CDC-HIVMA/IDSA Guidelines Committee for Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents with HIV.
Constance Georgina Walyaro is a Global Public Health Specialist with considerable experience in Antimicrobial/Antibiotic Resistance (AMR/ABR), Primary Health Care (PHC), and Universal Health Coverage (UHC). She’s the Executive Director of Talk AB[M]R - Talking Resistance and a Thematic Expert for SDGs Goals 1, 3, 5, and 13 for the UN Global Partnership for SDGs - Legal-and-Economic-Empowerment-Network. She’s been involved in developing and domesticating the WHO Global Action Plan on AMR and helped push for greater emphasis on AMR/ABR in SDG3. She’s provided technical support to FAO/WHO Codex Coordinating Committee Africa, the Regional Meeting on Global Health Diplomacy in East and Southern Africa (ESA), for the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community, and the Regional Network for Equity in Health ESA, in preparation for World Health Assembly. She’s also supported the Governments of Ghana, Thailand, the UK, Wellcome Trust/Fleming Fund, WHO, OIE, FAO, and others in developing and implementing the Ghana Declaration Call to Action on AMR. Additionally, Connie also helped establish ReAct Africa, served as its Communication Coordinator for Africa, championed AMR/ABR action and awareness as Co-Chair of the Advocacy and Awareness subcommittee of the National Antimicrobial Stewardship Advisory Committee (NASAC) - Ministry of Health KE, and further in collaborations with CDDEP-GARP (Global Antibiotic Resistance Partnership) ‘State of the Worlds Antibiotics’ and others.
George M. Varghese is a renowned clinician, teacher, and researcher with over two decades of experience in infectious diseases and tropical medicine. He is a Professor at the Christian Medical College in Vellore, India. He has extensive training in infectious diseases and tropical medicine from various centers of excellence, including the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Wayne State University, USA. Dr. Varghese is an expert in infectious diseases and global health, serving on national and international committees, including the Trustee of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, UK, and the Clinical Infectious Diseases Society president. He has contributed to several research areas in infectious diseases and global health, including rickettsial infections, tuberculosis, rabies, melioidosis, and emerging and drug-resistant infections.
Dr. Varghese's recent work includes the INTREST trial, showing the combination therapy of intravenous doxycycline and azithromycin is superior to either drug used alone for severe scrub typhus treatment. This new evidence published in NEJM is expected to save numerous lives. Dr. Varghese has established successful collaborations with leading international experts in rickettsial infections, antimicrobial resistance, and other tropical infections. He has received multiple honors, including the Guerrant International Award from the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the MG Alexander Award in Tropical Medicine from the Clinical Infectious Diseases Society. His contributions have helped establish the specialty of Infectious Diseases in India, where he is widely regarded as a pioneer. Dr. Varghese has published numerous papers in national and international journals and helped improve the understanding and management of infectious diseases, benefiting patients and communities in India and beyond.
Professor Rachel Thomson MBBS Grad Dip (Clin Epi) PhD FRACP. Dr Rachel Thomson is a Thoracic Physician and Lead of the Bronchiectasis and Mycobacterial Diseases Research Group at the Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation, University of Queensland. She conducts specialized mycobacterial clinics at Greenslopes Private, Prince Charles, and Princess Alexandra Hospitals. She has an international reputation for her research into lung disease due to nontuberculous mycobacteria, currently focussing on immunological and environmental aspects of susceptibility to NTM infection, characteristics of the lung microbiome in NTM, and improving treatment outcomes.
Annapaola Rizzoli is a PhD DVM working in the field of health and environment from the One Health perspective. Her primary scientific interest and expertise are in the field of ecology, epidemiology, and risk assessment of emerging vector-borne and zoonotic infectious diseases driven by global changes.
Natalia Pshenichnaya graduated from medical university in 1991 and finished her internship in infectious diseases in 1993. In 1996, she received her Ph.D. In 2006, she received her D.Sci. in infectious diseases, and in 2011, she became a diploma Professor in infectious diseases. From 1996 to 2019, Natalia worked as an assistant professor, associate Professor Professor, and head of the Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology department at the Rostov State Medical University. From 2011 to 2012, she acted as the WHO project officer for "Climate Change and Health" in WHO CO in Russia. From 2019 to 2020, she worked at the National Medical Research Center of Phthisiopulmonology and Infectious Diseases as the Head of the International Department in Moscow, Russia.
