Prof. Beyene Petros

Director General

Keynote Address

Keynote Speaker Biography

Prof. Beyene Petros, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, is the Director General of FDRE Policy Studies Institute (PSI). Professor Beyene was born in 1950 in Hadiya Zone Southern Ethiopia. He earned his BSc degree from the former Haile Selassie I University in 1973. He then moved to the United States to continue his higher education. In 1977, he earned his MSc degree from University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA, and his PhD (specialising in Tropical Diseases and Public Health) from Tulane University, USA, in 1986, after completing his dissertation at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, USA. Professor Beyene Petros is a prominent politician, educator, and researcher at Addis Ababa University where he has trained and advised dozens of graduate and doctoral students. Prior to his appointment as Director General of PSI, he served in various public institutions, academic societies, and national and international professional associations. Professor Beyene began his academic and research career as Chairman of the Department of Biology at Addis Ababa University from 1986 to 1991 and was also the founder and President of the Biological Society of Ethiopia from 1989 to 1991. Professor Beyene served as Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Health and Development, WHO /AFRO, from 1997 to 2000, and as Scientific Secretary of the Ethio-Soviet Biological Expedition from 1987 to 1991. Similarly, he served as Chair of the Ethiopian Bioethics Initiative (ETBIN) from 2002 to 2014 and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Pan African Bioethics Initiative (PABIN). In 2013/2014, he was also a visiting professor at Governors State University, Chicago, USA. He also conducted research on the molecular biology of malaria as a Senior Fulbright Fellow at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Prof. Beyene has also led the thematic research projects on Malaria and other parasitic diseases at Addis Ababa University. In addition, he has chaired and served on advisory boards and conference organising committees of many international, continental and national professional associations. Apart from the academic circle, Professor Beyene is revered as the most conspicuous political figure in Ethiopia. Since 1992, he pioneered the formation and leadership of opposition political parties that have worked for good governance and sound democracy in Ethiopia. Accordingly, he served as Vice Minister of Education in the Transitional Government of Ethiopia, from 1991 to 1993 and as a member of the FDRE House of Representatives from 1991 to 1993 and from 2000 to 2010. Professor Beyene Petros has won many international and national awards and gold medals for his public engagement, academic achievements, and research leadership. He has published nearly 120 peer-reviewed scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals and co-authored a very popular book on Basic Principles of Biology

Corine Karema, PhD

Interim CEO

Plenary Talk Title

Plenary Speaker Biography

Dr. Corine Karema is a distinguished and accomplished Global Health expert specializing in Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). Throughout her remarkable career, she has held numerous leadership positions at various levels, contributing significantly to the fight against malaria and vector-borne diseases. She served as the Director of the National Malaria and NTDs Control Program in Rwanda for over a decade, as the Africa Leaders Malaria Alliance Senior Malaria Program officer, and as the Special Advisor to the Board Chair of the Global Fund. Dr. Karema's further played a crucial part in driving the RBM Partnership to End Malaria's efforts during her tenure as the Interim CEO for 15 months, from 2022 to 2023. Her dedication to advancing global health is evident in her role as the 2021 President-Elect of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (ASTMH) Committee on Global Health (ACGH). Dr. Karema's expertise and experience have made her an invaluable member of several high-level scientific advisory committees and technical expert groups, including those associated with the World Health Organization (WHO), RBM Partnership, and the Global Fund. As a Senior Malaria and NTDs expert, Dr. Karema extends her knowledge and skills to provide technical assistance to international organizations and national malaria and NTDs control and elimination programs worldwide. Dr. Corine Karema holds a medical degree and a master's degree in Epidemiology. Throughout her career, Dr. Karema has exemplified exceptional leadership, dedication, and expertise, making her a role model for women in Global Health. Her contributions have undoubtedly played a pivotal role in advancing the fight against malaria and NTDs, saving countless lives and impacting global health outcomes.

