WEBINAR PROGRAMME
FINDING THE BALANCE: PUBLIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL MEASURES FOR COVID-19 IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO AND SOUTH AFRICA
THURSDAY, 15 APRIL 2021
TIME: 14:00 – 16:00 (South African Standard Time)
Facilitator: Ms. Phyllis Kalele – Senior Liaison Officer – African Collaborations, Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)
13h55-14h00 Opening
14h00-14h10 Welcome remarks
Dr. Stanley Maphosa – International and National Liaison Manager, Academy of Science of South Africa
Prof. Leon Tshilolo – Founding Fellow, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Academy of Sciences and Technology
14h10–14h30 Keynote Address
Prof. Quarraisha Abdool Karim – ASSAf Member and Associate Scientific Director:
CAPRISA
14h30-14h35 Moderator: TBC
14h35– 15h05 Finding the Balance: Public Health and Social Measures in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa
Prof. Jean-Marie Kayembe – Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, DRC
Prof. Karen Hofman – ASSAf Member, Director of the SA Medical Research Council and Wits Centre for Health Economics and Priority Setting
15h05– 15h20 Discussion All
15h20– 15h40 Presentation of survey findings: Young Scientists Survey
Prof. Sudesh Sivarasu – South African Young Academy of Science Dr. Muhindo Hypolite – DRC Young Academy of Sciences
15h40– 16h00 Discussion All
16h00 End of the webinar
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim (PhD) is a National Research Foundation A1- rated scientist, infectious diseases epidemiologist and Associate Scientific Director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA). She is Professor in Clinical Epidemiology, Columbia University, USA and is Pro-Vice Chancellor for African Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Her research for the past 28 years has focused on HIV infection in adolescent girls and young women. She was the Principal Investigator of the Columbia University - Southern African Fogarty AIDS International Training and Research Programme that focused on establishing a strong science base and increasing the capacity to conduct clinical RCTs to highest international scientific and ethical standards. Her landmark study, the tenofovir gel CAPRISA 004 trial, demonstrated for the first time that anti-retrovirals can prevent HIV infection; highlighted by the journal Science as one of the top 10 scientific breakthroughs in 2010. Professor Abdool Karim has over 200 peer reviewed publications; edited several books, contributed several book chapters including co- editing the 6th and 7th edition of the Oxford Textbook on Global Public Health. Prof Abdool Karim is the UNAIDS Special Ambassador for Adolescents and HIV and co-chairs the UNAIDS Strategic Working Group. She is a member of the UNAIDS 2025 target-setting and resource mobilisation Steering Committee and is a member of the PEPFAR Scientific Advisory Board. She holds Fellowships at the:
National Academy of Medicine, The World Academy of Science, Royal Society of South Africa, Academy of Science of South Africa, and the African Academy of Science.
Ms. Phyllis Kalele is the head of the African Collaboration sub-programme at the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf). Ms Kalele leads academy activities in the continent with the aim of advocating for the use of evidence-based science in policy making and increasing the visibility of African scientists. As the principal contact person at ASSAf for Africa, she is also responsible for building and strengthening existing academy partnerships in and for Africa and directing support for the establishment of new national senior and young academies of science. Ms. Kalele holds a BSc. degree in Botany and Zoology, MSc. degree in Environmental Sciences and has recently completed her doctorate in Science and Technology Studies at Stellenbosch University.
Dr. Jean-Marie Ntumba Kayembe, MD. PhD is the Former Dean of the Medical Faculty at the University of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of The Congo (DRC) and Physician in Pulmonology at the University of Kinshasa Hospital, Internal Medicine Department. Originally from the DRC, Dr. Kayembe earned a MD degree in Surgery & Birth-Child from the Medical Faculty of the University of Kinshasa in DRC. His passion for the Medical World led him to pursue his studies at the University of Liege in Belgium where he first received a Specialist Candidate title in Internal Medicine; 2 years later, a Specialization degree in Internal- Pulmonology and 10 years later, earned a PhD degree in Medical Sciences from the University of Liege in Belgium as well. From 2006 to 2012, Dr. Kayembe served as the Deputy-Dean in charge of Research, Specialization and Aggregation began active member of the Faculty teaching advance course in Respiratory Physiology, Pulmonology and Pharmacology. In addition he serves as Scientific Advisor to the National Program to combat Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. He is a member of the National Committee on
Health Ethics and, Editor in Chief of the African Annals of Medicine since 2008 (Annales Africaines de Médicine) a periodical supported by funding by the US National Institutes of Health (through the National Library of Medicine and the Fogarty International Center) and facilitated by the Council of Science Editors (www.anafrimed.net). Since November 2014 to November 2020, Dr. Kayembe served as Dean of the Medical Faculty at the University of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Professor Léon Tshilolo is a Professor of Paediatrics and Haematology at Official University of Mbujimayi in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is a visitor at Universities of Kinshasa and Lubumbashi. Prof Tshilolo is a Director of an Educational Research and Training Centre (CEFA) that is associated with Monkole Hospital in Kinshasa, DRC. He is the Scientific Advisor of the Sickle Cell International Organisation (SCIO) and temporary Consultant of the World Health Organisation. Prof Tshilolo is the Co-founder of the REDAC, a network of Sickle Cell Study in Central Africa. He is a member of the French National Academy of Medicine, as well as the Congolrse Academy of Sciences.
