Allan Pamba

Executive Vice President, Roche Diagnostics Africa

Dr Allan Pamba, previously an Independent Global Health Consultant, is the Executive Vice-President Africa, Roche Diagnostics based in Nairobi, Kenya.  Allan's role as a member of the Roche Diagnostics EMEA-LATAM leadership team is focused on driving Roche investments in Africa through engagement with national, regional and global stakeholders to drive access to quality diagnostics.   Allan has exceptional knowledge and experience in the multinational pharmaceutical industry as well as the hospital sector. He began his career with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) as clinical leader and subsequently held several positions with increasing responsibility such as Director for Public Engagement & Emerging Markets Access Strategy, Vice President & General Manager East Africa and Head of Government Affairs Africa.  Prior to joining Roche Diagnostics, he was the CEO of Nairobi Hospital. Allan has worked in the United Kingdom, the United States as well as in Kenya.   He holds a Bachelor of Medicine, a Bachelor of Surgery as well as a Master of Science on Public Health in Developing Countries.  

Adama Ibrahim

Vice President, R&ED Digital Transformation, Novo Nordisk

Adama Ibrahim is a UK top 100 influential tech leader passionate about diversity and inclusion practices. Innovation award winning pharma industry advisory consultant, founder, disruptor, passionate operational strategy expert, blockchain advocate, technology enabled clinical trials and patient engagement thought leader with over 20 years in the NHS on commission by the DOH and in Industry (Hoffman La-Roche, Amgen, ALMAC, ICON, Biogen, Novartis and Novo Nordisk). As a part of R&D transformation she led the strategy and implemented hybrid decentralized trials into the clinical development operating model at Biogen. Part of DIA Patient Engagement Voluntary Community Leadership team. Driver for change through identifying unmet customer needs, digital strategies, implementation and expansion of disruptive digital platform technologies across drug development and commercial lifecycles. She has experience across various therapeutic areas and phases of trials in drug development including leading all phases of global clinical trials, developing electrophysiological clinical endpoints, creation and execution of successful strategies for research protocols and CRO oversight, patient and site feasibility, expertise in technologies such as eCOA, eConsent, telemedicine and IRT, creation of optimal drug packaging and administration concepts, mapping the patient journey, planning and executing effective global site and patient engagement campaigns using direct to patient methods, leading and coaching remote and complex global teams.

Ambily Banerjee

Senior Director, Clinical Research Equity, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine

Dr Ambily started her career as a post-doctoral scientist, following a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology. After a decade as an academic scientist, she moved to the Pharmaceutical sector in 2007. At GSK she worked across Global Regulatory Affairs and Internal Audit, as well as co-led a race and ethnicity Employee Resource Group (ERG), to drive attraction, recruitment, and retention of minorities at all levels of the organisation. In 2021, she moved to Novartis to drive clinical trial diversity across Global Drug Development. During this time, she initiated and established a public-private sector partnership to set up a framework for inclusive clinical trials across Europe, through the Innovative Health Initiative. From Feb 2024, Ambily has been part of J&J’s Development organisation as Senior Director, Diversity in Clinical Trials. Externally, Ambily serves on several boards, including ‘Micro:bit Educational Foundation’ (founded by the BBC) to improve tech skills for underrepresented populations. Ambily is passionate about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and ensuring the next generation have equal access to opportunities.

Ghiorghis (George) Belai

Vice President, Global Strategy at FHI Clinical Inc

Ghiorghis (George) Belai, MS,  Has over two decades of experience in clinical research monitoring and management. Belai is based in Kenya and serves as FHI Clinical’s Vice President, Global Strategy. In this role, he is responsible for managing FHI Clinical’s relationships with sponsors and sites, and he oversees the project feasibility department to ensure the successful implementation of FHI Clinical Studies. He previously served as Director of Clinical Operations in FHI 360’s Global Research Services department, where he managed the clinical research unit based in Nairobi, Kenya, while supervising and mentoring the FHI 360 Africa Clinical Research Unit. He has extensive experience in all aspects of Phase I-IV clinical trial management. He specialised in infectious disease, and respiratory conditions in indications such as malaria, HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and pneumonia/pneumococcus across pediatric, adolescents and adult populations. Earlier in his career, he provided training and conducted evaluation visits in grantee sites on behalf of DMID, many of them working on TB related research in the Philippines, China, South Africa, India, Moldova and Russia. He has expertise and training in laboratory management and laboratory procedures and began his career as a laboratory technologist.