J. Wakoli Wekesa, PhD

District Manager | Entomologist

Plenary Talk Title

Plenary Speaker Biography

Dr. J Wakoli Wekesa is the District Manager of East Side Mosquito Abatement District, Stanislaus County, Modesto, California. He received his B.Sc. in Zoology in 1987 and M.Sc. in medical and veterinary entomology (1990) both, from the University of Nairobi, and Ph.D. in Entomology from University of California at Davis in 1995. After receipt of his doctoral degree, he held a two-year American Society for Microbiology fellowship postdoc at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, and a further two-year NIH grant-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the same institution. In 1999, Dr. Wekesa took up a position with California Department of Public Health in Ontario, California, and a year later moved embarked on a career in local government as the vector ecologist for San Bernardino County Vector Program, under the County’s Department of Public Health. He worked here for 12 years before briefly moving to the private sector as the director and laboratory manager of a startup in a clinical laboratory company. He returned to the public sector in 2013 as the Scientific Programs Manager at San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District in Los Angeles County, California. Five years later, he took up a job as the Operations Manager of Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District in Indio, California. He started his current position in 2019. He has served in various capacities and overseen many organizations with small and large employees under his supervision. He has published many scientific articles and has been actively involved in this industry over the past 33 years. He has trained, supervised and mentored many employees and scientists. He has been a member of many international organizations serving in different capacities. He is currently the President of the Mosquito Control Association of California, a 64 local mosquito control member agency.

Jaishree Raman, PhD

Principal Medical Scientist and Head of the ARMMOR

Panel Discussion Title

Panel Organizer Biography

Dr. Jaishree Raman is a molecular biologist by training with a strong interest in malaria and public health. Jaishree currently heads the Laboratory for Antimalarial Resistance Monitoring and Malaria Operational Research (ARMMOR) at the NICD. The core focus of ARMMOR is to improve malaria diagnostic and treatment options, to assist South Africa and Africa eliminate malaria, and improve the health and well-being of their populations. ARMMOR hosts the National Surveillance Program for Antimalarial Drug and Diagnostic Resistance Monitoring. This robust surveillance program enables near real-time tracking of emerging resistance to inform case management policy and prompt containment responses. In partnership with other malaria-endemic countries and research organizations, Dr. Raman’s laboratory is currently investigating novel techniques and technologies aimed at improving malaria case detection and treatment practices to achieve malaria elimination. Her research has a strong focus on African solutions for African problems.

Manuel Lluberas

President and CEO

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Plenary Speaker Biography

Manuel is a public health and veterinary entomologist with extensive experience in the design, implementation, evaluation, and capacity building on integrated mosquito and vector management (IVM) obtained during three decades in four continents. Mr. Lluberas served as medical entomologist and medical mobilization planner for the United States Navy a dozen years, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander. While in active service, he helped WHO AFRO investigate several outbreaks of fever-of-unknown-origin and malaria outbreaks in Africa, deployed as field entomologist to Ground Forces during the First Gulf War, directed mosquito surveillance and control operations in Florida in the wake of Hurricane Andrew, and in Kansas after the “Great Flood of 1993.” His many contributions to Preventive medicine earned him dozens of accolades, decorations, and personal awards, including two selections as finalist for the Charles Stevenson Award for Excellence in Preventive Medicine, the top award in the Navy’s Medical Department. Manuel worked as Executive Director for Public Health for H. D. Hudson Manufacturing Company for twenty-seven years. He is President and CEO of Mosquito Den LLC, based in Puerto Rico, and provides consulting services on the control or elimination of hematophagous arthropods to ministries of health and agriculture, private organizations, luxury resorts, and non-governmental institutions around the world. His many contributions and accomplishments include designing the business architecture of the Indoor Residual Spray (IRS) campaigns of the US President's Malaria Initiative for sub-Saharan Africa (PMI), developing and implementing many other vector control campaigns in the continent, the Caribbean Basin, and parts of Asia, and those targeting Chagas disease vectors in South America. He designed and implemented the malaria prevention and control interventions in Banda Aceh and Western Sumatra, Indonesia in the aftermath of the Tsunami of 2005, helped Haiti's Ministry of Health and Population in the aftermath of the earthquake of 2010, and controlled mosquito population explosions after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017. Manuel helped in the eradication of Chagas Disease vectors from several countries within the Southern Cone Initiative in South America and has shared his expertise with the WHO Global Malaria Program, the Pan American Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization, USAID, the Japanese International Collaboration Agency (JICA), the World Bank, and the Pan Africa Mosquito Control Association. His countless contributions to international public health earned him the Meritorious Service Medal from the American Mosquito Control Association. Manuel has published over thirty technical, peer-reviewed articles, wrote the first drafts of WHO’s Operational Manual on IRS, and has contributed to the publication of four books and two technical manuals on vector control. He holds a Remote Pilot certification as of a small, Unmanned Aerial System (drone), and is certified as Merchant Marine Officer and Master of sailing vessels by the US Coast Guard. He is an avid sailboat racer with multiple podium finishes, is certified as a Small Boat Sailing Instructor by the American Sailing Association and provides simultaneous interpretation from Spanish to English for the American Mosquito Control Association.