Professor Karen Hofman is the Director for SA MRC/Wits Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science PRICELESS SA. A medical graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand and trained as paediatrician, Prof Hofman served as Director of Policy and Planning at the US NIH, Fogarty International Center and was on faculty at Johns Hopkins. She has consulted for WHO /PAHO and is published widely in international journals.
Prof Hofman has published extensively on global health internationally and has served on several SA Ministerial committees. In 2016 she received the Public Health Association of South Africa Annual Award. While in the United States of America, she served on faculty at Johns Hopkins and subsequently as Policy Director at the NIH Fogarty International Center.
Dr. Stanley Maphosa is the International and National Liaison Manager of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf). He is also the Regional Coordinator of The World Academy of Science (TWAS) Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Partner (SAREP). Stanley leads ASSAf’s Oversees Strategic Partnerships, Member Liaison, Overseas Collaborations, African Collaborations, Gender in Science Technology, and Innovation as well as the Young Scientist Liaison. Stanley and his team work to establish relations and maintain existing ones at bilateral and multilateral levels. He is a science diplomat who conducts training in that area, a science communicator, science adviser and science advocate. Stanley’s work also includes providing leadership and guidance to the South African National Chapter of the Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS) and support for the hosting of the International Science Council Regional Office for Africa (ISC- ROA).
Professor Hypolite Muhindo Mavoko is a medical doctor from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), specialized in tropical medicine, with a PhD degree in medical sciences. He is currently an associate professor at the University of Kinshasa and member of the DRC Young Academy of Science. He is principal investigator in projects funded mainly by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) (malaria treatment in pregnant women) and by the Innovative Medicines Initiative – European Union (IMI-EU) (Ebola vaccine trial). He is also involved in the monitoring of malaria trials sponsored by the National Malaria Control Program.
Furthermore, he is a member of the Experts’ Committee for a regional project of neglected tropical diseases control. Last, but not least, he is member of the Panel of the BEBUC Excellence Scholarship, a program aiming to contribute to the re-instalment of Congolese universities splendour and produce a new generation of young, competitive, reliable, bright, and ethically competent scientists, and professors for the development DRC.
Dr. Sudesh Sivarasu is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Faculty of Health Sciences in University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Dr Sivarasu completed his undergraduate studies in Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering from Madras University in 2004. He continued for his master’s in biomedical engineering (2006) followed by Ph.D in Biomedical Engineering from VIT University, India. Dr. Sivarasu research is in the field of medical device innovation and creating affordable health technologies. He heads the Medical Devices and Orthopaedic Biomechanics Research Group at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Dr. Sudesh Sivarasu also heads the activities of the Biomedical Engineering Society of South Africa (BESSA), which is affiliated with IFMBE. Dr. Sivarasu is research in Medical Device Innovation has received over 18 MedTech awards across 4 continents, including, UCT-DVC’s Achievement in Innovation (2017), Department of Science and Technology – Innovation Bridge - Award, (2017), UCT College of Fellows- young Researcher Award, (2017) TW Khambule award for Emerging researcher in by NSTF and South-32 (2016), Claude Leon Merit Award for Early Career Researcher (2016), to name a few. He was also listed as M&G's top 200 young South Africans for 2017. Dr. Sivarasu's research has frequently featured in media both in South Africa and internationally. Dr Sivarasu research track comprises of 40 peer- reviewed articles in international scientific journals, 44 peer-reviewed conference proceedings, and numerous plenary/keynote and invited presentations at conferences. Dr. Sivarasu’ s Innovations have led to over 19 patents family applications, with a total of 42 patent applications and 9 granted patents.
His research has also produced 2 open-source technologies. Sivarasu through his innovations has led to the formation of 2 MedTech start-up companies.
Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)
ASSAf Research Repository http://research.assaf.org.za/
B. Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) Events I. Other
2021
Finding the balance: public health and social measures for COVID-19 in the DRC and South Africa
Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)
Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf); Académie Congolaise des Sciences (ACCOS)
Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2021). Finding the balance: public health and
social measures for COVID-19 in the DRC and South Africa. [Online] Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11911/207 https://youtu.be/CfHsLuWEluc
Downloaded from ASSAf Research Repository, Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)
