Institutions

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Dr Ebenezer Foster-Nyarko

Regional Coordinator

Dr Foster-Nyarko is a Research Fellow in Professor Kathryn Holt’s group at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK. With over 46 publications, his work focuses on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) mechanisms, genomic diversity of E. coli and other related pathogens, and AMR evolution in West Africa. He has supported AMR surveillance in 15 WHO AFRO countries and contributed to developing innovative DNA extraction, library preparation techniques, and sequencing methodologies. As Regional Coordinator for PulseNet Africa and Chair of the African Pathogen Initiative’s Foodborne Diseases Technical Focus Group, he leads efforts to enhance genomic surveillance and track foodborne disease outbreaks across Africa.

I am an Associate Professor of Microbiology at the University Joseph KI-ZERBO in Burkina Faso and Head of the Central Reference Laboratory at the National Public Health Institute, Ministry of Health. My work focuses on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) using a One Health approach. Collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, I aim to uncover the transmission pathways of AMR genes and their reservoirs across animal, human, and environmental interfaces. Through this research, we strive to develop effective strategies for combating AMR and improving public health outcomes.

Marie-Noëlle UWINEZA, a medical doctor with 23 years of experience, serves as the Director of Burundi’s National Reference Laboratory. She oversees laboratory operations, ensuring compliance with procedures and the effective monitoring of diseases with epidemic potential. Additionally, she coordinates quality control for foodstuffs and medicines, contributing to national health security. With extensive experience in public health, Marie-Noëlle is dedicated to advancing disease surveillance and strengthening laboratory systems in Burundi.

Dr. Pierrette SIMO leads the microbiology section of the Hygiene and Environment Laboratory at the Centre Pasteur du Cameroun. Under her leadership, the laboratory has maintained international accreditation for over 10 years, providing world-class services and expertise. She coordinates and oversees both service delivery and research activities in microbiology, with a focus on the One Health approach to antimicrobial resistance. Dr. SIMO is dedicated to advancing public health through innovative solutions and collaboration.

Mrs. Firehiwot Abera Derra is an experienced Microbiologist with over 20 years of research expertise. She currently serves under the Food Science and Nutrition Research Directorate as a PhD Fellow and holds an MSc in Medical Microbiology, a BSc in Medical Laboratory Technology, and the position of Researcher II. Firehiwot is also a member of the Africa CDC Foodborne Diseases Genomic Surveillance program and PulseNet Africa’s technical working group, where she contributes to genomic surveillance and public health initiatives.

Dr. Daniel L. Banda is a Medical Microbiologist with over 20 years of experience in medical laboratory practice. He is actively engaged in public health initiatives, collaborating with governmental and non-governmental organizations to combat infectious diseases in Malawi. Dr. Banda has played a pivotal role in designing and implementing evidence-based interventions, surveillance programs, and policy frameworks. Currently, he serves as the country coordinator for PulseNet Africa and is a member of the Foodborne Disease Focus Group in Africa. A dedicated academic, his contributions continue to shape the next generation of scientists. In 2024, he was recognised as an Open and Reproducible Research Champion in Africa.

Professor Yasmina J. Fakim is an expert in genomics and bioinformatics, specialising in genome analysis. She has been instrumental in establishing the University of Mauritius as a node of H3ABioNet for over a decade. Professor Fakim has served as Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-PI on numerous projects, collaborating with institutions such as the University of Cape Town. Her work continues to advance genomic research and bioinformatics capacity in the region.

Professor Stella Ifeanyi Smith (PhD) is a Director of Research at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research and Professor of Microbiology at Mountain Top University. With a PhD in Medical Microbiology (1997) and fellowships in the UK, France, and Germany, her research focuses on molecular epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance, and the microbiome of key pathogens. She co-chairs the Foodborne Genomic Diseases Surveillance Group and PulseNet Africa. A Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science (FAS), the Academy of Medical Sciences of Nigeria (FAMedS), and the African Academy of Sciences (FAAS), she is also certified in Biorisk Management (IFBA).

Dr. Inacio Mandomando is a Medical Microbiologist and Molecular Biologist with over 15 years of experience. He is currently a Senior Researcher at the Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), where he leads multiple studies as Principal Investigator. Dr. Mandomando is also a member of the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Partnership (GARP) in Mozambique. His primary research focuses on the molecular epidemiology of enteropathogens and the One Health approach to antimicrobial resistance.

Dr. Leon Biscornet is a trained Molecular Microbiologist with expertise in infectious diseases. His work spans research on leptospirosis, arboviruses, and respiratory viruses, contributing to advancements in molecular diagnostics and public health.

Prof. Ilhem Boutiba – Ben Boubaker is a Medical Doctor and Professor of Clinical Microbiology. She leads the Microbiology Laboratory at Charles Nicolle Hospital in Tunis and heads several National Reference Laboratories, including those for influenza and respiratory viruses, HIV, measles, rubella serology, and antimicrobial resistance surveillance. As Tunisia’s focal point for the WHO Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System (GLASS), she plays a key role in antimicrobial resistance monitoring. With over 110 scientific publications in esteemed international journals, Prof. Boutiba is a recognised expert in infectious diseases and microbiology.

Dr. John Bosco Kalule (PhD) is a veterinarian and medical microbiologist with expertise in infectious diseases at the human-animal interface. He is a senior lecturer specialising in bacteriology, mycology, immunology, virology, and food and environmental microbiology.

