Over the past two decades, the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) programmes have supported thousands of researchers working to tackle infectious diseases that disproportionately affect sub-Saharan Africa. Many of these scientists have gone on to become leaders in global health, shaping research agendas, informing policy and strengthening health systems.
This feature is the second in a series highlighting EDCTP-supported experts driving progress across global health. It showcases another ten influential figures whose work has been enabled through EDCTP fellowships, research projects and capacity-strengthening initiatives, with contributions spanning clinical research, diagnostics, regulatory science and public health implementation.
Eleni Aklillu
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.
She previously served as Vice-Chair of the EDCTP2 Scientific Advisory Committee, contributing to strategic scientific guidance for the programme. In this context, she also coordinated the EDCTP2-funded PROFORMA project, which strengthened pharmacovigilance systems and research capacity in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania, supporting improved safety monitoring during mass drug administration campaigns and vaccine rollouts.
More recently, she was the Scientific Coordinator of the BREEDIME project under Global Health EDCTP3. Concluded in May 2026, the project strengthened regulatory systems and ethics capacity in Rwanda, mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar, including clinical trial oversight, diagnostics evaluation and medicines regulation. It also enhanced regional collaboration and preparedness for public health emergencies, leaving behind a reinforced foundation for sustainable regulatory capacity in the region.
Alexander Debrah
Professor Alexander Debrah is a leading researcher in neglected tropical diseases in Ghana and across West Africa, with a particular focus on lymphatic filariasis and other filarial infections. His work has contributed to advancing novel therapeutic strategies, including targeting Wolbachia bacteria, which are essential for the survival of several parasitic worms.
As an EDCTP Senior Fellow (2020), he strengthened clinical research capacity and built international collaborations to support translational research in endemic settings. He also helped establish elephantiasis management clinics and introduced mobile phone-based reporting systems to improve case detection and access to care in remote communities.
Through his leadership in setting up clinical trial platforms for filarial diseases, Professor Debrah has played a key role in improving research infrastructure and access to treatment in the region. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to health research and capacity development in Africa, he was awarded the EDCTP Dr Pascoal Mocumbi Prize in 2025.
Keertan Dheda
Professor Keertan Dheda is a globally recognised researcher in tuberculosis (TB). His long-standing collaboration with EDCTP began with his first EDCTP Fellowship (2008-2010), which investigated immune biomarkers linked to susceptibility to multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and treatment response.
He later received further EDCTP funding through the TB-NEAT project, which generated important evidence on DNA- and urine-based point-of-care diagnostics for TB. This work contributed to World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations on the use of the urine-based lipoarabinomannan (LAM) test and led to major publications in The Lancet in 2014 and 2016. His research showed that LAM-guided TB treatment initiation could reduce mortality among hospitalised patients with HIV-associated TB, and urine LAM testing is now recommended for this patient group.
Professor Dheda was awarded a second EDCTP Senior Fellowship in 2017. This supported research leadership development and the mentoring of early-career researchers working within MDR-TB clinical trials. His EDCTP-supported work also contributed to the first controlled trial showing the feasibility and importance of a shorter, all-oral regimen for MDR-TB.
He has received several awards for his contributions to TB research and global health over the years, including the 2018 EDCTP Scientific Leadership Prize and, most recently, the South Africa’s Order of Mapungubwe.
Joseph Fokam
Dr Joseph Fokam is a virologist and senior health scientist, serving as Chief of Service at the Virology Laboratory of the Chantal BIYA International Reference Centre for Research on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Management (CIRCB) in Yaoundé, Cameroon. He is a leading figure in Cameroon’s response to HIV, with a strong focus on virology, treatment outcomes and health systems strengthening.
His work has been closely supported by EDCTP. Through an EDCTP Career Development Fellowship starting in 2017, he investigated HIV-related mortality among adolescents and the evolution of antiretroviral drug resistance. This research contributed to the establishment of the national virology platform VIROFORUM, helped reduce treatment failure rates, and supported the training of more than 20 students in Cameroon.
He later secured an EDCTP2 grant for the PERFECT study, focusing on genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic, further strengthening institutional capacity at CIRCB. His EDCTP-supported work also contributed to his leadership development, leading to his appointment as Permanent Secretary of the National AIDS Committee in Cameroon, where he coordinates the national HIV/AIDS response.
