Participant Biosketches

Prof Pamela Andanda

Pamela Andanda, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the School of Law, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (South Africa). She is an Executive member of Ethics, Law and Human Rights Working Group (ELH) of the African AIDS Vaccine Programme (AAVP) and a strategic advisory committee member of UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR).  She was a member of the European Commission’s Expert Group on Global Governance of Science and regularly acts as an expert and evaluator in the Ethics Review procedure of the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. Her research interests are in the areas of intellectual property, biotechnology, health law, bioethics, policy analysis, commercial law and regulation of biomedical research.

Dr Bakari Bakari

Bakari Bakari is Director of Research Operations for the Ifakara Health Institute with the responsibilities for overseeing the Institute’s branches and stations, managing regional operations as well as the Institute’s international funding. Prior to joining IHI Bakari was Director of Operations for the Global Development Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation where he led efforts to ensure the right organizational structure, processes, and systems are in place to support the program’s mission of reducing global poverty. Prior to his work at the Gates Foundation, Bakari was Program Director at the University of Washington where he led the implementation efforts of the largest clinical trial on HIV discordant couples which was conducted in various countries in Africa.  Bakari also worked at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in increasingly leadership roles from the Central Administration to program implementation. In addition, Bakari spent time in the private sector in both USA and Tanzania. He received a bachelor of commerce and management from the University of Dar es Salaam, and his MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he also took graduate courses in public health.

Dr Mary Bassett

Mary T. Bassett is a Program Director for the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, leading its African Health Initiative, an effort that focuses on strengthening health systems in projects underway in Ghana, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia. In late 2011, she additionally assumed leadership for the Child Abuse Prevention Program, which for 10-years has made grants aimed at preventing child maltreatment.

Dr Judith de Kroon

Dr de Kroon has an educational background in bio-medical sciences, with a PhD in Medicine and post-doctoral training in medical ethics and public administration. She has 8 years of experience as a researcher, in West-Africa (GTZ, subject: epidemiology of HIV/Aids) and in the Netherlands (LUMC, subject: immunotherapy). Dr de Kroon has worked as a policymaker for a private Foundation (Aids Fonds), for the Dutch government (Dutch Ministry of Health) and is currently employed by the Dutch research council (the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, NWO) where her main task is to develop foresights and provide strategic advise (including but not limited to the development of new research programmes and the organisational IPR policy).

Prof Jie Chen

Director of Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment and Advisor of National Institute of Hospital Management, Ministry of Health, China. Professor of Department of Hospital Management, School of Public Health, Fudan University. Foundation Council member and STRATEC member of Global Forum for Health Research. International Health Technology Assessment Magazine Editor Committee member. Dr. Chen graduated from Shanghai Medical University in 1966. She obtained a Master degree of Medicine in the area of Public Health in Shanghai Medical University in 1981. She also studied at Harvard University, School of Public Health in the Master program of Health Policy and Management during 1985-1986. Dr. Chen worked as a physician and paediatrician for ten years. Afterwards, she founded the Department of Hospital Management, School of Public Health, Shanghai Medical University. In 1993, she was appointed as Vice-President of Shanghai Medical University. She was also the member of the National Expert Committee of the Ministry of Health in China in the past 20 years. In 1998, Dr. Chen joined the headquarter of World Health Organization, and was appointed as Executive Director of Non-Communicable Diseases Cluster (1998~2000), Special Representative of the Director General, WHO (2000~2003.10).  As a professor in Social Medicine, Health Administration, Clinical Epidemiology, Hospital Management and Health Economics, she wrote more than sixty articles and books on these topics. Furthermore, she has been a tutor for more than thirty students on their Masters or PhD program.

Dr Michael Clarke

Michael Clarke is Director, Global Health Policy at the IDRC. He was former Director, Information and Communication Technologies for Development and Director, Research for Health Equity. Previously he served as Director, eCurriculum, Faculty of Medicine, and Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Ottawa, as well as Assistant Dean, Information Technology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, and Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Western Ontario. His medical research and international development career has taken him to Africa and China. He holds a PhD in microbiology from the University of Guelph. 

