About the Speakers and participants
Nafis Faizi, People’s Health Movement
Dr. Nafis Faizi is a member of People’s Health Movement and works as an Assistant Professor of Community Medicine at Aligarh Muslim University, India. He is a medical doctor with an MD in Community Medicine from India, and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from UK. As a member of PHM, his focus lies in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Health Systems. He represents PHM at the ARC and led the AMR sessions in the International People’s Health University (IPHU) and 4th People’s Health Assembly at Savar, Bangladesh. His specific focus has been on drivers and determinants of AMR within the health systems. Besides PHM, he is also a member of Health Action International (HAI) and other civil society organizations and advocates for health as a fundamental right. His advocacy areas include pro-people health policies such as public provisioning of health and access to medicines. In addition to teaching and research, his interest lies in primary health care and structural determinants of health. He is also an active trainer for Epidemiological Research Unit and Public Health Research and Assistance Society (PHRASe) in different facets of epidemiology, research and biostatistics including the use of open-access software and tools. nafisfaizi@gmail.com
Rafael Almeida da Silva, Universities Allied for Essential Medicines
Rafeal Almedia da Silva is a veterinarian, as well as a member of the coordinating committee forUAEM - Brazil. In addition, he is a PhD student at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil. rafaelalmmeida@gmail.com
Sebastian Schönherr, Universities Allied for Essential Medicines
Sebastian Schönherr is a fifth year medical student from Leipzig, Germany and has been a member of UAEM (Universities Allied for Essential Medicines) and advocate for access to medicines since 2015. He was part of the coordinating committee of UAEM Europe for 2 years and has continually been involved in the coordination of national and international campaigns, as well as political advocacy. Focus areas of his work have been socially responsible university research, transparency in the research and development system and antimicrobial resistance. For his doctoral thesis, Sebastian does research on antibiotic use and antibiotic stewardship interventions in the hospital context. sebastiangschoenherr@gmail.com
Reshma Ramachandran, Universities Allied for Essential Medicines
Reshma Ramachandran is a family medicine resident at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center. She has training in medicine at the Alpert Medical School at Brown University and in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She served as the first PharmFree Fellow with the American Medical Student Association focused on removing the undue influence of pharmaceutical companies on both prescribing and medical education from academic medical centers
Steve Knievel, Public Citizen
Steve Knievel is an advocate for Public Citizen's Access to Medicines program, focusing on expanding affordable access to medicines. Knievel is an expert in policy matters affecting drug pricing and access to medicines in the United States. He has worked to develop and advance federal policy measures to lower prescription drug prices, including policies to facilitate government drug price negotiation, stop price spikes, and curb monopoly abuses of industry. Knievel brings to Public Citizen his knowledge and experience in domestic and international campaign work, including thorough policy analysis, lobbying, communications and coalition building. sknievel@citizen.org
Edna Sánchez, IFARMA
Edna Sánchez is a pharmacist with a Master of Science degree in Pharmacology from the National University of Colombia with emphasis on health economics and outcome research, pharmacoepidemiology and public health. She is currently research associate of IFARMA Foundation, leading the follow-up of implementation of some health related policies. Has developed research activities, including the proposal of initiatives to improve the quality and efficiency of the prescription of some high-consumption medicines in Colombia, the development of health technology assessments of drugs for rare diseases and the coordination of a Latin American and the Caribbean project regarding evidence-informed health policy making. She has also taught in pharmacy courses related to public health and instrumental pharmaceutical analysis in Colombia. esanchez@ifarma.org
Michael Hansen, Consumer Reports
Michael Hansen is a Senior Staff Scientist with Consumer Reports. During his two decades of work with Consumer Reports, he has worked to develop policy, statements before government agencies, and disseminating his work on critical food safety and environmental health issues through conferences in the US and abroad and with various media sources.