Huwaida Bulhan

Head of corporate Risk and Sustainability Chapter East Africa, Roche-Kenya

Dr Huwaida Bulhan joined Roche-Kenya in 2019 bringing over a decade of experience in primary healthcare and the biotech industry to the team. As the head of the Corporate Risk and Sustainability Chapter East Africa, she leads the strategic direction, tactical implementation and leadership of the Medical Affairs team, as well as leading the Clinical Operations for Sub Sahara Africa, supporting the advancement of scientific discoveries. Huwaida serves in various global capacities addressing barriers in global clinical trial participation and access to innovative therapies as a Project Lead with the Roche/Genentech Global Health Equity and Population Science department.   Prior to her role at Roche, Huwaida worked as a medical doctor for the Ministry of Health in Kenya, in the city of Nairobi and in Garissa town, before moving to clinical research oversight and management in private industry as well as Academia in Europe and North America. She acquired her medical training at the University of Nairobi, and further training in Public Health with a focus in Global Health research, at the University of East London. Huwaida is passionate about scientific excellence and health equity, and how research can be transformative to healthcare practice and policy in Africa.   Externally, Huwaida serves on the Advisory Council for the Women of Color in Pharma (WOCIP) global organization and the Steering Committee for the Clinical Research Society of Kenya (CRSK).  Huwaida is a very proud mum of two girls and enjoys playing tennis and trying new cuisines in her spare time.

John Amuasi

Head, Global Health Department, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Dr John AMUASI is based at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, where is a Senior Lecturer, Heads the Global Health Department of the School of Public Health, and is the Leader of the Global One Health Research Group at the Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR). He holds a W2 Professorship of Global One Health at the Bernhard Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine and the University of Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany. For over 20 years, he has engaged in Tropical Medicine and Global Health research - including in malaria, NTDs, AMR and One Health. He has also consulted for several Global Health-focused organisations with technical expertise on matters related to access to drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics, as well as strategic advice related to Global Health research. He further serves as Co-Chair of The Lancet One Health Commission. He is passionate about mentorship and sustainably building health research capacities in Africa.

Jutta Reinhard-Rupp

Head, Global Health Institut, Merck

Dr Jutta Reinhard-Rupp is the Head of the Global Health Institute at Merck, based in Switzerland. Her focus is on catalyzing innovative health solutions for most vulnerable populations such as children and their mothers in developing countries to strengthen local capacity and to foster human progress.   Since January 2008, she has been working at Merck in Switzerland with increasing responsibilities on the implementation of key strategic initiatives in drug discovery and development. In 2011, Jutta implemented the Merck Bioethics Advisory Panel with renowned experts from various fields of bioethics, biomedical law and religious studies. Since 2017, she is the Head of the Merck Global Health Institute and Board Chair of the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium, steering programs to control and eliminate schistosomiasis and malaria. Pan-African partnership networks and fundraising are key contributors to the Institute’s success. Jutta also serves as scientific advisor at various boards, including the DZIF Scientific Advisory Board in Germany.

Mansoor Saleh

Founding Chair, Department of Hematology-Oncology, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya

Dr Mansoor Saleh, began his educational journey in the Aga Khan school system in East Africa before pursuing his medical degree at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. He furthered his academic credentials by conducting doctoral research at the prestigious Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg.  Dr Saleh completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, and subsequently received specialized training in clinical and translational research in Hematology and Oncology at the University of Alabama Comprehensive Cancer Center in Birmingham. There, he served as a tenured Professor of Medicine and Pathology, as well as the Director of the First-in-Human Early Drug Development Program.  His primary research and clinical focus is on targeted cancer therapy. Over the past 30 years, Dr Saleh has played a pivotal role in the development, conduct, and oversight of numerous clinical trials involving monoclonal antibodies, cytotoxic chemotherapies, vaccines, inhibitory small molecules, and innovative checkpoint inhibitors in immuno-oncology. Notably, he was one of the lead investigators on the landmark trial that led to the FDA approval of eltrombopag, a recombinant TPO receptor agonist used to treat Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura.  In January 2020, Dr Saleh joined Aga Khan University in Nairobi, Kenya, as the Founding Chair of the Department of Hematology-Oncology and Founding Director of the AKU Cancer Center. This matrix organization is dedicated to advancing cancer research and improving treatment outcomes. 

Michel Reid

Strategic Lead, Clinical Trial Diversity at GSK

Michel Reid is the strategic lead for Clinical Trial Diversity at GSK. He supports the full GSK R&D (medicines and vaccines) and ViiV R&D (HIV therapies) portfolios to enhance representation in clinical trials, ensuring that GSK delivers science that helps the people affected by the disease under study. Under his leadership, the team has been instrumental to promote health equity and to help improve health outcomes for a diverse population of underrepresented patients. To lead with transparency, he published a peer-reviewed retrospective study for GSK clinical trials over 17 years that investigated the historical representation of U.S.-based participants and compared demographics with real-world disease epidemiology data.Before this role, Michel served as director of GSK’s US Pharmaceuticals Commercial Insights team, which focused on vaccines. He was responsible for leading the design and execution of purpose-built market analysis and market research, producing innovative insights that continue to drive the commercial organization. Before joining GSK in 2018, Michel spent over 15 years in marketing agencies and consultancy, providing business strategy, and communications design, strategy, and analysis for clients in a variety of industries and across a wide range of pharmaceutical therapeutic areas and customer groups. Michel holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Michel lives in Burlington, NJ, USA with his wife Jennifer and three daughters, Azarin, Bonnie, and Piper. Talk to him about cars, computers, or cryptocurrencies, as those are his favorites.