Ms Renata Curi

Ms Curi is responsible for the coordination of business and contracts at CDTS / FIOCRUZ. She is a qualified advocate, responsible for the legal department of the Center for Technological Development in Health FIOCRUZ, especially the formalization of partnerships with private companies, public sector and academia, in the national and international levels to develop healthcare solutions . She is part of the Integra Group on Technology Assessment in Health National Institute of Technology in Neglected Diseases, which participates in the Working Group’s Rebrats Meth. Renata concluded her Masters in Law and New Technologies in UNESA and MBA in Business Law at FGV / RIO, and is currently a doctoral student at the Institute of Economics of UFRJ, which is dedicated to the theme Risk Sharing Agreements. 

Ms Jennifer Dent

Jennifer Dent joined BIO Ventures for Global Health in September 2011 with primary responsibility for commercialization and alliance management programs, including WIPO Re:Search. Jennifer has 20 years of broad-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience, including negotiation and structuring of deals and management of multi-partner, global discovery and commercial alliances. Prior to joining BIO Ventures for Global Health, Jennifer held various senior management positions in sales, marketing, global product strategy, business development and alliance management.  She has global experience working in the HIV/AIDS field with Roche in Switzerland and also worked for Genentech and Roche in Canada, New Jersey, and California.  Jennifer served as Vice President, Business Development, Marketing and Sales at CombiMatrix, a biotechnology company inWashington State.  She received her M.B.A. at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. 

Mr Danny Edwards

Danny joined COHRED in 2011 as a policy analyst. Danny’s post graduate background is bioethics, and his professional experience has been in the development and implementation of health policy.   He has held several senior policy roles in the United Kingdom: first leading on a review of the genetic testing of human embryos at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Agency, and later leading on international policy for the UK concerning the relationships between intellectual property, innovation, trade, development and public health. While at COHRED he has focused first on delivering FORUM 2012, and providing intellectual input to matters of intellectual property, innovation and public health.  

Mr Jens Hinricher

Jens Hinricher is an international lawyer working in public health research. He has experience in legal and compliance issues, as well as overseeing and managing a busy contracts office. Jens is well versed in contract drafting, reviewing and negotiating and familiar with major international donors and their respective requirements (e.g. NIH, USAID, DFID, EU, UN, Global Fund, Gates etc.). He is qualified and experienced in IP and publication issues and is currently employed as General Counsel at ICDDR,B (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh) – being inter alia responsible for:

• Advising the Executive Director and senior management on legal issues, in particular those relating to the status, privileges, immunities and exemptions of ICDDR,B, its Board of Trustees, Directors and Officers
• Ensuring compliance of the organization’s by-laws and activities with the respective host country Ordinance as well as other host country agreements and arrangements
• Managing the smooth and continued operation of ICDDR,B’s contracts and grants office with responsibility for research funding in excess of 60 million US Dollars per annum
• Drafting, reviewing, negotiating and approving the organization’s agreements with bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, including other international organizations, governments, foundations, NGOs and the private sector, related to national, regional and international activities, collaboration and cooperation.

Prof Carel IJsselmuiden

Carel is a public health physician and epidemiologist. He has worked in rural medicine, peri-urban and urban health care and environmental health services, as well as in academic public health education and research ethics training. He has also published in various areas in applied research and public health. Carel was the founding Director of the University of Pretoria’s School of Health Systems and Public Health until his appointment as COHRED Director in January 2004. Prof. IJsselmuiden, as COHRED Director, is ex-offico member of the Board. 

Ms Florine Jobin

Florine Jobin joined COHRED in October 2011 as the Personal Assistant to COHRED’s Director, Carel IJsselmuiden. She is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Director’s office and provides him with administrative support. She also conducts background research for the office. Florine holds a Diploma and a Masters degree in Anthropology from the Universities of Geneva and Neuchatel respectively. She has also pursued a postgraduate course in ‘African societies and development’ in Spain. She has experiences in social sciences research and events management and organisation – with particular focus on health sector.

Dr Gerald Keusch

Dr. Keusch is a professor of Medicine and International Health at the Schools of Medicine and Public Health, Boston University. He is also the Associate Director of the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory. Prior to this appointment at BU, Dr. Keusch served as Director of the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health and Associate Director for International Research in the office of the NIH Director. A graduate of Columbia College and Harvard Medical School, he is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. He has been involved in clinical medicine, teaching and research for his entire career, most recently as Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and Senior Attending Physician and Chief of the Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, at the New England Medical Center in Boston, MA. His research has ranged from the molecular pathogenesis of tropical infectious diseases to field research in nutrition, immunology, host susceptibility, and the treatment of tropical infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS. He was a Faculty Associate at Harvard Institute for International Development in the Health Office. Dr. Keusch has delivered numerous named lectures on topics of science and global health at leading institutions around the world. He is presently involved in international health research and policy with the NIH, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine, the United Nations, and the World Health Organisation. 

