Speakers
Speakers
Damilola Adeniyi
Dr. Dami Adeniyi is a Lagos-based public health expert and Infection Control Consultant at the Centre for Infection Control and Patient Safety (CICaPS). He specializes in project management, policy formulation, leadership development, and team science. Additionally, he serves as the Training Coordinator for the Infection Control Africa Network (ICAN) West Africa Hub.
In 2021, Dr. Adeniyi led the pilot of the innovative US CDC Environmental Cleaning Program Toolkit at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, focusing on implementing best cleaning practices within Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LIMCs). His work on Environmental Cleaning and the Toolkit pilot has resulted in presentations at various platforms, including the ICAN Conference, Infection Control Society of Southern Africa (ICSSA), and numerous communities of practice in the United States, Canada, and Brazil, among others.
Dr. Adeniyi has established multiple Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) programs and facilitated IPC training sessions for both public and private institutions, including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Lagos State Ministry of Health (LSMOH), KAAF Medical Laboratory & Maternity Centre, Luxe Dental Clinics, and more. His dedication to advancing IPC practices in Nigeria has led him to contribute to the validation of the National Patient Safety and Care Quality Policy and Strategy, as well as the Legal Needs Assessment for IPC Legal Framework Development in Nigeria, among other key IPC guidelines.
Yewande Alimi
Dr. Yewande Alimi is an esteemed professional, holding a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and a Master of Public Health from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. She serves as the One Health Unit Lead at Africa CDC and co-leads the Africa Union Task Force on AMR.
Dr. Alimi has been pivotal in developing and executing comprehensive strategies that seamlessly integrate human, animal, and environmental health concerns.
Under her visionary leadership, Africa CDC has established crucial programs addressing AMR, zoonotic diseases, food safety, and climate change, effectively addressing critical One Health issues across the African continent. Dr Alimi’s impact extends globally as she serves on multiple advisory boards and groups, advocating for global health equity and gender equality.
With over a decade of expertise, Dr. Alimi has significantly strengthened the technical capacity of African Union Member States in preventing and controlling infectious diseases using a One Health approach. She is recognized as a Subject Matter Expert in One Health and holds advisory and committee roles at esteemed institutions.
Jim Ayukekbong
Dr. Jim Ayukekbong is an infectious disease epidemiologist and the Vice President of Infection Prevention and Control for Southbridge Healthcare in Canada. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Infection Control and author of the book, Infection Prevention and Control Guide for Healthcare Professionals. His research focuses on the molecular epidemiology of enteric and respiratory viruses and has published several articles on the discovery, transmission and control of emerging viruses. He also periodically reviews articles for several international scientific journals. Dr. Jim is a guest lecturer of the Fundamentals in Infection Prevention and Control course organized by Infection Control African Network.
Chedly Azzouz
Chedly Azzouz, a retired Tunisian “professeur paramedical”, is an internationally recognized expert in infection prevention and control (IPC). He currently serves as the Chair of the Infection Control Africa Network (ICAN) and is a consultant for the World Health Organization (WHO).
A rich experience at the beginning of his career in the practice of care in several health care specialties including ENT, operating room, sterilization, hemodialysis, emergencies, harvesting and renal transplantation, palliative care, infectious diseases, hospital hygiene and IPC. During his professional career, he continued to progress and follow several national and international certifications training courses, including Health Science Education, Research, Palliative Care, Health Economics, Healthcare Services Management, Hospital Hygiene and IPC, WASH in Health Care Facility, Infectious Diseases, Epidemic Management, etc.
From 2014 to 2023, he worked as an IPC consultant for WHO, providing critical technical support to numerous countries during their preparedness and response efforts for outbreaks and epidemics, including Ebola, COVID-19, and Cholera. His extensive experience in IPC and WASH in health care facility spans several countries such as Mauritania, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Togo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar, and more.
Prof. Azzouz has played a pivotal role in developing IPC training curricula, guidelines, implementation strategies, and tools across multiple African nations. As a contributor to the WHO headquarters on behalf of the WHO Africa Regional Office, he was instrumental in the creation of the Global IPC Strategy, Global IPC Action Plan, and Monitoring Framework.
In 2022 to 2025, he served as an external reviewer for key WHO publications, including the “Guidelines for the Prevention of Bloodstream Infections and Other Infections Associated with the Use of Intravascular Catheters” and the “Infection Prevention and Control In-Service Education and Training Curriculum.”, “Mpox outbreak response: IPC and WASH strategy and key actions”, “Infection prevention and control (IPC) principles and procedures for mpox vaccination activities”, “User guide for Ebola disease and Marburg disease IPC and WASH rapid assessment tool (RAT) for health facilities”, “ Mpox outbreak response: IPC and WASH strategy and key actions” “Clinical management and infection prevention and control for mpox”.
In 2023, he led the development of several pivotal resources for the WHO Africa Regional Office, such as the “Practical Guide for the Development of Consolidated National IPC Guidelines” and the “Infection Prevention and Control In-Service Training Guide and Curricula Description,” as well as a suite of training modules tailored for three distinct curricula.
