EDCTP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Administrative Support Officer
Born in Brazil, Daniela joined EDCTP in 2006. Daniela is responsible for EDCTP's overall communications by developing content and visual communications for print and web, and managing EDCTP's brand identity. She also supports the organisation of the EDCTP Forum. Daniela has previously held a number of commercial and marketing roles in retail, and has a certificate in Web Design and Web Development and a Diploma in Public Relations.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director
- Vice - Chair
Dr Alemseged Abdissa has served as the Deputy Director General of the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI) in Ethiopia since 2018. Concurrently, he holds the position of Associate Professor of Microbiology at Jimma University, where he played a pivotal role in establishing the Biomedical Engineering program. Alemseged brings extensive expertise in research, innovation, and leadership to his roles.
His impressive publication record includes over 100 scientific articles, and he has supervised 30 PhD and Master's students. Dr Abdissa serves as the Director of the South and Eastern Africa TB Programs network and coordinates the Pan-African Bioethics Initiative (PABIN).
His passion for research and innovation capacity building in Africa is evident through his leadership in developing a practical guide for the institutionalisation of research mentorship in low- and middle-income countries, in collaboration with WHO/TDR and partners. Dr Abdissa leads a flagship project on health innovation scaling in Ethiopian settings.
Dr Debora Bade joined EDCTP in March 2019 as Project Officer. In this role, she manages large-scale international grants conducted in resource-limited settings mainly in the area of vaccines. In addition, she also manages and oversees calls for proposals, from application submission, management of the peer-review process, through to post-award evaluation.
Prior to joining EDCTP, she worked as Project Manager were she gained extensive experience in developing scientific programs and organizing international scientific conferences on liver diseases, such as NASH and viral hepatitis. As a postdoctoral researcher at the Hubrecht Institute (Utrecht, the Netherlands), she focused on cancer research and supervised (PhD) students. She holds a Master of Molecular Biosciences and a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Heidelberg, Germany. She holds a CRS Professional Certificate on clinical trial monitoring, ICH/GCP, CRFs and subject recruitment methods.
Job Titles:
- Research Administration Fellow
Eric D'Ortenzio, MD, MPH, is a physician and an infectious diseases epidemiologist. He is currently working at ANRS-Emerging infectious diseases (Inserm) as the head of Strategy and Partnerships department.
Prior to joining ANRS, Dr D'Ortenzio served as physician for health centers in Central African Republic and French Guiana, as field coordinator for MSF-F in Ivory Coast and in Sudan, epidemiologist for Public Health France in Reunion Island, head of the epidemiology research unit for Institut Pasteur New-Caledonia and scientific director for Solthis NGO. He has also coordinated REACTIng, a consortium on research and actions targeting emerging infectious diseases, before the merging with ANRS.
He has 25 years' experience in primary health care, tropical medicine, humanitarian assistance, preparedness and emergency outbreak response, epidemiological surveillance, clinical research, capacity building and partnerships in complex and limited resources settings.
He has been trained as a Medical Doctor (Aix-Marseille University) with a speciali sation in General Medicine and in Public Health & Social Medicine. He has a Master Research Degree in Epidemiology (Paris Sorbonne University). He co-authored more than 90 articles in international journal on infectious and tropical diseases.
Dr Henning Gädeke joined the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in 2012 where he works in Division "Global and Public Health Research" and is responsible for international cooperation, particularly within the framework of G7, G20 and in the European context. He is also on the Steering Committee of the Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance (JPIAMR).
From 2017 to 2021, he served as research attaché at the Permanent Representation of Germany to the EU in Brussels where his responsibilities included the negotiations of the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon Europe, the EIT package and the European Partnership package. He chaired the Council's Research Working Party and the Joint Working Party on Research/Atomic Questions during Germany's Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2020.
Dr Gädeke holds a PhD in law and worked as a lawyer before joining the Ministry.
Dr Johanna Schaefer joined EDCTP in July 2020 as Project Officer. She has a background in biomedical research, clinical trials, public health and medical communications. She has an MSc in Infectious Diseases and Immunology and research experience in Salmonella infection and Tuberculosis control using geographic information systems. She also studied International Public Health and completed her PhD in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam.
Prior to joining EDCTP, she worked at a contract research organisation where she gained experience in clinical trials and business development. She also worked in the field of medical communications and education, organising and managing scientific programs for international conferences, symposia, capacity building activities and online educational programs mostly on HIV and adolescent health.