Margaret Gyapong
Professor Margaret Gyapong is a leading public health researcher and a strong advocate for equity in health research, with a particular focus on malaria and neglected tropical diseases. Her work has consistently centred on improving access to evidence-based interventions and addressing the gendered impacts of infectious diseases, including female genital schistosomiasis.
Her collaboration with EDCTP includes leading the EDCTP2-funded SAVING Consortium, which strengthened individual and institutional capacity for implementation research in Ghana, particularly in vaccine delivery.
In recognition of her scientific leadership and impact, Professor Gyapong received the EDCTP Outstanding Female Scientist Award in 2021. She used the prize funds to establish the Dora Gertrude Quaye Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ghana, supporting female students in honour of her late mother.
Collen Masimirembwa
Professor Collen Masimirembwa is one of Africa’s leading experts in pharmacogenomics and precision medicine, with a career dedicated to advancing the application of genomics in healthcare and strengthening biomedical research capacity across the continent. After his scientific training, he spent a decade in the pharmaceutical industry in Europe before returning to Africa to help build local scientific leadership and infrastructure.
As an EDCTP Senior Fellow (2017), he contributed to strengthening research capacity and advancing translational biomedical science in Africa. He is the founder of the African Institute of Biomedical Science and Technology (AiBST) in Zimbabwe, a centre of excellence focused on genomics-driven healthcare and pharmaceutical R&D capacity building.
His leadership in the field has been widely recognised, including the 2018 HUGO African Prize and the 2021 Calestous Juma Science Leadership Fellowship, through which he is supporting the development of centres of excellence in Zimbabwe, Kenya and Nigeria. In 2025, he was named African Genius Award Laureate in recognition of his decades of pioneering work in genomics, pharmacogenomics and precision medicine.
Collen Masimirembwa is also a former member of the EDCTP Association Scientific Advisory Committee and currently represents Zimbabwe in the EDCTP Association General Assembly, contributing to the strategic direction of the partnership.
Blandina Mmbaga
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.
Jean B. Nachega
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. He became widely recognised during the COVID-19 pandemic for his work at the University of Cape Town, contributing to multi-country analyses of the pandemic and its interaction with other endemic infections.
His long-standing engagement with EDCTP includes an EDCTP Senior Fellowship awarded in 2010, which supported research on the prevention of TB-IRIS, a serious complication of antiretroviral therapy in patients co-infected with tuberculosis. This work contributed to improved understanding of immune responses during treatment and informed better clinical management approaches.
Beyond his fellowship, Professor Nachega has played a key role in strengthening research capacity across Africa through major collaborative initiatives. He is currently focusing on mpox research, continuing his commitment to addressing emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases across the continent.
Francine Ntoumi
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. She has played a long-standing role in advancing regional and international collaboration in clinical research, with a strong focus on tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria.
She led the EDCTP-funded CANTAM Network of Excellence, which brought together institutions across Central Africa and Europe to strengthen research capacity and training. Within CANTAM, she also coordinated the Women in Science (WISE) programme, supporting PhD training for early-career researchers from Cameroon, the Republic of Congo and Gabon.
Beyond this, Professor Ntoumi coordinated the EDCTP-funded PANDORA-ID-NET consortium, focused on epidemic preparedness and rapid response to infectious disease outbreaks across Africa. She now leads the Global Health EDCTP3-funded PRESERVE consortium, which aims to strengthen epidemic preparedness and clinical research capacity in Central Africa, building on the work of CANTAM and PANDORA-ID-NET.
Additionally, she is a former member of the EDCTP Association Board and currently represents the Republic of the Congo in the EDCTP Association General Assembly.
Peter Olupot-Olupot
Professor Peter Olupot-Olupot is one of Uganda’s leading clinical and infectious disease epidemiologists, with a career centred on paediatric infectious diseases, severe malaria, emerging infections and health systems strengthening. He is Professor of Clinical and Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Busitema University and Founding Executive Director of the Mbale Clinical Research Institute (MCRI), which he has developed into a major research institution in eastern Uganda.
He was awarded an EDCTP Senior Fellowship (2018-2023), through which he strengthened research leadership and institutional capacity at MCRI. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he established a COVID-19 testing laboratory in Mbale to support national response efforts, and he led the IDEA Fellowship programme, an EDCTP-Africa CDC initiative that trained 150 epidemiologists and biostatisticians across sub-Saharan Africa to strengthen outbreak preparedness and response capacity.
Check our supported global health leaders
- Publication date
- 15 July 2026
- Author
- Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking