Profile

I am a public health physician specialising in health security, health system strengthening and leadership development.

I have over 30 years’ experience of medical and public health practice in England, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Trinidad & Tobago, with specialist knowledge of epidemiology, health protection, communicable disease control, infection control, and emerging infections and zoonoses.

I believe global health is about EQUITY. Therefore I am dedicated to strengthening health systems for the underserved. My passion is to create an environment where women, particularly black women, are recognised and given the opportunities to be leaders of the health systems they serve. I believe that a rebalancing of the global health system is necessary to put considerations of equity in the centre of the global health structures, decisions making and actions.

I am the Chief Executive Officer of the Africa Public Health Foundation (APHF), a foundation established to forge partnerships and mobilise resources to support critical public health initiatives across the continent, in support of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)

Most recently, I worked for the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change as Senior Adviser,Health, where I offered strategic specialist public health input into their advisory and delivery programmes supporting governments and public health institutions across Africa and Asia.

Until recently I was Honorary Senior Public Health Adviser to the Director of Africa CDC , Dr John Nkengasong. In that position, I had the privilege of leading special programmes for Africa CDC, including developing the Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing, steering the development of Africa CDC’s 5 year strategy and co-creating the Kofi Annan Global Health Leadership Programme

As a medical consultant in global public health in the UK, I led the development of the Public Health England global health security programme IHR strengthening programme, aimed at strengthening the capacity of low- and middle-income countries to comply with the International Health Regulations. I successfully led the implementation and delivery of this programme, leading to its extension to 2024

As a Global Health Strategist, I build partnerships between public health institutions and health ministries across Africa.

As an expert in tuberculosis (TB) control, I chaired the UK public health TB group in the UK from 2012 – 2015 and contributed to the development of national TB control strategy in England (published in January 2015).

I have extensive experience developing capacity and training Public Health professionals. I was a trainer and educational supervisor for the UK Faculty of Public Health and continue to mentor many public health professionals worldwide.

I have published extensively in scientific peer-reviewed and lay literature. I was guest editor for a special collection on Global Health Security for the One Health Outlook journal and co-author of chapters in two textbooks to be published in 2023

Professional affiliation and memberships

Honours and Awards

Role model for women in academic medicine – March 2021 British Medical Association 

The Inspirational Scientists and Engineers Awards – February 2021 UK Government, Science and Engineering Profession