Prof Adel Mahmoud

Adel A. F. Mahmoud, M.D., Ph.D, is a Professor at The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and The Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University. He has recently retired as President of Merck Vaccines and member of Management Committee of Merck & Company, Inc.  His prior academic services at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals of Cleveland spanned 25 years concluding as Chairman of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief from 1987 to 1998. Dr. Mahmoud’s academic pursuits focused on investigations of the determinants of infection and disease in human schistosomiasis and other infectious agents.  In laboratory and field studies in several endemic areas, he developed the scientific bases of strategies to control helminthic infections which have been adopted globally.  At Merck, Dr. Mahmoud led the effort to develop four new vaccines which have been launched in 2005-2006, including: combination of Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Varicella; Rota Virus; Shingles and Human Papillomavirus.  Dr. Mahmoud’s leadership in setting strategies for Global Health shaped the agenda of the Forum on Microbial Threats of the Institute of Medicine in recent years by tackling topical issues such as biological threats and bioterrorism; SARS; Pandemic Flu and others.  He is an active contributor to scientific literature and authored and edited several textbooks and reports. Dr. Mahmoud received his M.D. degree from the University of Cairo in 1963 and Ph.D from the University of London, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1971.  He was elected to membership of the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 1978, the Association of American Physicians in 1980 and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 1987.  He received the Bailey K. Ashford Award of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in 1983, and the Squibb Award of the Infectious Diseases Society of America in 1984.  Dr. Mahmoud is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the Expert Advisory Panel on Parasitic Diseases of the World Health Organization.  He served on the National Advisory Allergy and Infectious Diseases Council and is a past president of the Central Society for Clinical Research and the International Society for Infectious Diseases.  He is currently serving as a member of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity and Committee on Scientific Communications and National Security (CSCANS) of the National Academy of Sciences. 

Ms Debbie Marais

Debbie joined the Research and Development (R&D) group at COHRED in 2010. The two major objectives of COHRED’s R&D work include increasing understandings of how research for health can and does contribute to improving health, equity and development, and, secondly, how we can translate such understanding in practical tools, approaches and methods that low- and middle-income countries can use to optimise the health and economic benefits of research for health. Debbie’s particular professional interests also focus on mental health research capacity and innovation as part of national research systems, which also forms part of her PhD research. Debbie holds a Masters degree by dissertation in psychology and a second Masters degree and qualification in counselling psychology. She has extensive experience in research project management and coordination, particularly in the field of health research. She has had further experience working on various research and academic programmes in the School of Psychology at UKZN. Debbie continues to work as a psychologist in the mental health field in South Africa. 

Prof Charles Mgone

Prof. Charles Mgone is the Executive Director of the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) since February 2007. Born in Tanzania, Charles Mgone has considerable experience in research and research administration. He initially trained as a clinician in Tanzania and the United Kingdom, practising and teaching Paediatrics as well as conducting research. While in the UK he took a PhD in Medical and Molecular Genetics, a discipline which he continued to pursue in studying various aspects of infectious diseases including measles, malaria, HIV/AIDS, Chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infectious. During this period he worked as the Deputy Director of the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research. Prof. Mgone has served as advisor at international and national levels on various matters, especially on malaria and HIV/ADIS but also on child health and public health issues. He has written many papers in peer-reviewed journals and has served as the chief editor of the Papua New Guinea Medical Journal. He is the current Chief Editor of the Tanzania Paediatric Journal. Before joining EDCTP, Prof. Mgone was Network Director of the African Malaria Network Trust (AMANET) where he was responsible for coordinating the African response to the malaria burden through accelerating the development of malaria vaccines and other interventions. In this role, he was responsible for developing and overseeing capacity development of African institutions and scientists conducting clinical trials. This included networking of the African scientific community, creating of an enabling environment through training, enhancing of ethics review and regulatory framework and the provision and management of grants. His first appointment at EDCTP was as the Head of Africa Office in Cape Town where he was responsible for fostering of African ownership and commitment to the EDCTP programme by engaging with policy makers, scientific community, networks of excellence, NEPAD and African Union.  Prof. Mgone has considerable experience in health research administration and health research capacity strengthening in developing countries. He has an unwavering commitment to accelerating clinical trials and enabling strong input of the scientific community from developing countries to genuine partnerships with researchers from the north, working on the poverty related and neglected diseases. 

