H.E Afework Kassu Gizaw (Prof.) is State Minister of Science and Higher Education
(MoSHE) of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia since October 2018. He is leading the science, and higher education academic and research issues of the MoSHE. Before joining MoSHE he served as State Minister of Foreign Affairs (May 2018 – Oct 2018) where he led political diplomacy activities of Continental Affairs 2 (the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania, and International Organizations Affairs and International Legal Affairs). He also was State Minister of Science and Technology (Oct 2015 – May 2018) where he led Quality and Regulatory Affairs of the Ministry.

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He also served as Director General for Higher Education Research and Academic Affairs at Federal Ministry of Education from January to October 2015 where he played critical leadership role in higher education research and academic affairs. He served University of Gondar in different capacities from May 1994 to September 2014, including as vice president for Research and Community Services. He has been transferred to Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences of Addis Ababa University since October 2014 and serving as Professor of Medical Microbiology and Immunology.

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Prof. Afework was trained as a biologist and an applied microbiologist at Addis Ababa
University in Ethiopia and earned BSc and MSc degrees in 1993 and 2001, respectively. He holds PhD in Biomedical Sciences from The University of Tokushima, Japan in 2007. He also conducted postdoctoral studies at University of Colorado Denver, USA from 2008 to 2010. His broader research involvements include the epidemiology, immunology and molecular biology of infectious diseases with emphasis on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, intestinal parasitoses, sexually transmitted infections and other bacterial infections, etc., as demonstrative in over 140 peer reviewed scientific publications in peer reviewed journals in Ethiopia and elsewhere in the world. Prof. Afework has been serving as anonymous reviewer for large number of national and international peer reviewed journals publishing articles in the areas of infectious diseases, microbiology, immunology, nutrition, public health, health services, etc. Prof. Afework is a member of several professional bodies including Ethiopian Public Health Laboratory Association, Ethiopian Society of Tropical and
Infectious Diseases, Ethiopian Medical Association, Biological society of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Space Science Society, American Society of Microbiology, and Japanese Society for Bacteriology. He is a Life Member of Ethiopian Public Health Association, Ethiopian Red Cross Society, and Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia.

Abel Idowu Olayinka obtained a BSc (Geology) from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria; MSc (Geophysics) from Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London and PhD (Geophysics) from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. He had postdoctoral experience first at Technical University Braunschweig as a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Visiting Scholar and also at Technical University Berlin as an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow. He has been a member of the Faculty at the University of Ibadan for the past 31 years, the
last 20 years as a full Professor. He has successfully supervised 13 Ph.D theses, in various areas of Applied Geophysics. He has substantial publications in many peer-reviewed outlets. He has served the University diligently in various capacities, including but not limited to Postgraduate Coordinator, and later Head, Department of Geology, Sub-Dean (Postgraduate) Faculty of Science; Sub-Dean and subsequently Dean (Postgraduate School); Senate Representative on the Governing Council and two term Deputy Vice- Chancellor (Academic).epresentative on the Governing Council and two term Deputy Vice- Chancellor

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He has received significant accolades in his professional career. He is a Fellow of the
Nigerian Academy of Science; Fellow, Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE); Fellow of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) and Fellow and Chartered Geologist of the Geological Society of London. He received the NMGS/Rt. Hon Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe Gold Medal and Plaque ‘for consistently promoting and supporting the study of Earth Science subjects’.
He served as the Editor-in-Chief of NAPE (2008-2010). He convened the First International Conference in Research and Innovation Management in West Africa in November 2006 and subsequently served as the Foundation President of the West African Research and Innovation Management Association (WARIMA), 2006-2015. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) and a member of the Council of Association of Commonwealth Universities, London.

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Dr. Tomi Coker currently serves as the Honorable Commissioner of Health Ogun State, and has been leading the state’s innovative response to COVID-19 disease. Dr. Coker obtained her Medical degree from the University of Ibadan and her housemanship at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. Subsequently she worked at First Consultant Hospital, Obalende, Ikoyi, Lagos before she commenced her specialist training in Obstetrics and Gynecology in the UK. Dr. Coker trained at several prestigious Teaching Hospitals in London, including St Mary’s Paddington and Queen Charlotte Hospital respectively. In pursuit of her professional career, Dr. Tomi Coker underwent her Fetal Medicine training at Kings College Hospital, London. She was appointed as a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust in 2003 where she rose to the post of Clinical Director.

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Dr. Tomi Coker has a keen interest in clinical governance and a passion for promoting
female well-being globally, she has held role as the Vice-Chair of the Royal College of
Obstetrics and Gynecology-Nigeria Liaison Group, which collaborates with local
professional bodies in advocacy and the promotion of women’s health in developing
countries with a focus on Africa. As part of her annual charitable causes, she has been on several mission trips to various states in Nigeria, successfully deploying birth kits to several women in rural communities, to support the effort in reducing Maternal Mortality rate in Nigeria. She was also involved in general medical screenings of people in the rural areas to promote good general health for over 15 years.

She is a fellow of the Royal College of Obstetrics & Gynecology. She is also an alumnus of Leadership Training in Healthcare Management at Harvard Business School, USA. Dr. Tomi has a penchant for the outdoors and she successfully hiked to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain.

Della is a Pediatrician at the Department of Child Health, Korle-Bu Teaching hospital
(KBTH) and the Chairman of the Pediatric Society of Ghana, Greater Accra Branch. He is presently a member of the National COVID – 19 Management Team, Ghana. He is a graduate of the University of Ghana Medical School (MBChB). He completed his two years housemanship at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and proceeded to do his Postgraduate Medical Education (Residency) in Pediatrics at the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (GCPS) and the West African College of Physicians (WACP) graduating as a Member in both colleges (MWACP and MGCPS).