Dr. John Mwaba is a Medical Microbiologist at the University Teaching Hospital, Zambia’s largest tertiary and referral hospital with a bed capacity of approximately 2,000. Known for his ingenuity and collegiality, Dr. Mwaba’s research focuses on microbial pathogenesis, virulence determinants, antibiotic resistance, genomics, bioinformatics, and vaccine immunology. He has authored and co-authored over 20 articles in peer-reviewed journals, contributing significantly to these fields.

Professor Martin Antonio is an MRC Principal Investigator and Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for New Vaccines Surveillance at the MRC Unit The Gambia @ LSHTM. He chairs the Unit’s West Africa Strategy and represents it at regional health organisations, including ECOWAS, Africa CDC, and WHO AFRO. He earned his PhD from Queen Mary University of London (1997), he is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists (UK) and Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (London). With over 175 publications, nine PhD students supervised, and roles on multiple advisory boards, he advances infectious disease research across Africa.

Dr Coulibaly Kalpy Julien, a medical doctor with a PhD in Human and Tropical Biology, specialises in health risks at the human-animal-environment interface. He holds a Master’s in Food Microbiology from the Institut Pasteur, he has trained in Côte d’Ivoire and France, including at prestigious institutions like the National Museum of Natural History. Since 2015, he has led the Environment and Health Department at the Pasteur Institute of Côte d’Ivoire and the National Reference Center for Salmonellosis. He is Deputy Head of the Center for the Study of Pathogens with Severe Infectious Risk and a member of the Ivorian Society of Microbiology, the Global Foodborne Infection Network (GFN/WHO), and Global Sewage Surveillance Consortium.

Dr. Gifty Boateng is the Head of the National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHRL) and Coordinator of Public Health Laboratories in Ghana. She has over 17 years of expertise in medical laboratory diagnostics and laboratory systems strengthening, and is also a certified Field Epidemiologist and Public Health Specialist. Established in 1995, the NPHRL operates as Ghana’s National Reference Laboratory and serves as a Zonal Public Health Laboratory for the southern belt, providing critical diagnostic and surveillance services under her leadership.

Dr. Anthony Smith is a Principal Medical Scientist at the Centre for Enteric Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, South Africa, and holds academic appointments at the University of Pretoria (Extraordinary Professor) and University of the Witwatersrand (Senior Research Officer). An internationally recognised researcher with a ‘B2’ rating from South Africa’s National Research Foundation, he is a consortium member of SEQAFRICA, advancing whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and bioinformatics in Africa. His work focuses on the surveillance and epidemiology of enteric bacterial pathogens, WGS analysis, and metagenomics. He also lectures on molecular techniques for identifying and characterising bacterial pathogens.

Dr. Tolbert Sonda is a principal research scientist leading the Data Management and Bioinformatics Unit at the Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute. With a PhD in Bacterial Genomics and Bioinformatics, a Master’s in Biostatistics and Epidemiology, and a Bachelor’s in Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences, he seamlessly bridges data science and life sciences. He is proficient in Stata, R, and Python and excels in statistical analysis, visualization, and complex data modelling. Dr. Sonda is the principal investigator for projects on microbial genomics and antimicrobial resistance while also teaching and supervising MSc and PhD students, contributing significantly to cutting-edge research and capacity building.

Dr Sheriffo Jagne is the Director of The Gambia National Public Health Laboratories and a molecular biologist specialising in the study of infectious pathogens. He serves as a part-time lecturer in Genetics and Molecular Biology at the University of The Gambia. With extensive experience in public health and laboratory management, Dr Jagne has expertise in emergency preparedness, outbreak investigations, and emergency response. He is also skilled in laboratory policy and strategic plan development, protocol formulation, staff supervision, and project implementation, as well as the coordination and monitoring of laboratory activities.

Alumni Institutions

Dr John Mwaba is a Medical Microbiologist at the University Teaching Hospital, a tertiary level hospital and the highest referral hospital in Zambia. The hospital has a combined bed capacity of approximately 2000.

Dr Mwaba is a very highly ingenious person and gets along with colleagues very well.

His research interests include: microbial pathogenesis, investigating virulence determinants of microorganisms, antibiotic resistance, genomics, bioinformatics and vaccine immunology. In all these areas of his research interest, he has authored and co-authored over 20 articles in peer-reviewed journals

Dr Mwaba is a very highly ingenious person and gets along with colleagues very well.

The Role of Genomic Surveillance in Public Health

Together, We Make an Impact

Dr Ebenezer Foster-Nyarko

Our Institutions

Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou

Institut National De Santé Publique Du Burundi

Center Pasteur du Cameroun

Ethiopian Public Health Institute

Kamuzu University of Health Sciences

University of Mauritius

Nigerian Institute of Medical Research

Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM)

Seychelles Public Health Laboratory, Public Health Authority, Ministry of Health

Charles Nicolle Hospital of Tunis / Faculty of Medicine of Tunis

Makerere University College of Veterinary Medicine Animal resources and Biosecurity

University Teaching Hospital

Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia

Institut Pasteur de Côte d'Ivoire

National Public Health and Reference Laboratory (NPHRL), Ghana

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases, South Africa

Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre

National Public Health Laboratories, The Gambia

Alumni Institutions

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology

Kenya Medical Research Institute, KEMRI

College of Medicine, University of Malawi

Animal Science Directorate, Agriculture Research Institute of Mozambique

Institut Pasteur Dakar

Balyor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation (CMF) Uganda/Pediatric Infectious Diseases Clinic, Mulago