Ayman Ahmed

Parallel Symposium Session Speaker

Symposium Session Speaker Biography

Ayman Ahmed is a Senior Medical Entomologist and Vector Biologist with about 15 years of experience in diseases vectors surveillance, control, and research. He has extensive experience in capacity building, health policies and strategies, programme development, assessment and evaluation, and preparedness of diseases control programmes. During the last five years, his work focuses on the research and control of invasive diseases vectors mainly including Anopheles stephensi and Aedes albopictus, and other arboviral diseases vectors in Africa. His well-established expertise is highlighted by working for globally leading institutes including the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), Global Malaria Programme, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Reference Center for the Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses (WRCEVA), the University of Texas Medical Branch, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), University of Khartoum, US Naval Medical Research Unit No.3 (NAMRU-3), Sudan Federal Ministry of Health. Furthermore, Ayman provides consultancy for several international organizations such as the WHO, Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), the Global Fund, RBM Partnership to End Malaria, and Human and Animal Health authorities in several countries including Switzerland, Rwanda, Qatar, Eritrea, Tanzania, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Brazil, and Sudan.

Jeremy Tinga Ouedraogo, PhD

Technical Adviser

Plenary Talk Title

Plenary Speaker Biography

Dr. Ouedraogo is as a scientist in genetics and plant breeding. He did his doctoral degree (PhD) studies in Canada. His PhD research focused on the use of biotechnology and biosafety tools in crops. As a plant breeder, he has established the Plant Genetics and Biotechnology laboratory in the national research system of Burkina Faso. He has contributed to create many cowpea varieties that are released in Burkina Faso as well as in West African countries. He is currently serving as the technical adviser for the AUDA-NEPAD ABNE and the Integrated Vector Management programmes. From 2007 to 2014 he was elected Member of Parliament and nominated Minister of Animal Resources and Fisheries in Burkina Faso. From 2016 to end of 2022, He joined the African Union Development Agency- AUDA-NEPAD as Head of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) regional office for West Africa, Head of the African Biosafety Network of Expertise: An African Union programme established to provide support for the development of functional biosafety regulatory systems that enable access to beneficial technologies while protecting human health and the environment and Coordinator of Integrated Vector Management programme from 2020 to 2022. SDr Ouedraogo served as member of the Board of Trustees of the African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF) that is based in Nairobi, Kenya (2016 -2022). He is member of the Africa Harvest International Board of Directors since 2023.

Josephat Kakoma

Executive Director

Plenary Talk Title

Plenary Speaker Biography

Josephat is not a stranger to the African Constituencies, having worked for the Bureau for just over two (2) years when he joined as the Policy Analyst. Prior to joining the Bureau, he worked with USAID/Zambia as Capacity Development (Local Solutions) Advisor in the Health Office where he was the mission’s lead for institutional strengthening among local actors, including government and civil society entities. He brings to the Bureau sixteen (16) years of development management experience public health, spanning program management, institutional strengthening and global health policy mostly around Global Fund and PEPFAR (USAID) programming. He worked with the Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ), a Principal Recipient under the Global Fund where he managed their HIV portfolio where he served in various portfolios culminating in Program Manager and later as Planning and Development Manager focused mostly on designing and implementing the organization’s strategy. He later joined USAID/Zambia and pioneered the mission’s institutional strengthening initiatives among local awardees, including through Government to Government (G2G) awards.

Helen Jamet, PhD

Deputy Director, Vector Control

Plenary Talk Title

Plenary Speaker Biography

Helen Jamet has more than 20 years of experience in malaria prevention, research and vector control product development. She joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) in November 2018 after nearly 12 years in the Private Sector, where she held the role of Global Head of Research & Market Access. Helen started her career in Tanzania conducting field research in repellents and mosquito traps. She has always had a keen interest in working on gender integration and capacity building to encourage young scientists to enter the field of entomology. Helen is the Deputy Director, Vector Control in the Malaria program strategy team at BMGF, where she oversees all investments in Vector Control, including insecticidal interventions and genetically based vector control. Helen is a member of the Infection Innovation Consortium Advisory Panel and a Board Member of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria.