Since June 2020, she has been working as Deputy Director of the clinic and analytic work at the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of The Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) in Moscow, Russia. She is also a Professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases at Moscow Regional Research Clinical Institute and an infectious diseases consultant at the Infectious Diseases Hospital #2 in Moscow.
Since 2004, she has been a ProMED-mail RUS moderator for the International Society for Infectious Diseases. Since 2007, she has been involved in WHO activity as a short-term consultant (Influenza, Severe Acute Respiratory Infections, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, IHR, IPC, COVID-19). Since 2017, she has acted as Associate Editor of the Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials and since 2019 - a Russian Academy of Science expert. Natalia was a member of the WHO-China joint technical mission to China to support response operation for the COVID-19 outbreak February 2020, Russian military-medical humanitarian mission on COVID-19 in Bergamo (Lombardia province), Italy, 22 March-10 April 2020; WHO GOARN technical and assessment mission on COVID-19 and WHO IPC and clinical management mission on COVID-19 in Tajikistan (May-September 2020), Rospotrebnadzor technical and consultative missions on COVID-19 in Kyrgyzstan (July and August 2020), South Africa (December 2021), typhoid fever in Republic of Congo (August, 2023).
Natalia's areas of scientific interest are influenza and other acute respiratory infections, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, West Nile Fever, other zoonotic diseases, acute diarrhea, infectious diseases in travelers, viral hepatitis, etc.
Professor Patterson directs ADVANCE-ID (ADVANcing Clinical Evidence for Infectious Diseases) at Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. ADVANCE-ID is a clinical trials network comprising more than 40 hospitals across Asia. This network is jointly funded by the Wellcome Trust and several Singaporean institutions to conduct clinically essential trials in the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) field. The network comprises trials of antibiotics, diagnostics, and prevention strategies. He is also an Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland and has more than 500 peer-reviewed publications, predominantly in AMR. His research focuses on the molecular and clinical epidemiology of infections with antibiotic-resistant organisms, intending to translate knowledge into optimal prevention and treatment of these infections. Multi-country clinical trials are the primary component of his research portfolio and the predominant focus of ADVANCE-ID.
Professor Petersen of Aarhus University, Denmark, is the longest-serving Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Infectious Diseases (IJID) since its inception in 1996. He has been instrumental in bringing each author's research to scientific publication. Editors like Professor Petersen are curators of scholarship (Franco et al., 2018). The essential components of journal publishing are the technical tasks of handling submitted manuscripts, coordinating reviews, and managing a data repository for the scientific community (Marcovitch, 2008). As a curator, Professor Petersen has applied these editing skills to translate the research submitted to the journal for the intellectual consumption of readers, which for the IJID means practitioners and academics in infectious diseases in both clinical and public health fields. When we reflect on editorship, Professor Petersen's contributions are testimony to the importance of "human-ware" in medical publishing, which cannot be replaced by the ever-expanding application of automated editing software and hardware even in this era of open-access publishing.
Dr. Mubarak Elsaeed Mustafa Elkarsany, M.D., is an associate professor of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases at the University of Karary-Sudan. He has been appointed as a university lecturer since 1996 after obtaining his clinical M.D. in pathology and microbiology. He has pursued a career in public health laboratory work with a particular interest in virology and arboviral research in viral hemorrhagic fevers related to Sudan and the African region. He has done several types of research with published articles in field surveillance activities related to dengue fever/dengue hemorrhagic fever, Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, Yellow fever, and Rift Valley fever. He was the first scientist to document the existence of CCHF in Sudan.
Dr. Mustafa has collaborated with the WHO and other partners to develop national guidelines and lab-based surveillance for epidemic-prone diseases. In 2015, he was awarded the International Conference on Emerging Diseases Award by the CDC-USA as a World Health leader. As a temporary consultant, he has collaborated with Public Health-UK, WHO, EMRO, and AFRO regional offices in various part-time missions.
Dr. Clemens Müller is Director of Global Medical Affairs at Takeda, Vaccine Business Unit, and has worked with healthcare professionals and medical communities around the globe his entire career. In several functions, he developed and established scientific and medical educational programs globally and lectured at the ETH Zürich (Switzerland) at the Department of Health Science and Technology for almost a decade. He is the author or co-author of >20 peer-reviewed articles.