Prof. Azzouz has conducted evaluations of national IPC programs, supported the development of improvement strategies and action plans, and contributed to the revision or creation of national IPC guidelines and training programs in various countries.
An active participant in international congresses and conferences, he has attended events like ICPIC 2019 and 2023 in Geneva, G-SPARC 2024 in Hyderabad India. Prof. Azzouz is also a prolific author and co-author of several scientific publications and has mentored numerous research projects.
He holds memberships in esteemed organizations, including the Infection Control Academy of India (ICAI), Infection Prevention and Control Canada (IPAC), the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC), and is an active member of the WHO IPC Global Community of Practice platform.
Lucille Blumberg
Professor Lucille Blumberg is an infectious diseases physician and medical microbiologist. She currently has honorary appointments at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the Universities of Stellenbosch (Medical Microbiology) and University of Pretoria (Faculty of Veterinary Sciences), South Africa. Her focus is on outbreak prevention and response, emerging diseases, travel- related infections, the viral haemorrhagic fevers, malaria and zoonosis especially rabies. She is the current chair of the Strategic Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards for the WHO Emergencies Programme and a member a member of the scientific advisory group for the WHO Neglected Tropical Diseases programme. She is a long-standing member of the National Rabies Advisory Group in South and is the previous chair of the South African Malaria Elimination Committee (SAMEC). Prof Blumberg has been involved in the prevention, detection and responses to a number of communicable disease outbreaks including cholera, typhoid, rabies, the Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers (Lujo, Rift Valley fever, Ebola), influenza (pandemic A H1N1, and Avian Influenza A H5N2) and diphtheria. Her special interests are in malaria, rabies, other zoonoses, East African Trypanosomiasis, travel and tropical medicine and border health issues. She has worked with Right to Care as a Technical Scientific Advisor since 2021.
Andre Bulabula
Prof. Andy Bulabula is a Medical Doctor with specialist training in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and a Clinical Epidemiologist with a PhD in Public Health. He currently serves as IPC Unit Lead at Africa CDC Headquarters in Ethiopia, where he provides strategic leadership on IPC, health system resilience, and pandemic preparedness and response across Africa.
He is an Associate Professor at the Catholic University La Sapientia of Goma (DRC), where he teaches public health, IPC, and research methods. He is also the Founder of IPC Academy Online Inc., a Canada-based platform offering high-quality IPC training accessible worldwide for emerging professionals.
Prof. Bulabula contributes to IPC education globally, teaching in specialist programs at ICAN–Radboud University (Netherlands), and developed a contextualized foundational IPC course at the University of Kinshasa.
A former Executive Board Member of the Infection Control Africa Network (ICAN), he has contributed to major global health initiatives in antimicrobial resistance (AMR), healthcare-associated infections, vaccine rollouts, and workforce development. He was the Clinical Lead for the Gates Foundation–funded BARNARDS project on AMR in neonates and served as Senior Clinical Researcher at Stellenbosch University.
He has supervised PhD students in partnership with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Stellenbosch University, and the University of Lubumbashi. He is a member of several WHO Guideline Development Groups (GDGs) for IPC and emergency guidance and was recognized as an ISID Emerging Leader (2016–2020).
He is a frequent international speaker, policy advisor, and journal reviewer, committed to advancing equitable, resilient health systems.
Terence Carter
Dr Terence Carter (MBChB, DCH, DHM, Cert. Coaching & Mentoring) is a seasoned health systems expert with extensive experience in strategic and operational management across hospitals, primary care services, and health districts. He has held senior leadership roles, including Deputy Director General in the National Department of Health, and CEO of major hospitals such as Groote Schuur and Tygerberg. Dr Carter has worked with global organisations like WHO and CHAI, and currently serves as an independent contractor supporting health system strengthening in South Africa. His career spans clinical, managerial, and advisory roles in both public and private sectors.
Albie de Frey
Medical professional with a career dedicated to travel medicine and public health.
Committed to providing comprehensive health risk management solutions to corporate clients and advancing the field of travel medicine through education, research, and international collaboration.
Elizma de Klerk
With 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, Elizma has developed a deep understanding of the complexities of healthcare and the importance of empowering frontline staff. Currently, she serves as the IPC (Infection Prevention and Control) Manager at a private hospital in Paarl, Western Cape, a role she has held for six years.
Elizma holds a Diploma in Nursing (2007) and a Diploma in Nursing Administration from the University of Stellenbosch (2014). She has further enhanced her expertise with an International Postgraduate Diploma in Infection Prevention and Control (2022) from Radboud University and ICAN.
Elizma is driven by a passion for empowering frontline staff, particularly cleaners, to take ownership of their critical role in infection prevention. Her ongoing project, “Improving Cleaning by Empowering Cleaners,” aims to educate, acknowledge, and uplift cleaners, recognizing their vital contribution to patient safety. Through this work, Elizma seeks to create a culture of appreciation and respect for these unsung heroes.
