"Every day, I saw children suffering from severe malnutrition. Many of them died. It was a medical emergency, but we couldn’t save all of them. At that time, night blindness or nyctalopia was at an acute level due to malnutrition. That first-hand experience had a significant role in inspiring me to work in the field of nutrition.”

He never thought of becoming a nutritionist. But while working at icddr,b hospital witnessing the condition of malnourished children left a deep impact on him. That’s where his journey into the field of nutrition began.

Now, after years of leading global efforts to combat malnutrition, Dr Tahmeed Ahmed—the first Bangladeshi Executive Director of icddr,b—has been named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in Health.

📰 Read his inspiring story in this special interview published by Prothom Alo: https://lnkd.in/gHUis2dS

Damalie Nakanjako (MBChB, MMED, PhD)

Professor of Medicine of Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Fellow of the Uganda National Academy of Science, immediate past Principal of Makerere University College of Health Science and former Dean of the School of Medicine. She holds a Bachelors’ degree in Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) and Master of Medicine MMED in Internal Medicine from Makerere University, a PhD from the University of Antwerp, Belgium and a certificate in Leadership and Management in Health from the University of Washington, Seattle, USA. She has over 24 years’ experience in Infectious Diseases care, research and training in resource-limited settings. She is the scientific director of the translational Laboratory at Makerere University’s Infectious Diseases Institute, and she leads the Africa-Europe Cluster of Excellence in translational research in Infection, immunity and inflammation; a collaborative network between the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) and GUILD of European Research-Intensive Universities.

Damalie is receipient of the 2022 recipient of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) – Abdool Karim Award in Biological Sciences; that was designed to honour women scientists in Low Income African Countries for their achievements in Biological Sciences; and winner of the 4th Fourth Annual Merle A. Sande Health Leadership Award 2013 in recognition of her contributions towards leadership and health care in Africa. She has mentored over 60 upcoming scientists at masters’, doctoral and post-doc levels, to build the next generation of scientists in Africa and worldwide.

Her research focuses studies to understand chronic HIV-associated inflammation and immune recovery during long-term HIV treatment; including the role of HIV viral reservoir characteristics in persistent immune activation and immune aging in HIV treatment cohorts in Africa, as well as the emerging global epidemic of antimicrobial resistance. She is an executive committee member of the “Research Enterprise to Advance a Cure for HIV” (REACH), one of the Martin Delaney HIV co-laboratories at Well Cornell Medicine, USA, a multi-site and multi-national collaborations to search for an HIV cure, as well as the World Health Summit Academic Alliance. She also leads the ADAPT One Health Network to build capacity for antimicrobial stewardship in eight(8) countries in sub-Saharan Africa

Dr Ntobeko Ntusi is the President and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC). He joins the SAMRC from the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, where he was the Chair and Head of the Department of Medicine. He is a distinguished and respected figure in the medical community, recognised as a global opinion leader. His lifelong passion for evidence-based healthcare, health systems research, noncommunicable disease multimorbidity, and universal health coverage has positioned him as a trailblazer in medical research. Dr Ntusi is committed to advancing medical research and innovation and is passionate about improving healthcare outcomes aligned with the SAMRC’s mandate to advance the nation’s health and quality of life. His leadership spans various national, regional, and international platforms, where he has played pivotal roles in shaping academic agendas, postgraduate medical education standards, and advancing key national strategic priorities.

His commitment to mentoring young professionals and supervising postgraduate students underscores his passion for nurturing the next generation of medical leaders, instilling hope for the future of medical leadership.

Dr Ntusi is a physician and cardiologist and holds numerous additional qualifications, from the University of Oxford and the University of Cape Town. Through his research partnerships and collaborations, he has extensive experience with basic science, translational and clinical research, and has built strong links with colleagues in clinical medicine, immunology, molecular genetics, physics, biomedical engineering, and biomedical statistics. Dr Ntusi provides key scientific leadership globally through boards and scientific advisory committees of numerous organisations he serves on.

Dr. Ananya Tina Banerjee is Assistant Professor and the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism at the School of Population & Global Health, McGill University. Her interdisciplinary epidemiologic and qualitative research embeds a strong emphasis on community-based participatory pedagogy and research, which is grounded in collaboration and partnership with marginalized communities globally funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research, Social Science & Humanities Research Council, O’Neill Lancet Commission, and Public Health Agency of Canada. She developed and offered the first course on racism and health in a school of public health in Canada. She is well known for her anti-racism and decolonizing practices in the learning environment and providing critical mentorship for diverse students in public health programs. She won numerous teaching awards including the 2022 McGill Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine Teaching Innovation Award recognizing her unique pedagogy for inclusive global health education and serves on The Lancet’s International Advisory Board for Racial Inequalities.

Prof. Budi Santoso, dr., Sp.OG., Subsp.F.E.R.
Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia

Prof. Budi Santoso is a senior obstetrician-gynecologist and professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), one of Indonesia’s leading medical institutions. With more than 30 years of experience in clinical care, academic leadership, and medical education, he has significantly contributed to advancing maternal and reproductive health in Indonesia.