Dr. Mark Miller has been an Executive VP and the full-time Chief Medical Officer at bioMérieux, a significant global diagnostics company, since 2012 until his recent retirement in January 2024. He had multiple global roles at bioMérieux, contained within the Medical Office. Dr. Miller was the head of the Global Medical Affairs group comprising over 200 individuals, the creator and head of the Companion Diagnostics activities, and the initiator of the Patient Value Strategy. He was also the originator of the Public and Government Affairs team. His primary focus was defining, advancing, and demonstrating the medical value and health benefits of the company's diagnostic tools, focusing on improving patient outcomes, healthcare institutions, and the entire medical system.
Originally from Montreal, Canada, he is a physician certified in Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, and Clinical Microbiology. He also possesses a Master's degree in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Before joining bioMérieux, he worked full-time for over 25 years as the Head of Infectious Diseases, the Chair of Infection Prevention and Control, and the Chief of Clinical Microbiology at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Canada. He ran a large and active Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Unit, which researched novel anti-infectives and vaccines, innovative infectious disease diagnostics, and the epidemiology of healthcare-associated infections, with particular expertise in C. difficile infections. Doctor Miller is a former Full Professor of the Department of Medicine at McGill University. He currently lives in Montreal, Canada.
Julia Maxwell is a public health professional focusing on low- and middle-income countries. She got her start in public health as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guinea before completing her MSc in Public Health in Developing Countries at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Her previous roles have included working for an HIV research group and managing an occupational health program. Julia has spent significant time working in Haiti in post-earthquake Port au Prince on a large-scale larviciding project to prevent malaria and dengue fever and in the Northern Department opening primary health care clinics.
Before joining ISID in 2021, she worked as the Senior Project Manager on the Primary Health Care team at Ariadne Labs. Julia is the point person at ISID for all disease surveillance activities, including ISID's Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (ProMED). ProMED is the most extensive publicly-available system reporting infectious disease outbreaks globally. It is used daily by international public health leaders, government officials at all levels, physicians, veterinarians and other healthcare workers, researchers, private companies, journalists, and the general public. Reports are produced, and commentary is provided by a multidisciplinary global team of subject matter expert (SME) moderators in various fields, including virology, parasitology, epidemiology, entomology, and veterinary and plant diseases.
Dr. Ghassan M. Matar is currently a Professor and Chairperson in the Department of Experimental Pathology, Immunology & Microbiology, Associate Director & Laboratory Director of the Center for Infectious Diseases Research (CIDR), and Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Reference & Research on Bacterial Pathogens at the Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut (AUB). Professor Matar is a resource advisor in the WHO-Advisory Group on Integrated Surveillance of Antimicrobial Agents (AGISAR) and served as the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Ambassador to Lebanon and Chair of the ASM Ambassador Leadership Circle (2011-2017). He has served as an academic advisor to 52 graduate students, published 113 articles in refereed international journals, and delivered 130 abstracts at global, regional, and local conferences. Professor Matar received funding from various extramural sources such as the CDC, U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), WHO/AGISAR, PulseNet (CDC, WHO, MOPH), and others. His laboratory is involved in PulseNet International/Middle East (MoPH/CDC/WHO) and a WHO Collaborating Center for Reference & Research on Bacterial Pathogens.
Professor Maltezou is a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at the National Public Health Organization in Greece. She received her MD at the University of Crete. She trained in pediatrics at the University of Athens and infectious diseases at the University of Texas, Houston, and the University of Marseille. She has over 250 published articles and edited the book Tropical and Emerging Infectious Diseases (2010). She received the 2001 European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases Award. Dr. Maltezou is a Visiting Professor at the Universities of Bari and Catania, Italy, and academic institutions in China. Her main interests include COVID-19, influenza, and vaccinations.
Neelika Malavige is a Professor at the Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, and a member of the International Society of Infectious Diseases Executive Committee. She is an academic visitor at the MRC Human Immunology Unit, University of Oxford, and has been focusing on immunopathogenesis of dengue biomarkers and translating these findings into clinical trials. She heads the Global Dengue Program at the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative and works on COVID-19 vaccine responses, pathogen surveillance, and host-pathogen interactions.
Sadaf Lynes, MSc, MBA, MPH, IPFPH, MRCPH, has 23 years of experience at the executive director level across health system strengthening and public health in the United Kingdom and internationally. Her expertise includes:
• Strategy and implementation.
• Greenfield development.
• Research and development.
• Program and business development through full-time positions.
• Consultancy work.
She also teaches on a UK Russell Group level 7 Masters in Public Health and Health Promotion. She has a Master's degree in Zoology, a Master's degree in Business Administration (UK), and a Master's in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She is originally from the UK but resides in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Dr. Larry Lutwick has almost 50 years of experience in academic Infectious Diseases. With postgraduate training at Barnes Hospital and Stanford University Medical Center, he has written or co-written over 100 papers, almost two dozen book chapters, and edited several books. He was the Founding Editor-in-Chief of ID Cases and is a moderator for the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (ProMED).