Mrs Jeanette Quarcoopome

Jeannette Quarcoopome is both a trained journalist and a lawyer by profession and practice.  She possesses a solid background in communication skills and has rich experience in information dissemination for strategic impact. She has applied her strong academic qualifications in diverse capacities such as at the United States Embassy in Ghana, where she served as Information Specialist in the Public Affairs section of the Embassy and also at the Ghana office of the PANOS Institute of West Africa (a Dakar-based media advocacy organization) where she was Coordinator with overall responsibility for the Institute’s programmes in all Anglophone West Africa and some Francophone countries.  Subsequently, as Director of Programmes at the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Jeannette co-ordinated a wide range of programmes at the sub-regional level including activities of the MFWA’s Network of lawyers for the defence of journalists, a media law reform programme,  a media rights monitoring programme under which she supervised a team to produce daily reports highlighting violations of press freedom  and freedom of expression generally across sixteen countries in West Africa. During that time she was also instrumental in coordinating the MFWA’s involvement in the design and implementation of a robust advocacy strategy for the passage of a proposed Right to Information law for Ghana. She has been associated with several continental workshops and conferences both as a participant and as a resource person.   Jeannette Quarcoopome serves on a number of Boards and Steering Committees including the Board of Directors of the New Times Corporation (publishers of one of Ghana’s widest circulating dailies), the Steering Committee of the African Freedom of Information Centre (Kampala, Uganda) and the Programme Management Team of the Ghana Research and Advocacy Programme (G-rap). She joined the INDEPTH Network Secretariat as Communications and External Relations Manager to share with the team her capacity, knowledge and experience in managing NGO and civil society advocacy programmes.

Ms Liesl Schoonwinkel

Liesl has spent her entire career addressing an audience in some form or another.  She has twenty one years experience in teaching, training, public speaking, keynote addresses, facilitating workshops, presentations at conferences and acting as MC at diverse functions.  Currently she specializes in creativity, thinking preferences and whole-brain management. She is an experienced trainer and facilitator in the corporate, public and educational sector for organisations such as Sanlam, Amplats, Volkswagen, WOW Factors India, World Health Organisation, Ellerines, Geen and Richards, SA Department of Education and Falkirk College, Scotland. She is the co-author and developer of one of the first global internet based corporate training programmes which carries the accreditation of the Business School of The University of Potchefstroom, South Africa. In partnership with Karen Hodges, she is the co-author and presenter of a corporate social investment Education Development Programme that focuses on using creativity and thinking preferences in the everyday classroom, every day.  It is presented at various schools, colleges and universities across South Africa and internationally.  She regularly appears as motivational / guest speaker at various events such as graduation ceremonies, featured speaker for Toastmasters, the SA Hospitality Association and Sanlam. She is often invited as keynote or workshop presenter at numerous conferences, most recently ACRE(International Creativity Conference in Africa), UK Creativity Jamboree, Mindcamp Canada, Creativity Costa Rica, International Society for Co-operative Education and Business Creativity above the Japanese Garden at Tswane University SA. Her talent for captivating diverse audiences is clear in the range of MC work she has performed, ranging from numerous international conferences to graduation ceremonies with 1300 guests. She serves as director on the board of the not-for-profit Redzebra Youth Development Foundation and is a collaborator of the not-for-profit Facilitators Without Borders Canadian initiative.  People who have experienced her presentations have had this to say: “enthusiastic, energizing, accurate information without boredom, brilliant, if we applied this, we could change the entire organization, inspiring, the best speech I’ve ever had the privilege of listening to.” 

Dr Konji Sebati

Dr Konji Sebati, born in South Africa, is a Director in the Global Issues Sector at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), heading two Divisions; the Traditional Knowledge, Cultural Expressions and Genetic Resources Division and the Global Challenges Division. She is a former Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to Switzerland, The Vatican and Liechtenstein; and most recently to France/UNESCO and OECD.