Dr. Emma Orefuwa

Ag. Executive Director

Panel Discussion Title

Panel Organizer Biography

Dr. Emma Orefuwa is the co-founder of the Pan-African Mosquito Association (PAMCA). She brings more than 17 years of Public Health program management experience and has worked extensively in Africa, Asia and Europe. Her first degree was in Biochemical Sciences at the University of Salford in 2001. She then went on to obtain a Master of Science in the Biology and Control of Disease Vectors at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (2002) and subsequently a master’s in public health from Kings College (University of London) in 2009. She is currently serving as Interim Director of Programmes for PAMCA and is based in London. She has held several high-profile project and programme management roles within the UK National health service, International Development, and Global Health sectors. Her most recent appointment was as Africa Programmes Director for UK/Swiss based NGO Global Action Fund for Fungal Infections (GAFFI), a foundation dedicated to reducing illness and death from fungal disease. Emma has extensive experience managing multi-country Maternal, New-born and Child Health programmes for the African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF Health Africa, UK) and has led the implementation of Diaspora development programmes at the African Foundation for Development (AFFORD). As a second generation African diasporan of Nigerian and Seychellois descent, Emma has a passion for supporting Africans to act as agents of change, and for facilitating African solutions to African problems. It was during her time working as a co-organiser for the European Mosquito Research Association annual conference in 2009, that she decided with fellow African entomologists to co-found PAMCA which was formally launched in 2011 and registered in 2013.

Ghislaine Ouedraogo-Ametchie

Women’s Health Advocate | Partnership Builder | Social Scientist

Panel Discussion Title

Panel Organizer Biography

Ghislaine Ouedraogo-Ametchie is an African social scientist with over fifteen years of experience working in strategic partnership building, project management and research. Ghislaine’s work is at the intersection of malaria elimination and maternal health where her health system strengthening expertise is applied to capacity building for malaria elimination and exploring patient-centered maternity care in high malaria burden countries. At PAMCA, Ghislaine is Program Manager of the flagship Entomological Surveillance Program where she spearheaded a multicounty research project on national malaria elimination capabilities and gender inclusivity in vector control. Ghislaine’s partnership building work brings private sector and government to the table, to address efficient and collaborative ways of addressing public health challenges that disproportionately affect African communities, specifically women. As a social scientist, Ghislaine worked with the Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program (AMDD) at Columbia University. While there, she contributed to health system strengthening by facilitating national facility assessments to determine the availability, accessibility and quality of emergency maternal and newborn care services in Africa. Ghislaine has a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota, is originally from Burkina Faso and currently lives in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

PAMCA Women in Vector Control

Pan-African Mosquito Control Association (PAMCA)

Panel Discussion Title

Panel Organizers Biography

Women are crucial in combatting vector-borne diseases (VBDs), but they encounter gender-related barriers hindering their involvement. Overcoming these barriers is vital for effective VBD control and elimination. African institutions and women's allies must establish programs to enhance women's participation. The Pan-African Mosquito Control Association (PAMCA) addresses this through its Women in Vector Control (WiVC) Program. This initiative empowers African women to contribute to VBD control, aiming to provide them with skills, confidence, and opportunities for career advancement. Active female participation yields equal employment, better health outcomes, and program sustainability. By involving women in the initiation, planning, and execution of health interventions, improved VBD control practices and gender equality can be achieved. The current PAMCA Women in Vector Control team is constituted by Dr. Damaris Matoke-Muhia (WiVC Program Manager), Dr. Jessy Goupeyou-Youmsi (WiVC Coordinator for West Africa), Rosalia Joseph (WiVC Coordinator for Central & Southern Africa) and Christina Sudi (WiVC Coordinator for East Africa).

Dr. El Hadji Amadou Niang

Director of Scientific Programs

Panel Discussion Title

Panel Organizer Biography

Dr. El Hadji Amadou Niang is a Senior Medical Entomologist. His interests encompass various aspects of mosquito vector ecology, population genetics and genomics, evolution and applied consequences of insecticide resistance, and the control of mosquito vectors of human disease, with a particular focus on malaria vectors. Prior to his appointment as Interim Director of Scientific Programs, PAMCA, El Hadji worked as a consultant for WHO and UNDP in several sub-Saharan countries. He has also worked with several NGOs, including the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) as the Regional Associate Malaria Vector Control, Francophone West, and Central Africa. As the current Interim Director of Scientific Programs at the Pan African Mosquito Control Association (PAMCA), El Hadji commits himself to saving lives and reducing the vector-borne diseases burden in the continent by helping to nurture a critical mass of African problem-solvers to solve Africa’s health and developmental problems, engaging equitably the female and male workforce to tackle VBD, strengthening local governments and reinforcing national and international partnership. Dr Niang is the lead of the RBM- VCWG Workstream 1 Task Team 4, addressing the non-biological threats of vector control tools/interventions. He provides technical support to NMCPs, training their staff in the design and implementation of targeted vector control interventions to eliminate active foci based on the Integrated Vector Management (IVM) strategy. El Hadji is an active member of several national and international technical committees and affiliated to numerous scientific vectors societies.