Neels de Waal
Angela Dramowski
Professor Angela Dramowski is a Paediatric Infectious Diseases sub-specialist and Head of Clinical Unit: General Paediatrics at Stellenbosch University-Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. Her research is focussed on the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of neonatal bacterial and antibiotic-resistant infections. She is passionate about patient safety and data-driven improvements in the quality of hospital care for neonates and children.
Briette du Toit Ludick
Briëtte is currently working as an independent Infection Control Consultant and did a number of contacts for the World Health Organisation. Briëtte was previously the Programme Manager and Training Coordinator of the International Post Graduate Diploma in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) presented by ICAN and the University of Radboud, Netherland. She was also responsible for the development and implementation of the IPC programme in Mediclinic Southern Africa for 17 years.
Briëtte has vast experience in all aspects of IPC programme development. She was part of the South African Ministerial Advisory IPC subcommittee and assisted with the development of the South African IPC Strategic Framework and Implementation manual. Briëtte is the vice chair of the Infection Control Society of Southern Africa (ICSSA).
Briëtte is a Professional nurse with a post graduate diploma and Master’s degree in IPC and has completed a certificate course at Harvard University in Airborne Infection Control. Briëtte presented at several national and international conferences and co-authored a number of articles and guidelines.
Heather Finlayson
Heather is an experienced infectious diseases paediatrican with over 15 years experience in the South African public sector. She is a lecturer at Stellenbosch University and provides clinical care at a tertiary training hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, where she leads the antimicrobial stewardship team. She has served two terms on the Ministerial Advisory Committee for Antimicrobial resistance where she led a national antibiotic point prevalence survey of 60 hospitals in 2023. Besides a passion for antimicrobial resistance and stewardship she is driven by data based quality improvement and a value based healthcare approach which lead her to completing an MBA in 2020. She has experience in outbreak control, managing measles outbreak within South Africa in 2010 and supporting the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone in 2015. She supports equitable access to all antimicrobials including less resourced areas and has recently been involved in programmes strengthening antibiotic supply chain in lesser resourced settings. Other interests include infection prevention control including vaccination programmes as well as the management of complicated and drug resistant TB in children.
Nkwan Jacob Gobte
Nkwan Jacob served was the pioneer IPC nurse of Banso Baptist Hospital (BBH) from 2002 to 2007, and IPC supervisor of the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services CBCHS) from 2011 to 2019. As a visionary leader, he conceived and implemented several IPC improvement projects, the most important being the local production of Alcohol Based Hand Rub (ABHR) which revolutionised hand hygiene practices and significantly led to the successful elimination of neonatal sepsis in the maternity units of the CBCHS. Jacob has the coordinating the Fundamental of Infection Prevention & Control (FIPC), which is a six-month IPC course offered by the Infection Control Africa Network (ICAN). He is a board member as week as the Honorary Secretary of ICAN, board member of International Federation of Infection Control (IFIC), and member of the Society for Health Care Epidemiology of America (SHEA), Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) as well as Infection Prevention and Control Association (IPAC), Canada. He has published several IPC research articles.
Chipo Gwayagwaya
My name is Chipo Sitembile Gwayagwaya. I am a focused, goal-driven and dynamic IPC Specialist /Consultant with a background of Intensive and Coronary Care Nursing. I have a strong passion for IPC, AMR, and Patient and healthcare worker Safety. I hold a Postgraduate Diploma in IPC (PGDIC) and a Master’s degree in IPC both from Stellenbosch University. I have Fifteen years of experience working as an IPC Practitioner, I have vast experience in IPC and infectious disease response and preparedness. I am the Deputy Secretary of the Infection Control Association of Zimbabwe-Trust (ICAZ-T), Training Coordinator for the Infection Control Association of Zimbabwe-Trust. Currently, I am the Training Coordinator for Infection Control Africa Network (ICAN) Southern Africa training hub. I am a motivational speaker and an entrepreneur.
Joost Hopman
Joost Hopman, MD, PhD, DTM&H is working more than5 years as medical director ofthe Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands and is appointed as adjunct professor at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He is trained and specialized inmedicine andmedical microbiology, tropical medicine, infection prevention and control and health care managementat the University of Utrecht, Radboud University Medical Center, Liverpool University and Harvard Business School.
His work focuses on infectionprevention and the redesign of health care delivery. It includes new innovative methods ofhealth care deliveryand patient safety programs, clinical pathway development, sustainability, prevention, appropriate care, the hospital-built environment,and implementation strategies. Research and teaching activities focuses on Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), planetary health, and leadership in health care in both high-and low-resource settings.
For his work he was elected as one of the International SHEA ambassadors in 2016 and was awarded with the Radboud University medal for young potentials(2016).Furthermore, he is awarded with the Kelsey lecture (2023) and the Lowbury lecture (2025).