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He is presently in fellowship training in Pediatrics/Child Health (cardiology) with Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons and has a Provisional Acceptance into a three-year Fellowship training with the African Pediatric Fellowship Program in South Africa (Pediatric Cardiology). He has received international training in Pediatric Echocardiography, and is a certified Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Provider and Trainer with the American Heart Association. He holds a certificate in Health Administration and Management from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). Dr. Della is also a volunteer with Operation Smile and a member of its Medical Advisory Council in Ghana as well as the Pediatric Lead in Ghana.

His interest in research has seen him involved in four clinical trials amongst others, and is a co-author of a book on infant feeding in HIV/ AIDs.

Dr. Gelaye is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. He is also a faculty member at the Chester M. Pierce, MD Division of Global Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He is the Co- Director of Research Ethics at the Center for Bioethics, Harvard Medical School and Associate Member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Dr. Gelaye’s research include a focus on integrating biological and molecular markers into clinical and population-based studies to identify factors contributing to resilience and risk of neuropsychiatric disorders and understanding the epidemiology of chronic non-communicable diseases globally. Dr. Gelaye has published over 200 peer-reviewed original scientific research articles, served on leadership roles of several research, training and capacity-building programs over the past 16 years.

Dr. Uwajeh completed medical training in 1989 at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.
Osun State. On completion of internship and mandatory national service in Nigeria, she proceeded to the United States of America for post graduate training in Pediatrics at Howard University Hospital in Washington D.C. in 1996. She then completed a year of fellowship training in Pediatrics Emergency Medicine at University of Chicago Children’s Hospital (now Gower Children’s Hospital), Chicago, Illinois in 1997.

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Dr. Uwajeh was initially board certified in Pediatrics in 1996 by the American Board of
Pediatrics and has maintained her certification till date. Dr. Uwajeh practiced in various hospitals and outpatient settings in the United States of America, mainly concentrating on providing excellent affordable care to the underserved population in inner city Chicago. Her kast position in the United States was as an Attending Physician with Advocate Medical Group, one of the largest physician group in Illinois-Indiana region.

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Dr. Uwajeh is registered with Nigerian Medical and Dental Council, member of the Nigerian Medical Association and Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She has been a strong advocate on preventive health care since co-establishing Pediatric Partners Hospital in Nigeria in 2011.

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Damtew Teferra is Professor of Higher Education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and founding director of the International Network for Higher Education in Africa. He is convener and founder of the Higher Education Forum for Africa, Asia and Latin America (HEFAALA). Prof. Teferra is founding editor-in-chief of the International Journal of African Higher Education. He steers the Higher Education Cluster of the African Union’s Continental Education Strategy for Africa. He is a Visiting Fellow at the Center for International Higher Education, Boston College, USA.

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Dr. Huong is the General Director of Health Environment Management Agency (VIHEMA), Ministry of Health of Vietnam. She has over 22 years of experience in many aspects of environmental health, occupational health, WASH in school, healthcare facilities and communities, and health sector’s respond to climate change. Dr. Huong has been in charge of school health since 2018, and has been participating in COVID-19 prevention and control since the beginning of the pandemic in Vietnam. Developing national guidelines on (1) prevention, control and risk assessment of
COVID-19 at school, workplaces, households, residential areas, public places

including supermarkets, restaurants, open markets, trade centers, public transports; (2) COVID-19 medical isolation and quarantine at hospitals, home, hotels and army camps; (3) COVID-19 related medical waste management and environmental cleaning and disinfection; (4) handling and disposal of COVID-19 dead bodies.

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Dr. Gebreyes is a Hazel C. Youngberg Distinguished Professor of molecular epidemiology and Executive Director of Global One Health initiative (GOHi) at The Ohio State University. He completed his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) at Addis Ababa University and his PhD in Population Medicine at North Carolina State University. Dr. Gebreyes is the principal investigator of several research and training programs sponsored by the National Institute of Health (NIH) Fogarty International Center, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others. He is engaged in food safety research activities mainly focused on antimicrobial resistance. Dr. Gebreyes co-founded the International Congress on Pathogens at the Human Animal Interface (ICOPHAI) (http://icophai.org) and currently serves as the Chairperson. He is a recipient of several awards including the Universitas 21 international award; Michael P. Malone International Leadership Award by APLU; Battelle Endowment for Technology and Human Affairs (BETHA); Pfizer Award for Veterinary Research Excellence; Andrew Heiskell Award (honorable mention) by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and Emerging International Engagement award. In 2019, GOHi was presented a NIH Gold Medallion in recognition of its collaboration in building global capacity to address complex health issues. Dr. Gebreyes was selected as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow for 2020-2022.

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Abiola Senok is Professor of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the College of
Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Prof Abiola has co-authored over 70 publications in high impact journals with special focus on molecular epidemiology of antibiotic resistance and microbial pathogenicity. Prof Abiola is a member of the UAE National Sub-Committee for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance. She is a Senior Editor, Journal of Infection in Developing Countries, Associate Editor, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, and Guest Editor, PLoS One. She also serves on the Expert Panel, Infectious Disease Hub (Part of Future Microbiology, UK).

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In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, she has contributed towards addressing this
ongoing challenge as a serving member of the UAE National COVID-19 research
committee and the National COVID-19 ethics committee. She was on the working group for the development of Guidelines on SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Testing in the UAE. She was a contributor to the data sciences stream of the COVID-19 Command and Control Center Dubai and is a member of the MBRU COVID-19 Task Force. She is a contributor to COVID- 19 online resources for empowering the public. Research is a top priority, and she is involved in COVID-19 research projects addressing SARS-CoV-2 viral genomics, diagnostics and seroprevalence and has several COVID-19 related research publications.

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