David Lewis is the Director of Western Sydney Sexual Health Centre and holds Professorships at the Universities of Sydney and Cape Town. His research interests include antimicrobial resistance, STI surveillance, genital ulcer disease, and STI care in resource-poor settings. He is an elected Council member of the International Society for Infectious Diseases and a Past President of the International Union against STIs. For over a decade, David served as Deputy Editor for Sexually Transmitted Infections and remains an Editorial Board member. David is a Member of the World Health Organization’s Strategic Technical and Advisory Committee for HIV, viral hepatitis, and STIs.
Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan is the founder and president of the One Health Trust, founded as the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP). He is a senior research scholar at Princeton University. He is an affiliate professor at the University of Washington, a senior associate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a visiting professor at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland. Dr. Laxminarayan chairs the board of GARD-P, a global product development partnership created by the World Health Organization to develop and deliver new treatments for bacterial infections. He is the founder and board chair at HealthCubed, which works to improve access to healthcare and diagnostics worldwide.
Kyeng Mercy Tetuh is an Epidemiologist with over ten years of experience in strengthening health systems to detect and respond promptly to public health threats. She currently leads the Epidemic intelligence unit of Africa CDC. The unit supports the establishment of early warning systems which involves digitalizing EBS processes, strengthening EBS workforce, developing EBS standards and procedures, and establishing Epidemic intelligence networks at national, regional and continental levels to foster early detection and information exchange using the all hazard multisectoral approach. Prior to joining Africa CDC, Kyeng served as the Executive Director of Value Health Africa where she developed and coordinated projects on early detection and reporting of national priority diseases.
Mercy holds a Master's in Public Health and Epidemiology and PHDc in Tropical and infectious disease at the school of health sciences in the University of Nairobi
Professor Keith Klugman is the Director of the Pneumonia, Meningitis, Neonatal Sepsis, Antimicrobial Resistance and Surveillance and Epidemic Preparedness and Response Programs at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington. He is the Emeritus William H. Foege Chair of Global Health at the Hubert Department of Global Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. In addition, he serves as an Honorary Professor in the Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Professor Klugman is a past president of the International Society of Infectious Diseases and a past chair of the International Board of the American Society for Microbiology. In 2015, Keith was elected to membership in the US National Academy of Medicine. He has chaired or served on numerous expert committees for the World Health Organization (WHO), the Welcome Trust, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He serves as an editor or member of the editorial advisory board of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Emerging Infectious Diseases, and MBio.
Professor Klugman has made significant contributions in the field of pneumococcal research, including antimicrobial resistance. His work demonstrating pneumococcal conjugate vaccine efficacy in the developing world has led to interventions that continue to save millions of lives, especially in Africa and Asia. He has published more than 650 scientific papers, which have been cited more than 44,000 times to date. During the COVID pandemic, he has kept the staff of the Gates Foundation up to date on developments with weekly or biweekly one-hour Zoom calls open to all the staff. His current position allows him the opportunity to contribute to the mission of the Gates Foundation to reduce deaths from pneumonia (including COVID-19), neonatal sepsis, and meningitis in children, thus allowing them the chance to lead healthy and productive lives.
Gagandeep Kang is the Director of the Enterics, Diagnostics, Genomics, and Epidemiology team in the Division of Global Health at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Until 2023, she was at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, India, leading a program on enteric infectious diseases and nutrition. Her group’s research has focused on the needs of India’s underprivileged populations over three decades. The work has resulted in surveillance that has informed government prioritization and in the evaluation of vaccines that are now being used worldwide.
Mr. Kassim Jimale is the VP of research and development for Jamhuriya University of Science and Technology (JUST) in Mogadishu, Somalia. He is also a senior Somali National University (SNU) lecturer. He served as the incident Manager of COVID-19 preparedness and Response in Somalia. One of his significant achievements in the Somali public health sector is reestablishing Somalia's National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHRL) after its destruction during the war in Somalia. Mr. Jimale is completing a Master's of Global Health Delivery (MGHD) at the UGHE in Rwanda. Mr. Jimale also holds a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) in Medical Microbiology from Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan. He is passionate about global health delivery and research.
