Committees

Co-Chairs

Prof. Moses Bockarie, EDCTP (South Africa)

Professor Moses John Bockarie joined EDCTP as Director of International Cooperation (Africa) and Head of Africa Office on 1 July 2016. Prof. Bockarie, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, is a specialist in the field of neglected infectious diseases and an internationally experienced researcher. He has worked in many countries in Africa, Europe and the Pacific region, and in the United States of America.

Prof. Bockarie worked on various research programmes on malaria and other neglected diseases in Sierra Leone, before taking up an appointment at the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, becoming Principal Research Fellow in Medical Entomology and Head of the Vector Borne Disease Unit in 1996. In 2005 he joined the Centre for Global Health and Diseases, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Ohio, USA as Visiting Professor, where he continued his research on neglected diseases until his appointment in Liverpool in 2008.

Dr Pauline Beattie, EDCTP (Netherlands)

Dr Pauline Beattie joined the management team of the organisation in August 2011, where she heads the Calls & Grants department. Dr Beattie has a Masters and DPhil in Parasitology, with a focus on malaria research. Prior to joining EDCTP, she was a Science Portfolio Manager at the Wellcome Trust where she gained extensive experience in grants management.

At EDCTP, she is responsible for the management and oversight of the grant application process, from the development of calls for proposals, management of peer review, through to post-award evaluation.

Programme committee

Scientific Advisory Committee members

Maria Fraga Oliveira Martins, Institute for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, New University of Lisbon (Portugal)
Professor Maria Fraga Oliveira Martins is Professor of Biostatistics at the New University of Lisbon (UNL), Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Portugal. She also holds the positions of member of the General Council of the UNL and member of the Ethics Committee for Clinical Research (CEIC), Ministry of Health of Portugal. She took a Bachelors degree in Economics at UNL (1986), and has a Masters and PhD in Econometrics from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (1994, 1999). Her research interests include biostatistics, health economics, econometrics, ethics, statistical modelling of tropical diseases. She has a particular focus on research capacity strengthening and training in Portuguese-speaking African countries.

Clara Menéndez, Barcelona, Centre for International Health Research (Spain)
Professor Clara Menéndez Santos is a Research Professor at the ISGlobal/Hospital Clinic-University of Barcelona since 2007; since 2012 she is Director of the Maternal, Child and Reproductive Health Initiative (SAMIR) at ISGlobal. She trained in medicine at the Autonomous University of Madrid (1983) and has a PhD from the University of Barcelona (1999). Her research interests include malaria in pregnancy, maternal and child health, antimalarial drugs, clinical trials, epidemiology and pharmacovigilance. She has a track record of over 25 years of research in maternal and child health, focused on developing countries with a special interest in infectious diseases. She leads several large-scale, international, multi-disciplinary research consortia in Africa, Asia and Latin America, which incorporate capacity building and scientific leadership development initiatives. She has an extensive research track record and has served in numerous international scientific advisory roles.

Martin Meremikwu, University of Calabar (Nigeria)
Professor Martin Meremikwu is a tenured Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at the College of Medical Sciences University of Calabar in Cross River State, Nigeria where he also leads the clinical trials and evidence-based healthcare programme of the Institute of Tropical Diseases Research and Prevention.

He obtained MBBCH at the University of Calabar in 1985 and a Master of Science in Mother and Child Health at the Institute of Child Health, University London, United Kingdom in 1993. He holds a specialist fellowship of the Faculty of Paediatrics of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and is a Fellow of Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, United Kingdom. He has received additional training and fellowships in disease control, clinical trials, research ethics, evidence-based healthcare and research synthesis. Currently, he teaches these topics in postgraduate programs and as short courses.

He pioneered the Cross River Health and Demographic System which became an INDEPTH member site in 2013. Prof. Meremikwu served as Editor in the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group for several years and still maintains an active link with the group by providing support to systematic review authors. He is the Director of Cochrane Nigeria and current Chair of the Nigerian National TB/HIV Technical Working Group. He was awarded the Kenneth Warren Prize for excellence in developing Cochrane systematic reviews in 2009.

Marleen Temmerman, Aga Khan University (AKU) Hospital Nairobi, Kenya; Ghent University (Belgium)
Professor Marleen Temmerman is Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aga Khan University (AKU) Hospital Nairobi, and Director of the Centre of Excellence in Women, Child and Adolescent Health, AKU-East-Africa.

From 2012-2015, she was the Director of the Department of Reproductive Health and Research (RHR) at the World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva. She is also a full Professor Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Ghent University in Belgium. As an obstetrician she supervised over 18,000 births in many parts of the world. Her interest is women’s health and rights. She has a strong academic background with over 500 publications and books in the area of women’s health, many PhD students in Europe, Africa (mainly Kenyan scientists), Latin America and China, and several awards and honours.

EDCTP Secretariat

Nuraan Fakier, Project Officer (South Africa)
Nuraan Fakier was born in Cape Town, South Africa. She has a background in psychology, with a Master’s degree in Psychological Research (University of Cape Town) and a post-graduate diploma in International Research Ethics (University of Cape Town). Prior to joining EDCTP, she worked as a researcher in stress and anxiety disorders and in the field of substance abuse.
 