Patricia Njuguna

Senior Medical Officer, PATH, CVIA Clinical, Kenya

Dr Patricia Njuguna is a Senior Medical Officer with PATH, CVIA Clinical based in Kenya. In this role, she provides leadership and medical expertise in the planning and implementation of CVIA-supported vaccine clinical trials to ensure their successful implementation. She has extensive experience in all aspects of Phase I-IV clinical trial development and implementation. She has previously held positions with WHO (Geneva), coordinating the design, implementation, and monitoring of the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP) in Kenya, Ghana, and Malawi, in the capacity of Programme Evaluation and Safety Lead. During the almost dozen years prior to that effort, Patricia held various positions, trial investigator/safety physician to principal investigator and then Head of Clinical Trials with the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme. The research at KEMRI-Wellcome Trust was largely focused on malaria vaccine trials, but included other infectious diseases, including Ebola and yellow fever, with trial experience spanning from phase 1 to 3 trials and malaria human challenge studies. Dr. Njuguna holds qualifications in Medicine, Pediatrics and Child health, Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology. Externally, Patricia serves on various DSMBs and advisory groups and sits on the Steering Committee for HICVAC.

Sonia Elkara

Senior Pharmaceutical Expert & HATCH Founder

Dr Sonia Elkara is an entrepreneur and industrial pharmacist with more than 15 years’ experience in the health and the pharmaceutical sectors. She has worked as a consultant in strategy, public affairs, advocacy, PPP, business development, governance, economic empowerment, strategic communication and influence, markets access and reform implementation. And has also served in projects for sustainable investment, entrepreneurship, agriculture, fashion and green energy. Among her partners and clients are multilateral institutions including the World Bank, African Development Bank, World Health Organization, IFC and the Global Fund. She has collaborated with public health authorities, ministries of health, international NGOs and private companies (included IQVIA, CIPE and Aninver), mainly on the development and the implementation of country strategies in the healthcare and the pharmaceutical sectors. She has led policy initiatives and dialogues with Northern African governments, and also gained experience in different African, European and Asian countries. Sonia has held key positions in pharmaceutical and business development, market access and regulatory affairs, principally in the Tunisian pharmaceutical sector. Her engagement with civil society, the humanitarian sector and entrepreneurial and investment bodies include with CCM - Country Coordinating Mechanism for the cooperation program with the Global Fund against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; CONECT - Tunisian Confederation of Citizen Enterprises; The CNOPT - Tunisian National Pharmacists Professional Body; and the health-Tech Fund of UGFS-NA. She holds a pharmacy diploma, an M.Sc. in pharmacology, and several certificates in health, leadership and entrepreneurship. She is finalizing a master's degree in health law (final dissertation subject: Regulatory harmonization of medicine registration in Africa). Flexible to adapt to a changing environment and working in a multicultural environment. A solution-oriented team player. Also, an investor in continuous learning (PharmAcademy by CNOPT institution), e-health, and personal development.

Skhumbuzo Ngozwana

Founder, President and CEO, Kiara Health

Dr Ngozwana is the Founder, President and CEO of Kiara Health, a South Africa-based Africa-focused healthcare company. He is a seasoned international expert and healthcare executive with 26 years in the African pharmaceutical and healthcare industry, most in senior executive positions. His private and public sector work in pharma and global health has been with national stakeholders, including key ministry officials, regulatory bodies, procurement agencies, private sector players, health funders and development partners. Dr Ngozwana has consulted to the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the United States Pharmacopeia Convention (USP). He co-authored the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa, an extensive analysis on the African pharmaceutical industry, and the Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Sector Strategy and Action Plan (WHO). He also contributed to Ghana’s Pharmaceutical Sector Development Strategy (UNIDO), USP’s Africa strategy, and worked with the USP Nigeria office to develop a sector strategy for the Nigerian pharmaceutical sector. He consulted for USP on The Next Frontiers for the Public Health Medicines Market: Rethinking Priorities for Improved Access to Quality-Assured Medicines for Universal Access. He is former deputy CEO of JSE listed Cipla Medpro, South Africa’s third largest generic drug company. His board and advisory service has included as Chairman of Biovac; Global Action for Fungal Infections (GAFFI); Praedicare Africa; Shaping Equitable Market Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health (SEMA), a global organization working to enhance drug access; the African Academy of Sciences, the South African Medical Technology Industry Association (SAMED); as Chairman of the National Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of South Africa (NAPM); the International Generic Medicines Alliance (IGPA); Southern African Generic Medicines Association, Federation of African Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (FAPMA), and the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research. Skhumbuzo’s extensive thought leadership in the African pharmaceutical industry has improved access to quality assured medicines and helped develop African pharmaceutical industry.He holds qualifications in Medicine, Medical Pharmacology and Business Administration.