Professor Blandina Mmbaga is Director of the Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute (KCRI) in Tanzania and a leading figure in clinical research and capacity development in East Africa. Through her long-standing engagement with EDCTP, she has helped strengthen research infrastructure, training and collaboration across the region.
Within the EDCTP-funded PanACEA consortium, she oversaw clinical study sites and mentored Master's and PhD students, while KCRI also played a key role in the ASCEND Consortium, which aims to strengthen ethics and regulatory review processes in Tanzania. She additionally serves as Deputy Coordinator of the Eastern Africa Consortium for Clinical Research (EACCR) Network of Excellence, where KCRI leads capacity-building and training activities.
Under her leadership, KCRI has become an important hub for research on tuberculosis, HIV, malaria and other infectious diseases, contributing to stronger regional research capacity and collaboration across Africa and beyond.
EDCTP-supported global health leaders
Professor Abdoulaye Djimdé is one of Africa’s leading experts on malaria genomics and antimalarial drug resistance.
Professor Alexander Debrah is a leading researcher in neglected tropical diseases in Ghana and across West Africa.
Professor Blandina Mmbaga is Director of the Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute (KCRI) in Tanzania and a leading figure in clinical research and capacity development in East Africa.
Dr Christian Happi is a molecular biologist and genomic scientist internationally recognised for his work on infectious disease surveillance.
Dr Cissy Kityo is a physician and HIV researcher who played a pioneering role in introducing and scaling up antiretroviral therapy in Uganda.
Professor Collen Masimirembwa is one of Africa’s leading experts in pharmacogenomics and precision medicine.
Dr Delese Mimi Darko is a leading figure in medicines regulation in Africa.
Prof. Eleni Aklillu is Professor of Global Health Pharmacology at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and a leading expert in pharmacovigilance, clinical pharmacology and regulatory science.
Professor Francine Ntoumi is Executive Director of the Fondation Congolaise pour la Recherche Médicale and a leading figure in infectious disease research and capacity strengthening in Central Africa.
Professor Jean B. Nachega is a leading researcher in HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, with a strong focus on infectious diseases and global health in Africa.
Dr Joseph Fokam is a virologist and senior health scientist, serving as Chief of Service at the Virology Laboratory of the CIRCB in Cameroon.
Professor Keertan Dheda is a globally recognised researcher in tuberculosis (TB).
Professor Margaret Gyapong is a leading public health researcher and a strong advocate for equity in health research.
Professor Marieke van der Zalm is a paediatric clinical researcher and one of the world’s leading experts on the long-term impact of tuberculosis (TB) on children’s lung health.
Dr Nicaise Ndembi is a renowned virologist and global health leader working at the intersection of science and policy.
Professor Pauline Byakika is a physician and infectious disease specialist whose research focuses on malaria treatment and the interactions between antimalarial and antiretroviral medicines.
Professor Peter Olupot-Olupot is one of Uganda’s leading clinical and infectious disease epidemiologists.
Professor Salim Abdool Karim is one of Africa’s most prominent infectious disease epidemiologists.
Dr Stellah Mpagama is a leading tuberculosis (TB) researcher whose work focuses on improving TB treatment and understanding how other conditions, such as diabetes, affect TB outcomes.
Professor Tulio de Oliveira is a bioinformatician and global leader in genomic surveillance of infectious diseases.