Science at the US-Africa Leaders Summit: Full Schedule

Science at the US-Africa Leaders Summit, Washington, DC, 12-15 December 2022

ISC and partners will organise a series of side events focussing on the contribution of science to the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit and its outcomes taking place in Washington on 12-15 December 2022. The US-Africa Summit is intended to demonstrate the United States enduring commitment to Africa and underscore the importance of U.S.-Africa relations and increased cooperation on shared global priorities. White House Announcement

The programme is in development, so please monitor it for updates

The Summit will build on shared values to better foster new economic engagement; reinforce the U.S.-Africa commitment to democracy and human rights; mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and future pandemics; work collaboratively to strengthen regional and global health; promote food security; advance peace and security; respond to the climate crisis, and amplify diaspora ties.

ISC will organise a series of events designed to highlight the role and contribution of science to the US-Africa relationship under the heading of Science at the US-Africa Leaders Summit 2022. ISC organised a similar series of meetings during the last US-African Leaders Summit, which took place in 2014. The objectives of the meetings will be to highlight the importance of science in Africa, to foster greater collaboration between African nations and the US, and to increase investment in science for Global Health, Digital Transition, Space, Biological Diversity, Education and Skills, among other areas and to support an enabling policy and regulatory environment for science collaboration to flourish between Africa and the US.

9:00am EST

(13039) Global Partnerships for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD): Advancing Science and Technology in Health in Africa - Online and In person

Location:

Online (Zoom Link): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85704439367pwd=REZkRThNc2RrY1BSWUJNTmc2NWQ5Zz09&from=addon
Physical Participation: Embassy of the United Republic of Tanzania - 1232 22nd St NW Washington, D.C. 20037

Registration for Participation (online-virtual/physical): https://scienceusafricaleaders.sched.com/signup
Contact Details

Prof. Appolinary Kamuhabwa: enali2012@gmail.com, akamuhabwa@muhas.ac.tz
Prof. Julie Makani: jmakani@blood.ac.tz
Embassy of Tanzania to the USA: ubalozi@tanzaniaembassy-us.org
Declan Kirrane: declan.kirrane@iscintelligence.com
Sickle Cell Programme: pm@blood.ac.tz

ISC in collaboration with the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) - SickleInAfrica and the Tanzanian Embassy to the United States of America, will hold a scientific session to address Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). The session will build on the previous discussions during the December 2021 session on Tanzania-US Partnership for Health and Health Services and the Science Summit session during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2022. The session will focus on SCD (an inherited disease of the haemoglobin(Hb) molecule of the red blood cell) due to its high prevalence globally, with the highest burden in the African region. Significant novel preventive and therapeutic approaches are available. However, the African region with the highest burden has continued to be left behind. Key Objectives. The session will focus on

1. Partnerships in education and training to foster institutional collaborations that allow for basic and advanced training opportunities such as Postdoctoral fellowships and faculty exchanges.

2. Discuss the strategy for financing and investing in scientific research and the translation of discoveries to improve care for patients with SCD, focusing on advancing curative therapies like gene therapy and bone marrow transplantation.

3. Showcase the need for strengthening pre-existing manufacturing infrastructures in the continent and scaling up through meaningful collaborations in which complementary areas of expertise can be merged, resources combined, and risks shared to support sustainable local production of medicines such as Hydroxyurea.

4. Elucidate the critical role of politicians and policy-makers in developing and implementing policies to address SCD through sustainable strategies for prevention, diagnosis, and comprehensive and curative healthcare.

Target audience

Multi-disciplinary stakeholders are working to address SCD at country, regional, and global levels. Participants are anticipated to include scientists, patient advocates, healthcare providers, policy-makers and other government officials, researchers, Industry, NGOs, philanthropies, and multilateral health and research organizations.

Agenda

Tuesday, December 13

08:30 – 12:30 EST Moderator, Nesia Mahenge
09:00 - 09:15 am (EST) Opening Session

Welcome Remarks
Prof. Appolinary KamuhabwaVice-Chancellorhancellor – Academic, Research and Consultancy (DVC-ARC), Muhimbili University of Health (MUHAS), Tanzania
Official Opening Remarks
Hon. Ummy Mwalimu, Minister, Ministry of Health, Tanzania

09:15 - 10:00 am (EST) Session 1: Strategic Global Partnership:

Topic: Partnership in Health, Research and Training to advance knowledge and care for SCD
Speakers
NIH Fogarty International Centre (TBC)
Prof. Emmanuel Balandya, Director of Postgraduate Studies Muhimbili University of Health (MUHAS), Tanzania; Site Principal Investigator, SPARCO Tanzania
Dr. Jonathan Spector, Head of Global Health Strategy and Access to Innovation; Novartis Institutes for Bio-medical Research

10:00 - 10:30 am Session 2: Enabling Environment

Topic: Inclusive Policies for SCD to reduce costs and support comprehensive patient care
Speakers
Prof. Paschal Rugajo, Director of Curative Services, Ministry of Health, Tanzania
Prof. Lewis Hsu, Chief Medical Officer, Sickle Cell Disease Association, USA
Arafa Salim, Executive Director, Sickle Cell Disease Patients Community, Tanzania

10:30 - 11:40 am (EST) Session 3: Sustainability

Topic: Financing and Investments in research to ensure sustainable advances in SCD
Speakers
Prof. Mohamed Janabi, Executive Director, Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), Tanzania
Dr. Gene Bukhman, Co-Chair, NCDI Poverty Network, Associate Professor of Medicine; and Global Health and Social Medicine, USA
Prof. Julie Makani, Associate Professor, MUHAS; Principal Investigator, Sickle Cell Programme and SPARCO CCC, Tanzania
Dr. Francis Collins, Former Director of The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), USA

11:40 am - 12:10 pm (EST) Session 4: Manufacturing in Africa

Topic: How to increase access and reduce financial costs for essential medicines and novel therapies, including gene and cell therapy?
Speakers
Dr. Grace Moshi, Senior Consultant, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore
Dr. Cissy Kityo, Executive Director, Joint Clinical Research Centre, Uganda
Dr. Rimas Orentas, Co-Founder and Board Chair; Scientific Director, Caring Cross, Inc. USA

12:10 - 12:30 pm (EST) Closing Session

Speakers
NIH-NHLBI: SCD Network in Africa, CITRIS & Cure Sickle Cell Initiative (TBC)
Prof. Olufunmilayo (Funmi) Olopade, Co-Chair, SickleInAfrica. USA
Closing Remarks by H.E Ambassador, Prof. Kennedy G. Gastorn, Permanent Representative of the United Republic of Tanzania to the United Nations, New York, USA

Moderators

Nesia Mahenge

Country Director and MUHAS SCD Adviser, CBM International / MUHAS

Nesia is the Country Director at CBM International with over 20 years of expertise in International Development, Public Health Management, Health Education, Climate Change and Resilience, Disability Inclusion, Governance, Economic Development, and NGOs Management.She serves as Hub... Read More →

Malula Nkanyemka

Programme Manager, Sickle Cell Programme, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam

Malula is an experienced Programme Management Specialist with over 18 years’ experience in Projects and Programmes Management. She worked on a broad range of projects and programme focused on different themes: Health, Gender, Advocacy, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, Risk and... Read More →

Speaker

Appolinary Kamuhabwa

Deputy Vice Chancellor ARC, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences

Professor Appolinary Kamuhabwa is a Professor of Pharmacology at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) in Tanzania. His area of research interest is therapeutics and other pharmacological interventions in infectious and non-infectious diseases (cancer, and cardiovascular... Read More →

Emmanuel Balandya

Director, Postgraduate Studies; PI, SPARCo-Tanzania, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)

Prof. Emmanuel Balandya is a physician-scientist with expertise in biomedical sciences, encompassing Physiology, Haematology, and Immunology. He obtained his Medical Degree at the University of Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania (2005); Doctorate Degree at Dartmouth College, USA (2012), and... Read More →