Professor Aamer Ikram is currently Chair of the Advisory Board for Training Programs in Epidemiology & Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET); member of Technical Advisory Group–Biosafety, WHO; Executive Board International Association of National Public Health Institutes; Board Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance; Global Council International Vaccine Institute; Executive Committee Institute of Safety in Technology & Research, UK. Previously, he was the Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Federation of Biosafety Associations and other influential bodies. He focuses on IHR, GHSA, IDSR, One-Heath, Biosafety & Biosecurity, and AMR. He has made immense contributions as CEO of the National Institutes of Health Pakistan, including the COVID-19 pandemic response. He has a microbiology doctorate and has earned fellowships in the field, accompanied by a substantial body of published work.
Alison has a longstanding clinical and research career in global infectious diseases, with particular interests in antibiotic use, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), epidemiology, and public health within healthcare and has served on the Executive Committee of the ISID, chairing the Education and the Publications Committee and introducing the Emerging Leaders initiative. She is a Professor of Infectious Diseases at Imperial College, a Fellow of the UK’s Academy of Medical Sciences, and a National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Senior Investigator. Professor Holmes leads a large multidisciplinary research group and network with solid international collaborations. She is the Director of the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare Associated Infections (HCAI) and AMR and the Centre of Antimicrobial Optimisation at Imperial College. She is an Associate Medical Director in the National Health Service, leading a multi-professional service, and a senior ID consultant.
In addition to her work in infectious diseases, she has served as a medical advisor to VSO, UK, and was involved in refugee health, health, and human rights. She was an expert member of the Governmental Advisory Committee on AMR and HCAI for nine years. Professor Holmes now chairs the Technical Advisory Group for the Fleming Fund. She sits on various WHO expert groups and committees and sits on or chairs numerous national and international scientific advisory boards, funding panels, and editorial boards.
Alison spent much of her life overseas. She attended Cambridge University as an undergraduate and then went to St George’s Medical School in London. She worked in communicable diseases and tropical medicine in Oxford, gained her DTM&H from London, and was awarded an ID fellowship to spend at Boston University, where her research was conducted in the Maxwell Finland Laboratories and where she gained an MPH in International Health from Harvard School of Public Health. Professor Holmes serves on the Finance Committee and the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.
Professor Robert Heyderman is a clinician scientist whose work bridges clinical practice, disease prevention, and the fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of infectious disease. He has established a Mucosal Pathogens Research Group at UCL, whose research in the UK and Africa addresses the microbial and immunological basis of severe infection caused by mucosal pathogens and their prevention through vaccination, the regulation of inflammation, and diagnosing and managing meningitis and sepsis. He is the Director of the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Mucosal Pathogens (MPRU), which is an interdisciplinary translational partnership that brings together internationally recognized UK and African investigators to tackle limitations in the long-term effectiveness of existing vaccines to prevent meningitis, pneumonia, and sepsis through new approaches to interrupting mucosal pathogen carriage/transmission. His research at the Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Programme (www.mlw.mw) combines internationally-leading science and research training to improve people's health in sub-Saharan Africa.
Abdul Habib is a professor of infectious and tropical diseases and epidemiology and a consultant physician at Bayero University Kano (BUK) and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria. His research focuses on clinical infectious diseases, global health, and tropical snakebite. He is a former dean and foundation provost of BUK College of Health Sciences. He is a member of the Nigerian Immunization Technical Advisory Group, Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) workgroup on meningitis vaccines, and Snakebite antivenom experts at WHO Geneva. He is the immediate past president of the Nigerian Infectious Diseases Society and the current chair of the International Society on Toxinology - Africa & Middle East section.
Professor Nicolette du Plessis, a registered Paediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist, is an Associate Professor and Head of the Paediatric Infectious Diseases Division of the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Pretoria and Kalafong Hospital. Her interests and research in the field of Paediatric Infectious Diseases led to her PhD, which focused on early HIV diagnosis and treatment. Other interests include immunology, allergy, travel medicine, tuberculosis, immunization, vaccine-preventable diseases, outbreak investigation, and antibiotic stewardship. Her recent research projects focus on pediatric COVID-19 and HIV. She is currently the president of FIDSSA and serves on numerous advisory boards locally and nationally.