Job Titles:
- Scientific Officer at the Department of International Relations
Dr Marta Norton is a Scientific Officer at the Department of International Relations, Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), promoting and supporting the Portuguese participation in several European instruments for EU/International cooperation, in Biotechnology, Oceans Sciences and Health.
Dr Norton has handled a variety of tasks and responsibilities within several EU-funded FP7, H2020, and Horizon Europe initiatives. Importantly among these is the implementation of joint transnational calls, including the coordination of international peer review processes, the follow-up and monitoring of scientific projects, and most recently (2018-2023) the project manager for the coordination of the CSA All-Atlantic Ocean Research and innovation Alliance (AANChOR) project. She is the Portuguese representative in five European partnerships and has been representing the national delegation in EDCTP since July 2023.
Dr Norton has a scientific background in chemistry (PhD in Organic Chemistry, 2001) and has worked as a Chemist researcher in academia and the pharmaceutical industry for more than 15 years.
Dr Michelle Singh joined the EDCTP (Africa Office) as a Project Officer in 2015. She holds a Masters in Biomedical Science (2003), Doctorate in Obstetrics & Gynaecology (2010) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and a Masters in Global Bioethics (2022) from Anáhuac University. She has prior experience from 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. Since joining EDCTP, her portfolio has included oversight of the EDCTP-AREF Preparatory Fellowship calls, EDCTP Recognition prizes, and relationship management with the African participating member states. She is a published Springer Book author and co-author of the TRUST code A Global Code of Conduct for Equitable Research Partnerships. Since 2021, Michelle has represented EDCTP as a partner in the EU-funded PREPARED research ethics and integrity consortium, which is designing a framework to accelerate research during pandemics. Here she leads the funder & policymaker platforms and contributes to the development of ethics tools and training modules. Michelle is a registered member of the Health Professionals Council of South Africa and the Africa Bioethics Network. Her interests include promoting equitable research partnerships, bioethics and global health.
Montserrat joined EDCTP in September 2007. As Senior Project Officer, she is the focal person for the malaria portfolio and oversees and monitors a large portfolio of multi-country grants in the area of malaria and HIV/AIDS research implemented in resource-limited settings. In addition, she also manages and oversees calls for proposals, from grant application, management of the peer-review process, etc. to post-award evaluation. Montserrat has a personal interest in clinical research uptake into policy, and access to health innovations in low- and middle-income countries.
Montserrat obtained an MSc in Biochemistry and holds a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from the Friedrich Miescher Institut (FMI)/University of Basel, Switzerland. Her post-doctoral research focused on Biomedical Immunology and Haematology at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL-Heidelberg) in Germany and the Erasmus University of Rotterdam (Erasmus-MC) in the Netherlands, respectively. Prior to joining EDCTP, Montserrat worked in the scientific publishing sector at FEMS, TU Delft (Netherlands), where she was responsible for the manuscript management and peer-review process of two international scientific journals.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit Committee
Job Titles:
- Operations Manager and Scientific Adviser
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.
Job Titles:
- Research Administration Fellow
Dr Phindile Ximba joined EDCTP in 2023. She manages post-award evaluations for mono- and multi-beneficiary projects across different actions (TMAs, RIAs, and CSAs). She holds a PhD in medical virology (HIV vaccine research) from the University of Cape Town and a Masters in Biochemistry (African animal trypanosomiasis research) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Before joining EDCTP, she was a medical writer in an agency, where she was responsible for creating and editing communication and educational materials (slide decks, abstracts, plain language summaries, etc.) from oncology clinical trial data. During her PhD tenure, she also worked as a scientific officer in a project developing novel nanoparticle platforms for presenting HIV-1 envelope trimers as vaccine candidates.
Phindile is passionate about the translation of basic research into medical interventions against infectious diseases and advances in evidence-based public health policies.
Job Titles:
- Physician
- Strategic Partnerships & Capacity Development Manager and Head of Africa Office
- Strategic Partnerships & Capacity Development Manager and Head of the Africa Office
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.
Job Titles:
- Executive Governance Officer
Job Titles:
- Information Technology Officer
Mr Lucien de Corte joined EDCTP in September 2012 as Information Technology Officer. As such, he is responsible for managing all EDCTP information and technology systems for both the EDCTP European Office in The Hague and Africa Office in Cape Town.
