Profile

I am an accomplished global health physician with over 30 years of extensive practice across Africa, the UK, and beyond. My interests and expertise are focused on health security, health system strengthening, and public health leadership, particularly in Africa, driven by the pursuit of equity for under-represented and underserved populations. I am a visionary strategist who applies a combination of experience, systems thinking, and engagement with political and global stakeholders to build robust health systems, forge impactful partnerships, and drive successful execution of public health initiatives

I believe global health is about EQUITY. Therefore I am dedicated to strengthening health systems and access health promoting opportunities and resources 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 immediate past Chief Executive Officer of the Africa Public Health Foundation (APHF), an independent charitable foundation, dedicated to mobilising resources and leveraging partnerships for public health initiatives across the continent, in support of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). In this role, I supported the development of partnerships with life science organisations to support Africa CDC-led initiatives and supported the strengthening of Africa CDC’s internal grant making capacity

Previously, as an Honorary Senior Public Health Adviser to the Director of Africa CDC, Dr John Nkengasong. I led pivotal programs, including co-leading the Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing. This initiative developed a framework for action outlining the roadmap for the African Union’s domestic vaccine manufacturing goals. 

As part of my role as a Senior Adviser at Africa CDC, I co-led the development of the  Kofi Annan Global Health Leadership programme and remain on the steering committee and faculty of this important flagship initiative on global health leadership in Africa.

My tenure as a Senior Health Adviser at the Tony Blair Institute for global change involved providing strategic public health input to Health Institutional Capacity Strengthening programs, working with national and regional public health institutes across Africa and Asia. I led the institutional capacity strengthening team that supported the Director of the West Africa Health Organisation (WAHO) to develop its renewed strategic plan and organisational reconfiguration and contributed to the crafting Africa CDC’s 2022-2027 strategy, enhancing leadership capacity, and supporting the transition to an autonomous AU agency.

In the UK, I led the development of a £16 million Public Health England (PHE, now UK Health Security Agency) programme to enhance the capacity of low- and middle-income countries to comply with the  International Health Regulations (2005). My efforts resulted in a fully costed business case and successful program implementation, leading to an increase in funding to £24 million and an extension to 2024.

As a Global Health Strategist, I build partnerships between public health institutions and health ministries across Africa. I provide strategic expert advice to support strengthening of health security capability and systems. I am a member of the WHO Africa Region Emergency Preparedness and Response Technical Advisory Group. I was also a member of the Expert Reference Group for GAVI’s Africa Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator. I provide strategic advice through membership of governing boards and advisory groups of other public health institutions across Africa.

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 been an honorary senior lecturer in various academic instructions and my contribution to global health was recognised by the award of an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 2023.

I have published extensively in scientific peer-reviewed and lay literature. I am a member of the Editorial board for BMJ Public Health, an editor and reviewer for PLOS Global Health, and a member of the  African Regional advisory board of the  BMJ  and was guest editor for a collection for the Council of Foreign Relations Think Global Health. I have also co-authored chapters in global health textbooks, including  Modernizing Global Health Security to Prevent Detect and Respond published in 2023

Professional affiliation and memberships

Honours and Awards

Hon. Doctor of Science for services to global health- Dec 2023 Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine 

Driving the new public health order in Africa- November 2023 The Lancet Profile 

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

Board membership, Technical Advisory roles, Trusteeships, and Commissions

• Member, WHO Africa Region Emergency Preparedness and Response Technical Advisory Group 

• Member, GAVI African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) Reference Group 2023

• Member, NUS–Lancet Pandemic Readiness, Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation (PRIME) Commission

• Advisory Board Member Albert Luthuli Leadership Institute, Pretoria University

• Trustee chair of the UK advisory board, TB Alert, 2011 – 2015 

• Board member, E&K Consulting Firm -a healthcare, finance and technology advisory firm