Scott F. Dowell, a pediatric infectious disease specialist by training, serves as Senior Advisor, Global Health Emergency Corps at the World Health Organization (WHO). Before that, he spent a decade overseeing disease surveillance work at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He led its $2 billion response to the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing a small amount to saving some 19 million lives. Dr. Dowell spent 20 years at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he studied viral and bacterial pneumonia and responded to outbreaks of Ebola and other pathogens. He established and directed the International Emerging Infections Program in Thailand, a collaboration that received accolades from both the Thai and U.S. governments for its prominent role in responding to the SARS crisis and for its leadership in defining the response to avian influenza A (H5N1) in Southeast Asia. He led CDC’s response to the earthquake and cholera epidemic in Haiti, helping to rebuild the public health infrastructure and contributing to the saving of an estimated 7,000 lives.
Dr. Dowell established the agency's Global Health Security Agenda as the Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for International Health Regulations and the Division of Global Disease Detection and Emergency Response. In 2014, he retired from the U.S. Public Health Service at the rank of Rear Admiral and Assistant Surgeon General. Dr. Dowell has co-authored more than 190 publications, holds an Uber rating of 4.89, and is particularly interested in targeted reductions of childhood mortality.
Dr. Lee is a clinician and specialist in internal medicine, immunopathology, and public health. He joined The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2005 and is currently a Professor and Deputy Director of the University’s S.H. Ho Research Centre for Infectious Diseases. Between 1991 and 2005, Dr. Lee headed the Hong Kong Government’s AIDS programme, directing the territory’s HIV prevention, control and treatment services. He is the founding president of the Hong Kong Society for HIV Medicine and was chairman of the government’s scientific committee on AIDS and STIs between 2016 and 2022. Since 2022, he’s been serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Infection Diseases. Dr. Lee has, on various occasions, served as a consultant to national and international organisations in the assessment of HIV situations, programme evaluations, and advice on harm reduction development. His primary areas of research interest include a biomedical approach to HIV/STI prevention, infectious disease epidemiology, and emerging infectious diseases. Dr. Lee has authored over 300 peer-reviewed articles and 40 book chapters and is the editor of the HIV Manual in Hong Kong.
Sean Wasserman is a clinical academic with training in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. He has an active programme of clinical research on treatment optimisation for tuberculosis, HIV, and associated opportunistic infections. His research aims to address clinically important questions through translational studies, emphasizing reducing the infection burden in underserved populations. Sean has spent most of his career in Cape Town, South Africa. After completing specialist training in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, he undertook a PhD in the clinical pharmacology of linezolid for drug-resistant tuberculosis. Sean recently took up a position at St George’s, University of London, as a Reader in Infectious Diseases at the Institute for Infection and Immunity. Sean maintains an adjunct appointment as Associate Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town, where he is a Principal Investigator at the Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Africa (CIDRI-Africa). He also holds honorary appointments as an Associate Professor at the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, University of Exeter, and as an International Fellow at the Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University. Sean served as a pharmacologist on the ACTG Tuberculosis Transformative Science Group from 2019 to 2023 and is a member of the NIH-CDC-HIVMA/IDSA Guidelines Committee for Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents with HIV. The Lancet journal profiled Sean as a ‘rising star in TB-HIV research and medicine’ and has received awards from the International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID), the InterAcademy Partnership, and the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. He is an ISID council member.
Dr. Sally Roberts is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. Until recently, she was the Clinical Director for the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (LabPlus). She is the Clinical Lead for Microbiology at Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand) Te Toka Tumai Auckland district. She is an honorary senior lecturer at the University of Auckland and an associate investigator for the Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, one of the seven Centres of Research Excellence in New Zealand. She also works for Te Tāhū Hauora, Health Quality & Safety Commission New Zealand as the National Clinical Lead for the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) programme supporting the Hand Hygiene New Zealand, Surgical Site Infection Improvement programme and other quality improvement programmes. This role fosters her strong interest in clinical governance and patient safety. Over the last five years, Dr. Roberts has been on the Ministry of Health (MOH), Health Antimicrobial Resistance Coordinating Group, the MOH National COVID-19 Technical Advisory Group, and chaired the IPC TAG. She enjoys teaching and has contributed to the professional development of many of her junior colleagues across New Zealand.
Paul Tambyah is the current International Society for Infectious Diseases president. He is a Professor of Medicine at the National University of Singapore and a Senior Consultant Infectious Diseases Physician at the National University Health System. After graduating from the National University of Singapore Faculty of Medicine and completing national service in the Singapore Armed Forces Medical Corps, he trained in Infectious Diseases under Dr. Dennis Maki at the University of Wisconsin. Since returning to Singapore more than 20 years ago, he has served on several national and international committees. He is also past President of the Asia Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection. His research interests are in device-associated infections and emerging infectious diseases.
