14TH KASH CONFERENCE

Description

Harnessing Biomedical Research Innovations and Big Data for Health System Resilience, Local Manufacturing and Commercialization

Objectives

Presenters

1. Mr. Rajnikant Vora
   Chairman to Revital Healthcare, Mr Rajni holds extensive experience after holding a business position for over 40 years. Mr Rajni began his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 16 by trading various small commodities in Mombasa. This led to the eventual development of the family business, D.C.K Chandulal Vora and Companies LTD. The company held distribution rights for multinational organisations such as Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever, Beta Healthcare, Colgate Palmolive, Nestle foods, and Kapa Oil to assist these companies’ expansion across the East African territory. Over his journey, the Chairman has held experience with the Agriculture, Accounting, Import/Export Trading, and Confectionary sectors while establishing industries of Toothpaste in Uganda and confectionary manufacturing in Tanzania.
   Revital Healthcare


2. Dr. Pauline Mwinzi
   Dr Pauline Mwinzi is the WHO regional advisor for Schistosomiasis (SCH), also known as Bilharzia, and soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH), including neglected zoonotic diseases in the Africa region. Her current role includes technical support to Member States to implement the WHO NTD Roadmap 2030 and tracking progress towards elimination for SCH/STH in the Africa region. Before joining the WHO, She was the Chief Research Scientist and Head of NTD Unit, as well as the PI, KEMRI-CDC at the Center for Global Health Research (CGHR), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kisumu, Kenya. Her specialization is in Parasitology and Immunology (PhD, 2005).
   WHO


3. Mr. Robert Karanja
   Robert is a biomedical scientist and development entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in STEM and development sectors. He holds a PhD in Parasitology and Entomology from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology (JKUAT). Starting his career as a scientist at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Robert was actively involved in the establishment of the intellectual property (IP) and technology transfer office (TTO). This nurtured his passion for transforming Africa’s development challenges into market opportunities through innovation in the life sciences.
   Villgro Africa


4. Prof. Rosemary Rochford
   Dr. Rosemary Rochford is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado. Dr. Rosemary Rochford earned her PhD in 1989 from the University of California, Irvine. She went on to a post-doctoral fellowship in Immunology at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla California. Dr. Rochford has held faculty positions at the University of Michigan, SUNY Upstate Medical University and University of Colorado.
   


5. Dr. Digby Warner
   Digby Warner is the Professorial Director of the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. His research focuses on fundamental aspects of Mycobacterium tuberculosis metabolism, and the intersection of host, environmental, and mycobacterial factors driving tuberculosis (TB) transmission. In recent years, he has a developed a strong interest in the utilization of advanced microscopy in infectious disease research, and in making imaging technologies accessible in low-resource settings.
   University of Cape Town


6. Dr. Ben Ngoye
   Dr Ben Ngoye MBChB, MPH, PhD is a Senior Lecturer in Strategy, Change and Performance Management primarily in the Health and Public Sectors at Strathmore University/Strathmore Business School. He is also a Visiting Lecturer in Strategy at the Lagos Business School, a reviewer for several international journals (IPMR, PMR, CRJ and Queios), and has been a PhD-level external examiner for University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. He has also served as a member of the National Healthcare Human Resource Technical Working Group (GOK, MOH) and the Review Team for the National Guidelines for the Development and Review of Curriculum for Professional Medical Education, 2013-2014. Dr Ngoye is currently the Principal Investigator for a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Funded Project that is aimed at enhancing Leadership, Management and Governance Competencies for NMCP, MOH and their Partners, toward the control and elimination of Malaria in 10 African Countries.
   Strathmore University


7. Dr. John Mungai
   John Kimani Mungai holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and Chemistry from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, and a Master of Science degree in Forensic Science from London South Bank University, Britain. He has thirty-four years of experience working at various forensic science laboratories of the Government Chemists Department, Kenya. He was the head of the Forensic Science Division of the Departments headquartered in Nairobi, with branches in Kisumu and Mombasa, and is now retired. He provided evidence in numerous cases in various courts of law in Forensics in Kenya.
   


8. Dr. Joyce Wamicwe
   Medical doctor with post-graduate training in field epidemiology, a FELTP alumnus. Currently based at the MoH, Directorate of Digital Health, Informatics, Policy & Research where she is the team lead at the Policy and Research Division and deputy to the Director. Eighteen years’ experience working at clinical, programme and policy levels within the healthcare system.
   Ministry of Health, GOK


9. Dr. Ruth Laibon-Masha
   Dr. Ruth Laibon-Masha, PhD, is an expert in Public Health with more than 22 years of work experience serving in Government, United Nations, and Civil Society Organisations. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer at National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC) formerly recognized as the National AIDS Control Council in Kenya since September 2020. In this position, she bears the significant responsibility of overseeing the comprehensive initiatives to address the multifaceted challenges posed by HIV and other related epidemics in Kenya. She plays a vital role in leading multiple stakeholders’ efforts towards policy development, resource mobilization, partnership cultivation, the provision of technical guidance and monitoring and evaluation.
   National Syndemic Diseases Control Council


10. Dr. Johansen Nyayal
    Dr. Johansen Oduor Nyayal has a MBCHB fromUniversity of Nairobi, 2000, Mmed Pathology, University of Nairobi 2007 LLB. University of Nairobi 2021. He currently works at the Ministry of Health Nairobi Kenya, as the Chief Government Pathologist and was previously acting Coroner General, Department of Justice, State Law Office, Kenya.
    Ministry of Kenya, GOK