In 2017-2019 he was a member of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) conference organizing committee.Since 2020 he chairs the Prevention Committee, that coordinates all prevention projects and programs in the Radboudumc. He acts as a consultant for Doctors without Borders (Médecins sans frontières) Amsterdam. He is an advisory board member of the Infection Control African Network (ICAN) and acted as a board member of the Dutch IPC section of the Netherlands Society of Medical Microbiology (NVMM).During the COVID-19 pandemic he served as a member of the WHO Environment and Engineering Control Expert Advisor Panel (ECAP) for COVID-19, the WHO ad-hoc COVID-19 IPC expert group and the Federation Medical Specialists (FMS) Guideline development expert group IPC, the Netherlands. Furthermore, he acted in 2020 as chair of the COVID-19 Outbreak Management Team, University Medical Center Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Joost was invited to work as an IPC consultant for World Health Organization (WHO) in 2014 and 2015 in the Ebola outbreak response in Geneva and Sierra Leone and this has provided him with valuable experience in international outbreaks. From 2015-2018 he was appointed as a senior extraordinary lecturer in community health at the Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He is co-author of more than 50 publications in peer-review journals (among others in NEJM, JAMA network, Lancet infectious disease, EClinicalmedicine), a textbook chapter on patient areas and environmental cleaning and he contributed to WHO, CDC and WIP guidelines.
Joost is strongly committed to improve health systemsin both high-and low/middle-income countries.
Ghada Ismail
Professor & Expert in Clinical microbiology, infection control & epidemiology since 2008, IFBA certified biosafety officer since 2017. Holding Total quality management & patient safety diploma, with vast experience in teaching & curricula development, training, building capacity in IPC & HAI/ AMR surveillance programs. Tailoring of IPC guidelines for university hospitals and participate in formulation of national IPC guidelines for Egypt and member of WHO GDG, participates in formulation of WHO minimum standards for IPC in limited resources countries. Participation in update of WHO booklets for injection safety, safe phlebotomy in collaboration with WHO, Egypt. Preparation of injection safety desk review for Egypt. Development of Safety training program and safety guidelines for UHs in Egypt. Assessment of IPC in universities with suggested improvement recommendation to ensure healthcare quality & safety. Moderation of project to improve healthcare quality and safety in Egypt. Moderation of E-HAI Surveillance system, data analysis, investigation of outbreaks in university hospitals and moderate risk mitigation and containment. Moderation of projects and formulation of documents & reports in addition to excellent presentation and communication skills. Board member of TQM in healthcare
Claire Kilpatrick
Claire is a nurse and graduate of the University of Glasgow with a PGDiploma in infection prevention and control (IPC) and MSc in medical sciences (travel medicine). She was awarded a doctor of science (DSc) in IPC, WASH and patient and health worker safety from Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) in 2023 and is a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Glasgow). She has been Director at S3GlobalHealth since 2012 and has vast experience working with WHO (since 2008 global, regional and country level), a range of other international and national agencies, NGOs and academia. As a volunteer, she is a founding board member of the World Surgical Infection Society, an expert advisor to the charity The AMR Narrative, and a subject matter expert on the Safeguarding Health through Infection Prevention (SHIP) research team at GCU. She focuses primarily on implementation and improvement in healthcare and also has experience in global guideline and report writing and national and global campaigning. Past awards include best visual identity in healthcare (Europe) for the WHO hand hygiene global campaign, an innovation award on understanding prevailing hand hygiene in healthcare language, and paper of the year in the Journal of Research in Nursing.
Molebogeng Kolojane
Dr Molebogeng Kolojane is a clinical microbiologist based at the microbiology laboratory at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) in South Africa. Dr Kolojane also supports district and regional hospitals in the Johannesburg Central and West Rand area as an outreach pathologist. She is involved in the undergraduate and post graduate microbiology training at the University of Witwatersrand. Her special interests are in Infectious Diseases, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and antimicrobial stewardship. She is involved in outbreak investigation, establishing antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs in outreach health care facilities and offer laboratories support. Dr Kolojane is a member of several committees as well as a co-opted member of the ICAN board.
Amy Krause
Amy is a Registered Professional Architectural Technologist with 23 years of experience specializing in healthcare architecture. She currently serves as Architectural Design Manager for Mediclinic Southern Africa’s Infrastructure Department, where she oversees the design, planning, and execution of healthcare facilities across Southern Africa.
Her expertise spans master planning, project scope development, technical documentation, office and project management, and healthcare design innovation. She has played a pivotal role in developing comprehensive standards and guidelines for Mediclinic, from room layouts to material specifications, ensuring efficiency, functionality, and compliance.
Amy is deeply passionate about healthcare environments that enhance patient care and clinical outcomes. She believes in the power of intelligent design to streamline workflows for doctors and staff, improve patient experiences, and optimize operational efficiencies. She collaborates closely with consulting firms, project managers, and healthcare professionals to drive innovation and continuous improvement in hospital and clinic design.
Her commitment to evidence-based design and functional planning ensures that every healthcare facility she works on is not just aesthetically refined but purposefully designed to serve both patients and medical professionals effectively.
Edward Krisiunas
- Mr. Krisiunas is the principal of WNWN International, Inc. – a consulting firm specializing in the areas of health care waste management, infection prevention, and occupational safety for health care. He has 43 years of experience in the health care (7 years) and healthcare waste management industry (36 years).
- Projects and presentations at the national and international in >60 countries (Europe, Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, North and South America) specifically related to health care waste management and infection prevention. Mr. Krisiunas has or is currently working with USAID, UNDP, UNIDO, UN GEF, ASLM, APHL, WB, WHO, OECS, GTZ, ADB, IFC, DHS/USDA, CDC, and The Global Fund.