Born in Delft, The Netherlands, Lucien earned the degree of professional skill in Computer Science with a specialisation in systems administration. He has worked for both governmental and commercial organisations over the years and has gained broad ICT work experience both as a system administrator and as a project manager of diverse ICT projects. Lucien is currently pursuing a degree in Business IT & Management at the University of Applied Sciences in The Hague.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit Committee
Born in the UK, Mr Christopher Dixon 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 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 Finance Officer for EDCTP, he deals with the administration of the Accounts payable and the Accounts receivable within the organisation.
Job Titles:
- Director General of the Directorate - General for Research
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit Committee
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Executive Director of the EDCTP Association
Mr. Abdoulie Barry is the Executive Director of the EDCTP Association. He joined EDCTP on 7 September 2011 as the Director of Finance & Administration. Prior to that, he was Head of Finance and Procurement at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Unit in The Gambia. Abdoulie has extensive experience in auditing, risk management and implementing computerised accounting, HR and payroll systems. Abdoulie's experience includes working in the audit and consulting departments of Deloitte, KPMG Peat Marwick and Pannel Kerr Forster.
He holds an MBA in Management from the University of Manchester Business School and is a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (FCCA) and the Chartered Association of Management Accountants (ACMA).
Job Titles:
- Vice - Chair
- Director for Health Innovation at the Department of Science
- Member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee
- South Africa, Vice - Chair
Ms Glaudina Loots is the Director for Health Innovation at the Department of Science and Innovation in South Africa and as such is responsible for the implementation of the health components of the Bioeconomy strategy for South Africa. She concentrates on enabling research and innovation that leads to discovery and evaluation of new drug and treatment regimes, the development of new vaccines and new robust diagnostics, as well as the development of medical devices and digital health applications. Glaudina was instrumental in the creation of the Strategic Health Innovation Partnership Initiative (SHIP) at the South African Medical Research Council.
Among others, Ms Loots is a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 Vaccines, the South African National Health Research Committee, the South African National AIDS Council, and the Advisory Board of the "Towards an HIV Cure Initiative" of the International AIDS Society, as well as the steering committee of various research centres of excellence, such as SACEMA; the CAPRISA Centre of Excellence for HIV Prevention and the API Technology Innovation Cluster. She is also an advisory board member of the Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM), and she serves as an alternate Director on the Board of The Biovac Institute, a public-private-partnership aimed at the local manufacturing of vaccines and biologics.
Job Titles:
- Senior Administrative Officer
Ms Jennifer Stamatelos joined EDCTP in November 2014. As a Senior Administrative Officer, she is responsible for the day-to-day general administration of the organisation and also provides assistance to the Executive Director and staff. Jennifer has a degree in Economics from Columbia University and a Master's degree in Sustainable Development from Utrecht University. Prior to joining EDCTP, Jennifer worked as an assistant portfolio manager focused on sustainable investing. Besides her extensive work experience in finance, Jennifer's international work background also includes campaign and legal support management.
Job Titles:
- Senior Administrative Officer
Ms Mariska Louw joined EDCTP in July 2013. She is the Senior Administrative Officer for the EDCTP Africa Office and responsible for all administrative duties pertaining to this office. Before joining EDCTP, Mariska worked as an Office Manager in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer for the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) for 12 years. Prior to joining MRC, Mariska worked as a financial advisor for a large financial institution. She is a qualified staff nurse who also studied financial accounting and has done several short courses on management development and project management through the Stellenbosch Business School in South Africa. Public financial management and administration is one of Mariska's strengths.
Sayma joined EDCTP in 2010 and is currently a Grants Finance Officer.
Born in India, Ms Sayma Siddiqui pursued her Masters in Business Administration (MBA), specialising in Finance from Institute of Business Management, India in 2003. She also completed her Diploma in International Business Management from NILEM, India. Before moving to the Netherlands, she worked with ITI Exports as a finance assistant for 3 years and with Aviva Insurance for one year.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Audit Committee
- South Africa ) - Chair
Professor Marcel Tanner was Director of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute from 1997 to 2015 and is now President of the Swiss Academy of Sciences. He holds a PhD in medical biology from the University of Basel and an MPH from the University of London. Lived and worked in Africa and Asia and has published extensively in many fields of health research (>650 original papers) and has received global recognition for his expertise in the field of infectious diseases research and control. He was co-investigator and coordinator of the first African malaria vaccine trial in 1992 and participated as co-principal investigator in several major intervention trials on malaria and schistosomiasis. He developed a Swiss field laboratory for what is now the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania from 1981-1985 and went back to Europe as programme director 1987-1997.