She is a Medical Practitioner by training, a degree conferred in Kenya during her years away from apartheid South Africa. She also obtained a Diploma in Child Health, and a Diploma in Public Health Planning and Health Services Management. She also studied Hospital Management on Haifa Technion, Israel.  She practiced as a medical practitioner in Kenya and South Africa. She was appointed Regional Director for Health in charge of 21 Public Health clinics spread around the peri-urban and rural areas of Odi District in Pretoria, South Africa. She was later promoted to be a Hospital Administrator of Odi Hospital, Pretoria, and was part of the planning and commissioning team of the hospital. Konji later joined the pharmaceutical industry; first with Roche Pharmaceuticals, South Africa as a Medical Advisor, then moved on to  Pfizer Pharmaceuticals in South Africa, where her started as the Medical Director in charge of Clinical Research, Product registration, Safety and Pharmacovigilance, Quality Assurance, and Sales force training. The portfolio of Corporate Affairs Director was later added to her span of control. She was later moved to Pfizer Headquarters in New York as Public Affairs Director for Africa and Middle East, and then transferred to the Corporate Affairs Division, Philanthropy Department, to be in charge of Pfizer’s HIV/AIDS Philanthropy programs worldwide. Konji launched Pfizer’s flagship program, the Diflucan Partnership Program; donating free medicines, Diflucan, for the treatment of HIV/AIDS associated opportunistic infections to governments and non-governmental organizations worldwide, with an emphasis on Africa and other developing countries. Amongst some of her prestigious awards, Konji Sebati received a recognition award in 2004 from the Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric Foundation as “The Most Outstanding Woman in the fight against HIV/AIDS.  Later that year she was awarded the recognition of “Africa Businesswoman of the Year 2004” by Africa Investor, in recognition of her role in the Corporate world, at Pfizer, as an advocate for better health care and management in Africa. 

Dr Bratislav Stankovic

Dr. Bratislav Stankovic is a registered US Patent Attorney.   He holds a Ph.D. degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a J.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a M.Sc. degree from the University of Novi Sad.  Dr. Stankovic is admitted to practice law in Illinois and in Wisconsin, teaches Patent Law at Loyola University Chicago, and has practiced at one of the largest IP law firms in the USA, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione in Chicago.  He serves as a Science and Technology Advisor to the President of Macedonia Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, and is a Principal Investigator at the Center for Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer (CIPTT).  His experience includes intellectual asset management, innovation management and strategy, patent prosecution, and counseling in the fields of biotechnology, biochemistry, bioengineering, nanobiology, and pharmaceuticals.  His papers are available for download on Academia and on the Social Science Research Network .  He is a recipient of two U.S. Fulbright Scholarships for IP Law.   Dr. Stankovic is a Lecturer in the joint University of Strasbourg-University Ss. Cyril & Methodius LLM program in Intellectual Property Law.  He writes and teaches on patent law and policy, biotechnology, research ethics and bioethics, law and medicine, molecular, plant, and space biology.  He  has over 20 years of experience as a scientist, including 5 years as a Chief Scientist at the NASA-funded Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was the principal investigator for experiments on the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. 

Dr Albert van Jaarsveld

Dr van Jaarsveld is Chief Executive Officer of the National Research Foundation. His career in research, teaching and leadership include academic and management positions at the Universities of Pretoria and Stellenbosch, as Dean of Science, Adjunct Professor: Environmental Studies Programme at Dartmouth College, USA, Vice President and more recently, CEO of the National Research Foundation. He obtained his PhD in Zoology from the University of Pretoria. Pursued post-doctoral studies and research in Conservation Biology and Global security in Australia and the UK and has published in excess of 100 primary papers, including highly cited works in Science and Nature. Dr van Jaarsveld is recipient of 16 Professional Awards, including awards for the most outstanding young scientist ; Outstanding Academic Achiever award; and the Chancellor’s award for Excellence in Tuition and Learning from the University of Pretoria; University of Stellenbosch Vice-Chancellors award for Research Excellence; and the Centenary Medal for distinguished career in research, teaching and leadership from the “SA Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns”. He is co-recipient of the International Zayed prize for the Environment, a member of several professional and academic organisations and associations, including being a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa and an elected member of the South African Academy of Sciences. On the international front, Dr van Jaarsveld has served as co-chair of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment follow-up: Sub-global assessments; member of the IUCS nominations committee; IPBES science focal point; Chair: G8 science ministers Group of Senior Officials on Global Research Infrastructure and Co-Chair of the Belmont Forum.