- Mr. Krisiunas was the lead consultant for a teamworking with the CDC and the African Society for Laboratory Medicine on the management of Guanidine Thiocyanate (GTC) containing waste from HIV Viral Load and Early Infant Diagnosis in 27 African countries.
- He is a member of various organizations related to health care waste management, infection prevention, and Biosafety – APIC, IFIC, ABSA, HIS, ICAN, ASCP, and ISWA. He has been a reviewer for the AJIC, JHI, ISWA, and the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology.
- He was a contributing author to the WHO Management of Waste from Healthcare Activities, 2nd edition (2014), and International Federation Infection Control (IFIC) Text (2007, 2011, 2016, and 2024) in the areas of healthcare waste management and injection safety.
- Current chair of the ISWA Working Group on Healthcare Waste ( 2022-2026). Active member since 1998.
- Current IBC and IACUC Community Member University of Connecticut Health Center
He holds a B.S. Medical Technology, Western Connecticut State College and a Master’s Degree in Public Health, University of Connecticut.
Jun Manda
Dr. Jun Manda is a bilingual (French-English) Senior Medical Doctor, researcher and public health Expert working at the Ministry of Health in DR Congo. He has got a Master’s Degree of Public health in Global health security at Yonsei University in South Korea, Seoul and obtained his Medical Doctor Diploma at the University of Kinshasa. He has worked as practicing Doctor for over 12 years at most of Modern hospitals and clinics of Kinshasa such as Centre Medical Diamant, Premium Health Clinic, cabinet international de la Gombe clinic in DR Congo combined with international consultant career where he has worked respectively with National institute of Biomedical research (INRB), Japan international cooperation Agency (JICA), Ipas international American NGO, and World health Organization (WHO). He was involved in several research projects such as Maputo protocol implementation in DR Congo, determining seroprevalence of SARS-COV 2 Virus in Kinshasa province with INRB during COVID-19 pandemic, Malaria treatment outcomes among pregnant women in Kinshasa. He is contributing also to the elimination of Polio virus in DR Congo via Global Polio Elimination Initiative (GPEI) and also IPC & AMS agenda advancement in DR Congo by coordinating and facilitating IPC Trainings with the collaboration of the DR Congo Ministry of Health. Currently, He is a co-opted Board of Directors and scientific committee member at ICAN.
Kalisvar Marimuthu
Dr. Kalisvar Marimuthu is the head of the Infection Prevention, Control, and Outreach (ICON) division at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases and serves as a Senior Consultant in Infectious Diseases at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore. He chairs the National Infection Prevention and Control Committee (NIPC) of Singapore.
Dr. Marimuthu completed his advanced specialty training in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases in Singapore in 2010 and 2013, respectively. He trained as a Senior Research Fellow in the IPC Unit at Geneva University Hospital.
Dr. Marimuthu’s research revolves around the transmission dynamics of emerging infectious diseases and multidrug-resistant organisms. His work extends to healthcare-associated infection (HAI) surveillance and prevention strategies, with a special focus on leveraging genomics in infection prevention and control (IPC).
Alethea Mashamba
Ms. Alethea Mashamba is a seasoned health professional with more than 40 years of demonstrated clinical and public health experience. She is a qualified General Nurse, Midwife, Community Health Nurse who holds an MBA in Health Management and Planning and a Certificate in Infection Prevention and Control. Currently, Alethea is the Executive Treasurer of the Infection Control Africa Network where she is involved in the day to day smooth management of the organisation. Mashamba works as a Consultant and Project Coordinator for the Infection Prevention and Control Association of Zimbabwe-Trust, supporting the Ministry of Health and Childcare in developing the IPC programme and Health Systems Strengthening. Mashamba is part of the National and Outbreak Response Team and has been involved in response mitigation and preparedness activities from COVID 19, Cholera and other disease outbreaks in Zimbabwe.
Ms Mashamba possesses extensive pre- and in-service training/capacity building experience and hands-on expertise in management of primary health programmes. She is an active member of the Infection Prevention and Control Association of Zimbabwe and was part of the Lead Team that developed the current IPC Policy and Strategic Plan (2024 2026) including the updating of the National IPC Guidelines and has made significant contributions in the development of the IPC programme in Zimbabwe. She is involved in conducting site support visits and mentorship in the public and health facilities, monitoring compliance of IPC standards. She is part of the National Action Plan on AMR and serves on its IPC Biosecurity and Biosecurity Committee. Ms Mashamba has successfully conducted several consultancies and reviews of health programmes across the African Region as the Lead Coordinator .
Abayneh Melaku
The Eastern Hub of the Infection Control Africa Network (ICAN) has made significant strides in 2023/2024, focusing on capacity building, collaboration, and resource mobilization. Key achievements include the development of an online IPC platform on Telegram and WhatsApp, engaging over 100 healthcare professionals, and conducting workshops to map and engage stakeholders. The hub finalized its 2024 Annual Workplan and Budget, supported training at Eka Kotebe Hospital, and advanced partnerships through Project ECHO. Challenges such as unresponsive representatives and busy officials were addressed with proactive follow-ups. Moving forward, the hub aims to expand its network, enhance infection control practices, and strengthen regional collaboration to combat infectious diseases effectively.