Linda is the Chief Executive Officer of the ISID. A dedicated and long-standing champion of healthcare equity, infectious disease advocacy, and epidemic intelligence innovations, Ms. MacKinnon leads the Society’s extensive Program Portfolio mission. Ms. MacKinnon believes that early warning detection, management, and education of infectious diseases in a One Health context is necessary to empower those shouldering the heaviest burden of diseases, especially those living in low- and low-middle-income countries. Before joining ISID, Linda spent years leading ongoing information technology support and onsite subject matter expertise to further directives for AIDS relief in various countries, including Eswatini, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Vietnam, and Ukraine. Linda served as lead Epidemiologist at Atlanta’s US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the CDC’s National Center for Infectious Diseases. Prior to the CDC, Linda lived and worked in West Africa, working with frontline community workers to improve the lives of those most in need.
Dr. Bermudez holds an MD degree from the Universidad del Rosario, completed an MSc in Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases in Fiocruz, and holds a Ph.D. in Infectious Diseases from UNIFESP, Brazil, where his research project focused on resistance to HIV antiretroviral treatment. He has been working internationally in the global health field for more than 15 years in international organizations such as MSF and FIND in the areas of Epidemiology, Infectious Diseases, Monitoring & Evaluation, and Operational Research, supporting field teams in countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East and from headquarters in Europe. Previously, he worked in clinical research and participated in projects on treating neglected diseases in South America. Dr. Bermudez joined ISID in 2022 and collaborated with the team in advancing the management of scientific agenda-related activities and grant coordination.
Aisha Abubakar (nee Ahmed Umar) [MBBS, MPH Field Epidemiology, PhD Public Health FWACP] is a seasoned epidemiologist and Public Health Physician. She is a Professor/Consultant with the Ahmadu Bello University and the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Zaria, Northwestern Nigeria. Professor Abubakar has a Master's in Public Health in Field Epidemiology from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, a Postgraduate Certificate in Health Research from the University of Lancaster, UK, and a Ph.D. in Public Health from the Atlantic International University, USA. She is also a Fellow of the Faculty of Community Health of the West African College of Physicians (FWACP). She has taken a step from academia and is now a Manager of Scientific Programs at the International Society for Infectious Diseases. She is also a ProMED Anglophone Africa moderator for the International Society for Infectious Diseases. Her main interests are Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Infection Prevention and Control, and Public Health Surveillance. She is passionate about Infectious Diseases and Global Health.
Dr. Afreenish Amir (MBBS, M.Phil, Ph.D. (Microbiology), MPH, CHPE, DHM, Ph.D. Public Health Scholar) is a medical microbiologist with over fifteen years of experience in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases. She is working on implementing the Pakistan National Action Plan on One Health Antimicrobial Resistance, Laboratory systems, AMR and AMC Surveillance, Stewardship, and Advocacy. She has been engaged in the Pakistan AMR Surveillance System (PASS), Candida auris fungal diagnostics, Asia Pathogens Genomics Initiative, Tricycle One Health Integrated AMR Surveillance (WHO), Environmental Surveillance of Cholera, LQMS training and National Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. She has 80 publications in national and international journals, and many are underway. She is a Harvard Kennedy School and GCSP Geneva alumna (on Global Health Security), GIBACHT fellow on biosafety and biosecurity (Germany), Lead Auditor ISO 9001:2015 (CQI, IRCA UK), Ex-Chair Emerging Leaders program in Infectious Diseases ISID (USA), Visiting Faculty Rawalpindi Medical University, a member of the WHO Advisory Group on the Bacterial Priority Pathogen List, a member of the Expert Group for WHO Global AMR Research Agenda in human health, Pakistan Biological Safety Association, Federal Region Chapter Head, Board Director for Mehnaz Fatima Foundation Gilgit, and Consultant Clinical Microbiology for American Society of Microbiology (USA).
Professor Adeeba Kamarulzaman is the President and Pro Vice-Chancellor of Monash University Malaysia. Prior to this appointment, she was Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, and continues as an Honorary Professor at UM and as Adjunct Associate Professor at Yale University, USA. An infectious diseases physician by training, Professor Kamarulzaman is a passionate advocate for social justice, especially as it pertains to HIV prevention, treatment and care, and drug policies. She serves as the Chairman of the Malaysian AIDS Foundation and is the immediate Past President of the International AIDS Society. She is also the founding Chair of the ROSE Foundation, an organization committed to eliminating cervical cancer in Malaysia and regionally. At the international level, Professor Kamarulzaman has been an advisor to numerous WHO, UNAIDS, and UNODC committees on HIV/AIDS and substance use. She is presently Vice Chair of WHO’s Science Council and is a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy and the Global Council on Inequalities, HIV and Pandemics. Her achievements have been recognized through several national and international awards, including as a two-time recipient of the prestigious Merdeka Award and recently as Tokoh Akademik Negara. In April 2015, she was honored with a Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) from her alma mater, Monash University, for her role as a health advocate and contributions to medicine.
