SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD
The Scientific Advisory Board consists of representatives of both partner cities and experts from different universities and health authorities, which advise on the strategic development of the EKC.
MEMBERS OF THE ADVISORY BOARD
Dr Judith von Heusinger, PhD
Medical-humanitarian development cooperation, Else Kröner-Fresenius-Foundation, Germany
Since 2018, Dr von Heusinger has been working for the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation, the largest medical funding foundation in Germany. She is responsible for the humanitarian funding area, which supports medical programs in low-income countries. She is trained as a sociologist and completed her PhD with a thesis on health programs in Asia. Before that, she was a research fellow at the Center for Conflict Studies at University of Marburg, Germany and worked for an NGO in the field of victim protection in human trafficking.
Dr Safari Kinung'hi, PhD, M.Sc
Director of the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Mwanza Centre, Tanzania
Dr Kinung’hi is Director of the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Mwanza centre. He holds a PhD in Public Health from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and a Master’s degree in Tropical Veterinary Epidemiology from the Free University of Berlin, Germany/Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. His research interests include epidemiology and control of tropical diseases. Dr Kinung’hi acts as WHO/AFRO advisor and consultant on schistosomiasis and STH. He is also a member of the expert advisory committee of the Tanzania national NTD control programme.
Dr Antonio Montresor, MD, M.Sc
Professional Officer, Neglected Tropcial Diseases, WHO, Switzerland
Dr Montresor holds a medical degree from the University of Milan, Italy with specialization in Medical Statistics and Epidemiology and a Master’s degree in Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK. He has been working for the WHO in different countries sind 1994. Since 2009, he is the focal point for Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis in the department of Neglected Tropical Diseases of the World Health Organisation in Geneva, Switzerland.
Prof Francisca Mutapi, PhD
Professor in Global Health Infection and Immunity, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
Prof Mutapi holds a professorship in Global Health and Infection and Immunity of the University of Edinburgh. She is Co-Director of the Global Health Academy at the University of Edinburgh, Deputy Director of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Global Health Research Unit Tackling Infections to Benefit Africa, and acts as Senior Advisor to the Principals on Africa. In her scientific work she has specialised in schistosomiasis.
Prof Wolfgang Preiser, MD
Professor of Medical Virology, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Prof Preiser has been the Head of the Medical Virology Division at the National Health Laboratory Service at Tygerberg and Stellenbosch University since 2005. He studied medicine and later specialised in medical virology in Frankfurt, Germany and in London, UK. His scientific interests include laboratory diagnosis of viral infections, especially HIV, opportunistic infections, and emerging viral diseases.
Prof Dennis Tappe, MD
Professor at Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropcial Medicine, Germany
Prof Tappe is acting Director of the National Reference Centre for Tropical Pathogens at the Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg, Germany. He is a clinical microbiologist with a diagnostic and research focus on zoonotic infectious diseases. In particular, he conducts research in the areas of epidemiology and immunology of arthropod-borne bacterial infections, tissue-invasive parasitoses and zoonotic encephalitides.
Christian Schuchardt
Lord Mayor of Würzburg, Germany
Mr Schuchardt has been Lord Mayor of Würzburg since 2014. He is now in office in the second electoral term. Mr Schuchardt has been involved in the partnership between Mwanza and Würzburg for several years. During his administration, the partner cities were able to successfully implement a number of projects in the field of climate partnership and in the fight against schistosomiasis.
Kiomoni Kibamba, M.Sc
City Director of Mwanza, Tanzania
Mr Kibamba was reannounced as City Director of Mwanza City in 2024. He hold this position serveral times before and has also been engaged in multiple City, Distirct, and Municipal Councils as Director previously. Mr Kibamba is an advocate by training with a M.Sc in Laws from Ruaha University College.