Shaheen Mehtar
Shaheen Mehtar is a retired Professor of IPC, Tygerberg Hospital, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town. She trained as a medical microbiologist in the UK, and headed up the Microbiology Dept at the North Middlesex Hospital; honorary Senior Lecturer at the Royal Free Hospital. She helped to set up several infection control societies globally. She established the Unit for IPC, Tygerberg Hosp, Stellenbosch Uni. She founded and chaired the Infection Control Africa Network (ICAN), the largest IPC organisation in Africa concentrating on IPC education and leadership. She established several postgraduate IPC courses for Africa and beyond.
Prof Mehtar has served on several international societies such as the Hospital Infection Society, British Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and International Society of Infectious Diseases amongst others. She is a member of the WHO guideline development groups (GDG) and CDC consultative organisations since 1994. She has worked in several refugee camps and displaced persons establishments. She has published extensively in peer review journals as well as several books and chapters
Reshma Misra
Mrs Reshma Misra is medical technologist by profession and commenced her career in a Microbiology Reference Laboratory, in a public hospital. She has considerable experience in all aspects on Medical Microbiology including Mycology and Tuberculosis. During this time, she took a keen interest in education and training, policy development, quality assurance and participated in accreditation. She served on the Board of University of Technology, Chairperson of the Microbiology Committee, assisted with College for Medicine South Africa exams and developed a Microbiology Training Manual for Student technologists and technicians.
Reshma, has always been interested in research and innovation. This served as a catalyst for entering the domain of research and education within Medical Microbiology at the University of KwaZulu Natal. During time, she managed various research projects, the research laboratory and supervised students. The research projects were mainly on Tuberculosis and also had an arm of surveillance of healthcare associate infections and outbreaks. The research led to five publications, which Reshma is a co-author. Her interest in academia prompted her to complete the Bachelor of Medical Science( Honours): Infection prevention and control, for which she was admitted into the elite Golden Key and then the Masters of Medical Science. The masters project had an infection prevention and control focus, entitled, Proliferation of Klebsiella pneumoniae in medication containing vials for multiple dose medication and intravenous fluids. She was awarded by the Infection Control Africa Network for recognition of orginal African research.
Reshma, is currently the Assistant Director: Provincial Infection Prevention and Control – KwaZulu Natal, with 13 years of experience in IPC. She has contributed to the development of the section on hand hygiene, in the Practical Manual for the Implementation of the National IPC Strategic Framework, developed many provincial documents and served on the national IPC technical working group. She is a strong leader who believes in capacitation and teamwork Working in this domain has enabled vast experience in strategic planning, policy development, education and training, surveillance of healthcare associated infection, led numerous outbreak investigation, indicator development, inspections and auditing and feedback. She has successfully lead many projects from inception to implementation such digitalisation of the IPC montioring systems( hand hygiene, neonatal IPC and surveillance of healthcare associated infection). These system areinnovative and unique in South Africa. She is also appointed to various techical advisory committees include Health Infrastructure Approval Committee. Reshma is innovative, resourceful and constantly researching and updating prevention strategies that practical, implementable and sustainable in a low resource setting
Babacar Ndoye
For nearly 10 years, he directed Senegal’s national IPC program (PRONALIN, which was the first one in sub-Saharan Africa).
Since his retirement in 2012, he has worked as a consultant, mainly at the WHO level (headquarter and AFRO office), for whom he has carried out numerous expert missions, particularly in Africa. Numerous expert missions have also been carried out in Africa on behalf of the UNDP.
He has led the development of national AMR plans in countries like Guinea, Niger and the governance component in Cameroon.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, he worked as an IPC consultant at Afro, based in Brazzaville to support the IPC component of the response in all countries in the region. He provided technical support, either virtually or through field missions, to the development of IPC strategic plans in at least twenty African countries.
He continues to carry out ad hoc missions for WHO and UNDP to support the development of IPC in African countries.
Prof NDOYE received in 2022 the distinction of Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion in Senegal, for services rendered to the nation.
Mfiekwe Eveline Ngwayi
Mfiekwe Eveline Ngwayi is a nurse by profession from Cameroon who works with the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services as the Supervisor of Nursing Services at Nkwen Baptisti Hospital, Bamenda. She is a holder of State registered Nurses’ Diploma, Bachelor of nursing Sciences, Nurse Practitioner and a Masters degree in Nursing Sciences. She has worked as a nurse for 25yrs.
She has an experience as IPC trainer for about 10 years now and is presently a member of Infection Prevention and Control Association (IPCA) Cameroon and doubles as the training coordinator for the Central African Regional Hub. She is passionate about IPC and continue to study to become an IPC expert.