Sipho Dlamini, MBChB, FCP(SA), Cert ID(SA)Phys is an Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, in the Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine, the Department of Medicine, in Cape Town, South Africa. He is a clinical Infectious Disease specialist with a research interest in HIV and tuberculosis and the use of vaccines for vaccine-preventable diseases in adults living with HIV infection. He has published over 44 peer-reviewed papers and three book chapters. His clinical and research activities have allowed him to be involved in exciting studies. He is actively engaged in teaching and mentoring students locally and internationally. He has been an invited speaker to local and international conferences.
He serves as a member of the following committees: the National Immunization Safety Expert Committee (NISEC) for the National Department of Health South Africa, the WHO African Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group, and the ESCMID Professional Affairs Subcommittee (PAS).
Professor Lucille Blumberg is a highly respected infectious diseases specialist who sits on many national and international expert groups. Her contribution to protecting the public from infectious disease has been hailed as the epitome of sustainable groundbreaking research.
Born in Johannesburg, after enrolling at Parktown High School for Girls, she studied medicine at Wits, graduating in 1974. She did her internship at what is now Helen Joseph Hospital and followed this with a distinguished postgraduate academic career. Her specialist qualifications include a Diploma in Child Health, a diploma in Occupational Health, and one in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. She obtained a specialist Master of Medicine degree in Microbiology from Wits in 2003 and became a subspecialist in Infectious Diseases in South Africa in 2010.
Her work experience started at what is now Chris Hani Baragwanath before becoming Principal Medical Officer at what was then Rietfontein and is now Sizwe Tropical Diseases Hospital. In 2002, she became a deputy director at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases. She still holds this position today. She was the founding head of the Institute’s Division of Public Health, Surveillance and Response. Now, she consults for this division, which includes travel medicine and clinical infectious diseases. Professor Blumberg is a sought-after expert in viral outbreaks, evidenced by her membership in many national and international committees.
Gonzalo Bearman is Chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Richard P. Wenzel Professor of Internal Medicine (Tenure), focusing on clinical infectious diseases, public health, and healthcare epidemiology at the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System. He is a graduate of Colgate University (BA), SUNY at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (MD), and Columbia University (MPH). Dr. Bearman completed a residency in Internal Medicine and was Chief Resident at SUNY at Buffalo. He then completed a fellowship in Infectious Diseases and a Preventive Medicine/Public Health residency, both at Cornell University. Dr. Bearman is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, General Preventive Medicine, and Public Health.
Dr. Arun Balajee is the Associate Director for Global Health Sciences in the Division of Viral Diseases. She has a decade of field experience designing and implementing surveillance programs in countries in every region of the world. Arun has led numerous infectious disease outbreak investigations, including Ebola, MERS CoV, and SARS CoV-2. She leads a team of epidemiologists who implement event-based surveillance and enhance public health intelligence.
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Dr. Kokou Alinon has over 17 years of experience as a healthcare professional and over 14 years as a Public Health professional with solid academic knowledge and professional experiences in Public Health Policy and Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Disease Surveillance. He is from the Republic of Togo in West Africa and has a Master’s degree (DEA and DESS) in Health Psychology. Before joining Africa CDC, he worked for Togo’s Ministry of Health as the Palliative Care National Program Coordinator, ensuring the development, management, and implementation of palliative care programs. He has been the Non-Communicable Disease Surveillance Division Lead for over four years.
Dr. Jaffar Al-Tawfiq is the Accreditation & Infection Control Director at Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare Dhahran, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. He is also a Consultant of Internal Medicine & Infectious Diseases and the Director of Accreditation and Infection Control at JHAH. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases.
Dr. Al-Tawfiq has received several accomplishment awards locally and internationally. He is recognized as a world leader in coronaviruses and a top global infection control expert. Dr. Al-Tawfiq is a scientist and researcher, and his current interests include hospital epidemiology, healthcare-associated infections, antimicrobial resistance, antibiotic stewardship, and emerging respiratory pathogens, including MERS-CoV and COVID-19. He is also renowned as a researcher in mass gatherings.