Dr Michelle Helinski, Project Officer (Netherlands)

Michelle Nderu, Project Officer (South Africa)
Michelle Nderu was born in Mombasa, Kenya. In 2002, she moved to South Africa for her undergraduate studies at Rhodes University. In 2008, Michelle obtained an MSc in Medicine from the University of Cape Town. She then worked in the product development division of KAPA Biosystems developing enzyme-based products used in several real-time PCR applications. Prior to joining EDCTP, Michelle moved from the laboratory into research management, taking up a position within the Research Management Division of the South African Medical Research Council as a research coordinator.

Dr Thomas Nyirenda, Strategic Partnerships and Capacity Development Manager (South Africa)
Dr Thomas Nyirenda is a physician with experience in planning and implementing community disease control programs, operational research and clinical trials in Africa. He worked with the Ministry of Health in Malawi from 1993 to 2000 where he gained experience in administration of district, national health delivery systems and in health research. From 2000 to 2004 he worked for the World Health Organisation as a national and international technical advisor in control and research of TB and TB/HIV co-infection in Africa. He has published and contributed to a number of publications in this field including malaria. He joined EDCTP in 2004.
 

Organising committee

EDCTP Secretariat

Christopher Dixon, Finance Assistant (Netherlands)
Born in the UK, Christopher qualified as an ACCA accountant back in 2009 after studying with the BBP College Reading. In his previous role he worked for the National Health Service as the Capital Accountant responsible for the accounting for the trust’s Fixed assets. After taking six months away from work in 2014 to see more of the world, Christopher and his wife moved to The Hague to enjoy a new life with their two dogs. As the Finance Assistant for the EDCTP, he deals with the administration of the Accounts payable and the Accounts receivable within the organisation.

Neodia Flores, Grants Finance Assistant (Netherlands)
Mrs. Neodia Flores-Mensing was appointed to the EDCTP Finance team as Grants Finance Assistant as of May 2016. Her main tasks will be to review the financial reporting on grants and support grantees in this. She was born in the Philippines where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in commerce and accounting; after she moved to Hong Kong she continued to work and study. She has a Master’s degree in business administration (Hong Kong 2003) and a Master’s from the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands) in Accountancy and Control (2009).

Jean Marie Habarugira, Project Officer (Netherlands)
Born and raised in Burundi, Jean Marie Vianney Habarugira moved to Russia in 2000 for his graduate and post-graduate studies. In 2006, he obtained a Master of Science in Pharmacy at the Volgograd State Medical University, in Volgograd, Russia. He then moved to The Netherlands where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at the NHL University in Leeuwarden before continuing his life sciences research at the Utrecht University, in a Drug Innovation Masters programme focussing on Drug Discovery, Drug Development and Regulatory Affairs. During the Drug Innovation training, he carried out research projects at the KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board and EDCTP. 

Suzanne Hoogervorst, Travel and Events Officer (Netherlands)
After concluding her studies in tourism, Suzanne worked abroad in the field of hospitality. After returning to the Netherlands, she worked for the Amsterdam Tourist Board and Schiphol Group at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Suzanne also gained experience in working in international environments from other previous employment.

Shingai Machingaidze, Project Officer (South Africa)
Shingai Machingaidze joined EDCTP in September 2015 as a Project Officer. She received undergraduate and postgraduate training in molecular and cell biology at the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa where she worked on probiotic strains for Kidney Stone Disease. In 2011 she obtained a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Biostatistics also from UCT. Shingai is currently studying towards a PhD in Public Health.

Lara Pandya, Strategic Partnerships Officer (Netherlands)
Lara Pandya returned to EDCTP in July 2013, having previously worked as an EDCTP Project Officer from 2007 to 2010. In the intervening period, whilst completing postgraduate studies in global public health, she worked in resource development at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and in the project management of European Commission-funded grants at the Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD). Lara has also previously worked in UK hospital administration and international clinical trial management. She was born in Cambridge, UK, and pursued undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Bristol, where she obtained her Bachelor’s and Master of Science in Geography. In June 2013, she completed her Master’s in Public Health with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

Daniela Pereira, Communications Officer (Netherlands)
Born in Brazil, Daniela joined EDCTP in 2016. She is responsible for developing visual communications concepts and managing EDCTP’s brand identify. She also supports the organisation of the EDCTP Forum. Daniela has previously worked in marketing and sales, has a certificate in Web Design and Web Development and a Diploma in Public Relations.

Dr Michelle Singh, Project Officer (South Africa)
Dr Michelle Singh joined EDCTP as a Project Officer based at the EDCTP Africa Office in Cape Town, South Africa. Prior to joining EDCTP, Michelle worked at the South African Medical Research Council and the University of KwaZulu-Natal where she managed maternal and child health research studies and clinical trials, with a strong focus on prevention of perinatal HIV transmission.

Ana Lúcia Weinberg, North-North Networking Officer (Netherlands)
Ana Lúcia Weinberg, née Cardoso, joined EDCTP in 2012 with the task to facilitate coordination and integration of European Union Member States’ research programmes, and create and maintain partnerships with key stakeholders.