Jacob Solomon is the National Technical Lead of the Schistosomiasis and STH Elimination program at the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria. He received his BSc in Microbiology and Virology at the University of Abuja, his MSc in Medical Microbiology and Parasitology at the Igbinedion University, and his PhD in Laboratory Medicine/Medical Parasitology at the University of Benin. Before his current role, he was the South Regional Manager for Neglected Tropical Diseases. He was a Senior Laboratory Scientist at the Federal Capital Territory Administration and a Virology Laboratory Manager at the National Public Health Reference Laboratory of The Gambia. He is passionate about the less privileged and enjoys working on diseases of public health importance, especially diseases prevalent among lower-income societies.
Oladimeji Ajayi is the current Provost of the College of Medicine, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti. He is also a Professor of Medicine/Gastroenterology and a Consultant Physician/Gastroenterologist. He undertook his primary education at Saint Theresa’s Catholic Primary School and progressed to Annunciation Grammar School, Ikere-Ekiti for his secondary school education. He graduated as a Medical Doctor (MBBS) from the prestigious College of Medicine of the University of Lagos in 1987. He had his postgraduate Fellowship training at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, where he earned the Fellowship of the West African College of Physicians (FWACP) in 2002. He attended a certificate course in Endoscopy at MedIndia Hospital and Institute of Multi-specialties, Chennai, India in 2007. He obtained a Master's Degree in Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Ado-Ekiti (now Ekiti State University) in 2007. He became a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP) in 2011, a Fellow of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (FASGE) in 2014, and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (FRCPE) in 2016. He is an Examiner in Gastroenterology and General Medicine at the West African Postgraduate Medical College, Faculty of Internal Medicine, and is the current Sub-specialty Head of Gastroenterology. He is also an External Examiner to Afe Babalola University, Babcock University, and the University of Ilorin.
Gleb Vdovine received his Master’s Degree in Optical Engineering in 1986 from the Leningrad Institute of Fine Mechanics and Optics (USSR) and his Ph.D. in 1996 from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. He has been working for the General Physics Institute in Moscow, ITMO University in St Petersburg, and Delft University of Technology (Full Professor of High-Resolution Imaging) in The Netherlands. Currently, he is the Research Director of Flexible Optical BV (OKO Tech) and a consultant of the AiDx Medical BV, both in The Netherlands.
Louise Makau-Barasa is a Senior Director at The Ending Neglected Diseases (END Fund), New York, USA. She holds a Doctorate in Public Health (DrPH) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; a Master of Sciences in Global Economic Development from Eastern University, St. David’s, Pennsylvania; and a Bachelor of Business Administration from E.S.L.S.C.A Business School, Paris, France. Her previous roles include overseeing multi-million dollar portfolios at Geneva Global Inc. She served as Chief of the Party for USAID-funded HIV/AIDS prevention and care program in the Ivory Coast and led Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) programs that served as the genesis of the creation of the END Fund. Her leadership in global health programs focused on improving access to immunisation, anti-malaria interventions, improving infant and maternal health, and delivering humanitarian assistance during Haiti’s 2010 earthquake and subsequent cholera outbreak. Her research interests focus on improving access to care and diagnostics for populations, with peer-reviewed publications on access to cancer prevention and diagnostic services and innovative approaches to developing diagnostics for NTDs.