Dr. Jonathan Spector

Head of Global Health Strategy, NOVARTIS

He practiced pediatrics and public health for 20+ years. His clinical activities span fieldwork with Médecins Sans Frontières in remote Africa to intensive newborn care at Massachusetts General Hospital. His interest in health systems fueled a portfolio of research at Harvard School... Read More →

Prof. Paschal Ruggajo (MD, MMed, MSc, PhD)

Director for Curative Services, Ministry of Health, Tanzania

He is a seasoned Nephrologist and a pioneer in nephrology, neuropathology, kidney transplantation services, and nephrology training program in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar. Dr. Ruggajo has published his works in local, regional, and international peer-reviewed scientific journals... Read More →

Lewis L. Hsu, MD, Ph.D

Professor Pediatric Hem-Onc, University of Illinois Hospital

Lewis Hsu, MD, PhD, is a pediatric hematologist with a career devoted to sickle cell disease (SCD), both clinical and translational research. His community engagement and volunteer service includes Chief Medical Officer of SCDAA and global experience in Nigeria plus Brazil. Hsu developed... Read More →

Arafa Said

Founder and Executive Director, SCD Patients Community of Tanzania (SCDPCT)

Arafa is a sickle cell warrior and has been working passionately in sickle cell disease advocacy in Tanzania and internationally for over 12 years. She is the founder of the Sickle Cell Disease Patients Community of Tanzania, which was the first sickle cell disease patient advocacy... Read More →

Moddy Janabi

Chief Executive Officer, Muhimbili National Hospital, Tanzania

Accreditations & QualificationsMD., MSc., PhD. and he is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC). He is also a Certified Aviation Medical Examiner by the Federal Aviation Authority FAA-USACareerCEO – MNH, October 2022 to dateCEO- JKCI), 2015 September, to September... Read More →

Prof. Gene Bukhman

Associate Professor of Medicine and Chair for NCDI Poverty Network, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Dr. Gene Bukhman is a cardiologist and medical anthropologist who directs the Center for Integration Science at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Program on Global Noncommunicable Disease (NCDs) and Social Change at Harvard Medical School. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine... Read More →

Julie Makani

Principal Investigator, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) and SickleInAfrica

Prof. Julie Makani is from the Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences [(MUHAS) www.muhas.ac.tz], where Tanzania established one of the world’s largest single-center study cohorts for sickle cell disease in Muhimbili... Read More →

Francis Collins

Former Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Francis Sellers Collins ForMemRS (born April 14, 1950) is an American physician-geneticist who discovered the genes associated with a number of diseases and led the Human Genome Project. He is the former director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, from... Read More →

Dr Grace Moshi

Haematologist, KK Women and Children’s Hospital

Dr. Grace Moshi is a hematologist who has practiced as a hematologist at various university teaching hospitals, in the UK, Australia, South Africa, and Singapore. She is currently a senior consultant hematologist at the KK Women and Children’s Hospital as well being a senior consultant... Read More →

Cissy M Kityo

Executive Director, Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC), Uganda

She is an experienced specialist medical doctor, vaccinologist, and Public Health expert with over 27 years of experience in conducting and coordinating AIDS research and care for HIV patients. She is the Executive Director of the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC). She is among... Read More →

Prof Rimas J. Orentas (PhD)

Co-Founder, Board Chair and Scientific Director, Caring Cross, Inc

He is a Co-Founder, Board Chair, and Scientific Director of Caring Cross, Inc., a non-profit determined to accelerate the development of advanced medicines, such as cell and gene therapies, and to ensure access for all patients by organizing and supporting a community of healthcare... Read More →

Olufunmilayo Olopade

Co-Chair of SickleInAfrica Consortium and Director, Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics and Global Health, The University of Chicago, USA

Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, MD, FACP, is an expert in cancer risk assessment and individualized treatment for the most aggressive forms of breast cancer, having developed novel management strategies based on an understanding of the altered genes in individual patients. She stresses comprehensive... Read More →

Tuesday December 13, 2022 9:00am - 12:30pm EST
Embassy of Tanzania 1232 22nd St NW, Washington, DC 20037, United States

Policy, Health and Medical Science

Address 1232 22nd St NW