Salim Parker
Salim Parker is a travel medicine and general practitioner. He is the past president and current executive member of the South African Society of Travel Medicine (SASTM). He also serves on the executive board and the Liaison Committee of the International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) and collaborates with the Global Centre for Mass Gathering Medicine (GCMGM). Publications include topics related to mass gatherings, travel medicine and vaccines, as well as co-authorship of the Hajj Travel chapter in the 2018, 2020 and the 2024 editions of the CDC Yellow Book on Travelers Health. He is an Honorary Research Associate in the Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine at the University of Cape Town. accompanied pilgrims on the annual Hajj to Saudi Arabia as a medical officer, researcher, journalist, observer and fellow pilgrim for more than 20 years. Interests include travel related spread of infectious diseases, respiratory infections at mass gatherings, and preparing travellers with terminal medical conditions to undertake that final desired journey.
Wolfgang Preiser
Professor Wolfgang Preiser heads the Division of Medical Virology at the University of Stellenbosch. This includes a large SANAS-accredited diagnostic laboratory under the South African National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) in Tygerberg, Cape Town.
Having graduated as a medical doctor, Preiser specialised in medical virology in his hometown Frankfurt, Germany, and at University College London.
His research interests cover three broad themes: improving and advancing diagnostic virology; the epidemiology, diagnosis, and monitoring of opportunistic viral infections; and emerging and potentially zoonotic viral diseases.
During the SARS outbreak in 2003, he contributed to isolating and characterising the causative novel coronavirus. Later, his research group in Tygerberg identified a Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus in South African bats and defined zoonotic hepatitis E virus infection as a significant health issue in South Africa. As a member of the Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa, Virology Stellenbosch played an important role during the Covid pandemic. He is founding member of the Stellenbosch University Public Square with the theme “One Health approach to find solutions for infectious diseases under conditions of rapid environmental change”.
Mamy Randria
- Specialist in Internal Medicine and Professor of Infectious Diseases
- Head of the Unit of Infectious Diseases at Antananarivo University Hospital for some twenty years.
- Lecturer and researcher at the University of Antananarivo.
- Lecturer at the university of Mahajanga and Diego-Suarez
- Director of the Befelatanana University Hospital for ten years (2010-2020)
- Founding President of the Malagasy Society of Infectious Diseases and of the Malagasy Society of Infection and Prevention Controle (SNPCI/Wash) since 2019.
- Chairman of the Nosocomial Infection Control Committee at CHU Befelatananana
- Involved in the management of various outbreaks and pandemies in Madagascar.
- Highly Involved in the promotion of IPC and the proper use of antibiotics, and fight against antibiotic resistance.
- President of the review commitee of the guidelines on antibiotic therapy in Madagascar
- Close collaborator of UNAIDS, WHO and the Ministry of Health in Madagascar for various subjects
- International WHO Consultant (Mauritania) during the covid-19 pandemic
- Member of ICAN since 2019 and member of the ICAN board and executive committee since 2024
- Main areas of interest: HIV infection, tuberculosis, PCI/ Wash, Antibioresistance
- Authors of some sixty publications on infectious diseases/HIV and IPC
Reddy Ranga
Dr. Ranga Reddy Burri is a public health activist, academician, distinguished physician, and social entrepreneur. He graduated from Minsk Government Medical Institute, Belarus, with an MD (Physician) degree. He also holds a PG Diploma in Management from Pondicherry University and an Advanced Management degree from IESE, Barcelona, Spain. His education also includes Global Health from Washington University and One Health from the One Health Consortium, Calgary, Canada.
As an academician, Dr. Reddy is an Honorary Professor at the University of Hyderabad and an Adjunct Professor at the Public Health Foundation of India. He is the Chief Editor of Infection Control Trends and a member of the Editorial Board of IPAC Canada (CJIC). He developed the curriculum for a pioneering PG-level diploma program in Infection Control. He also co-directed and taught an e-learning course in Infection Prevention and Control in collaboration with COL CEMCA at UoH.
In the entrepreneurial sphere, Dr. Reddy is the Founder of Sanmed Healthcare and mentors a few startups, where he strategically guides the teams in research & development, product portfolio, and expansion into global markets. He is also the founder and trustee of the Infection Control Academy of India (IFCAI), a non-profit initiative to create Infection Prevention capacity for India and emerging countries.
As a social activist, Dr. Reddy is committed to public health awareness, education, and training. He supports several non-profit initiatives in various capacities, namely MNR trust, NRR Research Center for Social Progress, Delhi Society for Promotion of Rational Use of Drugs (DSPRUD), Pragyan Sustainable Health Outcomes Foundation, Indian Institute of Public Health, among others. His work as a policy advocate and expert from civil society has been instrumental in building National and State Action plans to contain AMR and update patient safety & IPC guidelines. He is also a member EAC on AMR by DST, GOI. His commitment to public health awareness, education, and training is evident in his work, particularly in the field of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). He has collaborated with various organizations to develop IPC programs, training over 10,000 healthcare workers. As the founder trustee of the Infection Control Academy of India (IFCAI), he has significantly contributed to patient safety in India and other low resource settings.
Duncan Rendall
I qualified as an architect at UCT in 1992 and later obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Technology Management from UCT in 2012.