Clinically, he practices at several prominent healthcare institutions, including Dr. Soetomo General Hospital—a national referral hospital—Kendangsari Children & Women Hospital, and El Shafi Clinic, where he continues to deliver high-quality care in obstetrics and gynecology.

Prof. Budi Santoso previously served as the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Universitas Airlangga and as Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Medical Schools, leading national efforts to improve the quality and accessibility of medical education across the country.

In recent years, he has shown strong commitment to the development of assisted reproductive technologies in Indonesia. He regularly serves patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). His work reflects a deep dedication to improving access to fertility care and supporting families through innovative and ethical reproductive solutions.

Beyond his clinical and leadership roles, Prof. Budi Santoso has been actively engaged in academic research and publications. He has authored and co-authored numerous scientific papers in Scopus indexed journals, particularly in the fields of obstetrics, gynecology, reproductive endocrinology, and medical education, contributing valuable insights to both national and international scholarly communities.

CEO AND FOUNDER WFA

With over 35 years in the Criminal Justice Chain, Andro’s decision to build the Wildlife Forensic Academy came after his visit to the Southern African Wildlife College. After hearing about the extent of wildlife crime, Andro visited a horrific crime scene. Since there were no witnesses, the poachers were going to get away with it. He then noticed there were forensic traces all over the scene, similar to those found on human crime scenes. No one else seemed aware of this. It was then he decided to build the Wildlife Forensic Academy as a way to educate people on how to solve and prevent wildlife crime.

Professor Ole Petter Ottersen was the University of Oslo’s elected President 2009 – 2017 and served as the President of Karolinska Institutet in Sweden 2017 -2023. Ole Petter Ottersen was Director of one of Norway’s Centres of Excellence (Centre for Molecular Biology and Neuroscience, 2002-2009) and chaired The Lancet-University of Oslo Commission on Global Governance for Health (2011-2014) The Lancet—University of Oslo Commission on Global Governance for Health. 

He was Founding Chair (2016-2017) and Acting General Secretary (2023-2024) of the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities – a European university network that has the development of EU-Africa Clusters of Research Excellence as one of its top priorities. Ottersen is cofounder of One Europe for Global Health (OEGH). He is currently Professor at University of Oslo, Visiting Professor at Charité, Vice President of Virchow Foundation, board member of the African Population and Health Research Center, and Member of the One Sustainable Health Forum Scientific Committee.  

He is now cochairing a new Lancet Commission on Global Governance for Health. cv_ole_petter_ottersen_23122024.pdf

Trained originally as a physician and a historian.

After a few years clinical work, thirty years of experience in health- and social system development, governance, health and social policy, and performance-based financing. 

Have worked locally, nationally and internationally; in academic and social action research, in (inter)national politics and public policy (transition) management

Was fifteen years engaged as full-time university lecturer and researcher of health systems and social policy reform, with much time devoted to international health and social system transitions and to reform processes. 

Since 2001, full-time engaged in professional politics and public sector administration and PBF: 

• as a Member of the Dutch Parliament (2002-2006), -as consultant and manager of some large public sector institutions, 

• as Director of the international development NGO Cordaid, 

• as Director of pop-up cultural agency Europa Arena since 2006 and 

• as Director of the Rotterdam Erasmus Global Health Initiative (2009-16) and international academic networks at that university. 

From 2016-2021 WHO senior international consultant, developing the Health Systems Governance Collaborative, with some further assignments for the WHO hosted UHC partnership, UHC day, TWG Fragile States, TWG Health Systems assessment, facilitating expert consultations), and designing the HSGC Building the Reset campaign during CoVID pandemic.

In addition: Health Systems Strengthening assignments through PBF for the World Bank, USAID, UNICEF, The Global Fund and governments in over 30 countries, such as most recently in India and Ukraine. 

I love to work at the interface of social practice, academia and politics and prefer contributing to settings in which people devote their energy and creativity to improving social conditions and build new formats to do so. I know my way around in political and diplomatic circles.

Specialties: Strategic analysis and change management in international affairs; global health and policy, public sector development and transition. HSS PBF approaches. Governance, International cultural policy. Planetary health.

Richard Skolnik has more than 40 years of experience in international development and Global Health. 

Richard spent 25 years at the World Bank, retiring as the Director for Health, Nutrition, and Population for the South Asia Region. After leaving the World Bank, Richard was the Vice President for International Programs at PRB and the Executive Director of the Harvard PEPFAR program for AIDS treatment in Botswana, Nigeria, and Tanzania. He also taught global health courses for eight years at the George Washington University and six years at Yale University.

In addition, Richard has served on the Technical Review Panel of the Global Fund and was deeply involved in the establishment of STOP TB. Richard is the author of the widely used textbook, Global Health 101, Fourth Edition, and the instructor for the Yale/Coursera course, Essentials of Global Health. Richard received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from Yale University and a Master of Public Affairs (MPA) degree from the School of Public and International Affairs of Princeton University. Richard now lives in Los Alamos, New Mexico, in the United States and, besides involvement with family and global health, is an avid wildlife photographer. More information and links to some of Richard’s most recent writing on local and global health policy matters can be found here: https://www.richardskolnik.com