governance

Dr Marriott Nliwasa is a final year PhD student with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. His PhD covers strategies to reduce risk of early death among adults with symptoms suggestive of tuberculosis (TB): i.e. increasing access to HIV testing, TB screening in communities and health facilities, evaluation of new TB diagnostic tests (Xpert MTB/RIF and TB-LAMP) and their impact on patient outcomes. Marriott’s immediate future research focuses on trials of other new TB tests including Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra, digital chest radiography, IRISA-TB (for TB meningitis). Marriott is also involved in trials of new TB drugs and new TB drug regimens under the EU-Africa PanACEA consortium.

Sébastien Gagneux is Associate Professor of Infection Biology and Head of Department at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH)/University of Basel. After receiving his PhD from the University of Basel, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University and at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, USA. He then spent three years as a Program Leader at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research in London, UK before joining Swiss TPH. His research focuses on the ecology and evolution of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and combines population genomics, molecular epidemiology and experimental approaches to study the effect of bacterial variation on host-pathogen interaction and drug resistance.

Blandina Theophil Mmbaga is a Director of Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Moshi, Tanzania since 2015 and a Director of the KCMC-Duke University Collaboration Clinical Research site in Moshi since 2013. She also works as a pediatrician at KCMC, Senior Lecturer Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCo) and Adjunct Ass. Professor of Duke Global Health Institute. Blandina had her undergraduate done at the Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy in Russia and Pediatric residence at KCMUCo, Tumaini University. She had her doctorate in public health and epidemiology at the University of Bergen in Norway. She is leading several research activities at KCMC and KCRI mainly in infectious diseases (Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, Antimicrobial resistant and zoonoses diseases) as well as maternal and child health.

Blandina has a good experience in leading clinical trials in HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis under her leadership as IMPAACT scientific and immunology committee member 2006-2012 and IMPAACT site PI since 2013 to date. She has a good experience in students supervision and mentorship both masters and PhD levels within KCMUCo and outside Tanzania (UCT, Glasgow, Bergen University, London School and Duke University) as part co supervision within collaborative research capacity building.

Dr Rassool is a project investigator and project manager for the PanACEA project  at the Clinical HIV Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand Helen Joseph Site.

Dr Rassool holds a medical degree (MBChB) and a diploma in HIV management. He has a long-standing ten year experience in phase II-IV clinical trials.  Over the past seven years, Dr Rassool has been managing various projects.  He also provides technical and advisory support to the local clinics in the Johannesburg region. He is also lectures medical doctors who attend HIV management courses.

Furthermore, Dr Rassool’s main areas of research are HIV, TB, HIV and TB co-infection as well as other HIV related co-infections (including Kaposi Sarcoma and Hepatitis B). He has 10 publications dealing with HIV and associated conditions.

Nyanda Elias Ntinginya is a leader in all TB studies at NIMR Mbeya Medical Research Centre (NIMR-MMRC) www.nimr-mmrc.org  since 2012 and from July 2016 he was appointed the Ag. Centre Director of the same centre. He is the Principal Investigator of PanACEA related studies at NIMR Mbeya Medical Research Centre and therefore oversees activities related to all research initiation, implementation,  and coordination at the site.

He is the Medical Doctor and holder of a Master Degree in Tropical and Infectious Diseases from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine UK. Recently, Nyanda has successfully defended his PhD at the CIH^LMU Centre for International Health at Ludwig-Maximilians- Universität, Munich; Germany. Nyanda has more than 8 years of experience in managing clinical trials, diagnostic and operational studies as a Coordinator, Principal Investigator, Clinical Trial Manager at institutional and national levels in cross-functional and multicultural and international environment. A recognizable experience in research of TB new drugs and diagnostic as well as emerging diseases with a strong expertise on ICH GCP guidelines.

Furthermore, his main area of research interest is on Infectious Diseases in particular TB; ranging from diagnostics, therapeutic to operational/implementation research. He has published particularly with TB, HIV and selected other infectious diseases.