I spent nearly 20 years working in the private sector before joining the Western Cape Department of Health & Wellness in 2011. Currently, I serve as the Chief Architect, overseeing infrastructure norms and standards across all types of health facilities.
My journey in health facility design began in 2003 when I joined BNM Architects, a well-known practice based in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), specialising in healthcare design. I went on to establish and manage their Cape Town branch.
At the Department, our current focus is on developing standardised facility and room layouts, as well as materials, fixtures, finishes, and operational narratives for each facility type. Our goal is to provide design and implementation teams with a clearer understanding of the services our buildings need to accommodate.
While the Province continues to replace outdated infrastructure with newer, purpose-built facilities, the majority of our projects are focused on upgrading and expanding existing facilities to address rapid population growth and an evolving disease burden.
Changing environmental and legislative conditions have also prompted us to reassess the operation of our buildings, particularly regarding engineering services. By applying principles of flexible, salutogenic design, we aim to ensure our facilities are more contextually appropriate, resilient, and cost-effective.
Buyiswa Lizzie Sithole
Buyiswa Lizzie Sithole is a seasoned IPC Specialist and hand hygiene Compliance and Monitoring Officer who has worked for ICAN and WHO. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Infection (Cum-Laude). She is an IPC Trainer (Accredited by ICAN and Stellenbosch University). She was actively involved in the West Africa Ebola response in Sierra Leone and worked for World Health Organization as a Technical Advisor for IPC and supported the MOHS to roll out the National IPC Program. Under ICAN she rolled out the Hand hygiene trainings across Africa amongst other training programs. She is also actively involved in the training and mentoring HCWs on IPC practices. She has authored and co-authored various papers in the field of hand hygiene including co-authoring “Knowledge, attitudes, and practices for ECD in the National Rapid Deployable Isolation and Treatment Facility (RDTIF) in Sierra Leone. Lizzie has worked in Liberia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda, South Sudan and Zimbabwe and has been part of IPC Trainings rolled out in Botswana, Cameroon, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia and Nigeria and has vast knowledge in implementing IPC Programs in Low-middle income settings.
Julie Storr
Julie is CEO and co-founder at S3 Global Healthcare, a key opinion leader in her field, with an international portfolio of work including as a senior technical expert with the World Health Organisation, NGOs and countries across the world. Her areas of focus include the development, implementation and evaluation of guidelines and implementation-related resources in the field of patient safety, quality, AMR, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and infection prevention and control, most recently as subject matter expert on the development of an innovative serious game with WHO Academy. She was previously President of the Infection Prevention Society of the UK and Ireland, Assistant Director at the English National Patient Safety Agency and Director of the award-winning national cleanyourhands campaign. Julie is an honorary advisor at Global Health Partnerships and a steering group member of Health Information for All (HIFA). She is also a trained clinical hypnotherapist. She has published widely in the peer-reviewed literature and her most recent book focuses on the social rather than the technical aspects of preventing infections in healthcare. On the latter point, Julie is a champion of person-centred and compassionate application of IPC and the importance of effective leadership in making this a reality.
Renee Street
Dr Street is the Director at the Environment & Health Research Unit within the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC). Her background and training encompass both natural sciences and public health, providing her with a unique perspective on tackling complex global challenges. Dr Streets extensive research portfolio is dedicated to investigating diverse aspects of historical and emerging environmental contaminants and the impact on human health. Dr Street demonstrates a keen interest in addressing public health issues and formulating effective policy strategies. She is currently a steering committee member of INGSA Africa (International Network for Governmental Science Advice). This role allows her to utilize her passion for impactful change and contribute to the broader dialogue on effective science communication and decision making. Notably, in response to the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Street played a pivotal role in establishing the SAMRC wastewater surveillance and research Programme. This initiative was set up to track SARS-CoV-2 RNA trends in wastewater across South Africa. The programme has since evolved and expanded its scope. It now encompasses comprehensive research endeavors aimed at pandemic preparedness and response for a multitude of pathogens.
Ann Versporten
Ann worked as an epidemiologist at the Institute of Public Health (Sciensano), Belgium, before joining the University of Antwerp in 2010 and the Belgian Antibiotic Coordination Committee (BAPCOC) in 2014. She has contributed to multiple European projects on antimicrobial consumption, including ESAC (now ESAC-Net) and a collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for Europe, which later integrated its data and methods into the WHO AMC network. She has built extensive expertise on antimicrobial consumption using different antimicrobial use metrics, investigating their validity in terms of quality indicators and their clinical importance.
Since 2014, she has been coordinating the Global-PPS, a standardized cross-sectional methodology integrated with a freely accessible web-based application for data entry, validation, and feedback reporting. Designed to monitor and benchmark antimicrobial use and HAI prevalence across diverse healthcare settings worldwide, it features a user-friendly interface that facilitates data-driven local implementation of AMS. The platform has proven to be a valuable tool for stakeholder education and engagement.
Dedicated to sustainable and reproducible epidemiological research, she aims to generate robust scientific evidence that empowers health professionals and policymakers to optimize antibiotic use.