Rajeshwari Sinha, Centre for Science and Environment
Rajeshwari Sinha is the Deputy Programme Manager in Food Safety and Toxins Programme at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), where she leads the global and national portfolio of the AMR programme through research and advocacy. She is engaged in supporting the development and implementation of national action plans on AMR in India, Zambia, and state action plans in India. Rajeshwari obtained her PhD in enzyme and microbial biochemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, following which she transitioned into working at the science-policy interface in public health area. s_rajeshwari@cseindia.org
Yoke Ling Chee, Third World Network
Yoke Ling is an international lawyer whose areas of expertise include the environmental, social and economic impacts of globalization, especially in countries of the South. Since 1993 she has worked closely with key negotiators from the global South, scientists and NGOs to campaign for bio safety and climate justice. Her current focus areas are: climate change, the interface between biodiversity/traditional knowledge and intellectual property rights, the relationship between multilateral environmental agreements and trade agreements, environmentally-sound technology transfer, and developments on these issues at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Convention on Biological Diversity, World Trade Organisation, and the World Intellectual Property Organisation. yokeling@twnetwork.org
Elizabeth Lovinger, Treatment Action Group
Elizabeth (Lizzy) Lovinger serves as the Government Relations and Policy Officer at Treatment Action Group (TAG), where she advocates for TAG's federal policy priorities and represents TAG's work to community and government partners and elected officials. Prior to joining TAG, Lizzy was Manager of Community Health Promotion at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where she coordinated outreach and education efforts for LGBTQ health and sexual health, later serving as a consultant on lesbian and bisexual women's health research. She previously worked at Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), during which time she studied the effects of mass incarceration on the US domestic AIDS epidemic and advocated for an end to HIV criminalization and for better HIV prevention in state and federal prisons. Lizzy earned her Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. elizabeth.lovinger@treatmentactiongroup.org
Dennis Amonde, ACE Africa
Dennis Amonde is a Head of Programs and M&E with Ace Africa Kenya. He was born and brought up in Kenya. He was born in a family of 5 children. He is married and blessed with three lovely daughters. Dennis attended primary, secondary and University education in Kenya. He attained his first degree in Environmental Science from Egerton University in 2005. A post graduate degree in Community health and development is on course at Great Lakes University. Other academic qualifications are certificates in; M&E, participatory assessment, grant writing, financial management, board governance, children and HIV/AIDS program management from University of Nairobi, Egerton University, Aga Khan health services and Mango UK. He has over 14 years of experience in Community health work in Kenya, Tanzania, DR Congo, Somalia, and Ethiopia. Experience includes work in project management, project baselines, evaluation and research, grant writing, report writing, environmental impact assessment, volunteer management, capacity building, strategic planning and M&E. Prior to his current role, he was the deputy country director of Ace Africa Kenya. He is currently based in Kisumu, in Western Kenya supporting pilot project on promoting the proper use of antibiotics and appreciation of the microbial World through Child to Child schools in Kenya. He is also heading other Ace Africa programs on livelihoods, child protection, governance and maternal health in 10 counties in Kenya. dennis@ace-africa.org
Viviana Galli, European Alliance for Responsible R&D and Affordable Medicines
Since 2016 Viviana Galli coordinates the European Alliance for Responsible R&D and Affordable Medicines, an informal coalition of more than 80 patients, consumers and public health organisations across Europe. The Alliance is the first and only coalition of organisations in Europe working to call out and reduce the high prices of medicines, to promote public interest R&D financing and to foster new models of innovation. Ms Galli has extensive experience in civil society organisations and public interest advocacy. Before joining the access to medicines field, she has been involved for several years in improving educational environments, fostering youth participation and representation and combating inequalities and discrimination. She holds a MA in European Studies from the University of Hamburg and a BA in Language and Cultural Mediation from the University of Milan. viviana@medicinesalliance.eu
Cóilín Nunan, Alliance to Save our Antibiotics
Cóilín is the scientific adviser to the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics which is an alliance of over 60 health, medical, environmental and animal-welfare groups working to stop the overuse of antibiotics in livestock farming. He has co-authored numerous reports on antibiotic resistance and antibiotic residues that highlight the human-health impact of excessive antibiotic use in intensive livestock farming. The Alliance’s work aims to encourage a move to more responsible use of antibiotics in farming, through better regulation, voluntary actions and improvements in production systems, which would also improve animal health and welfare. cnunan@saveourantibiotics.eu
Victor Chishimba, Zambia Community Health Initiative
Victor Chishimba is the Programme Coordinator for Zambia Community Health Initiative and sitting on the National Antimicrobial Resistance Coordinating Committee (AMRCC) as Civil Society Focal point person. He has worked in civil society for the past 12 years and developed great skills in, Policy engagement and advocacy, development and implementation of national and community based campaign models. In addition as a community engagement expert he is well vested in the rights based approach models and citizen participation tools and Training. He holds a bachelor’s of education degree, post graduate certificate in Monitoring and evaluation and additional training in advocacy and Governance and accountability. Currently pursuing a post graduate diploma in public health Diploma in Public Health. victorchishimba@ymail.com
Rohit Malpani, Consultant, ReAct
Rohit Malpani is currently a consultant for a few different organizations, including ReAct, as well as the alternate Board Member for the NGO delegation at Unitaid. He is based in Paris. romalpani@gmail.com
Nikolai Pushkarev, European Public Health Alliance
Nikolai works at the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), Europe's leading NGO alliance advocating for better health in all EU policies. He coordinates EPHA’s activities on food systems and health, advocating for evidence-based policies to reshape the European food environment so it helps prevent, rather than promote diseases. Priority areas include advancing healthy and sustainable diet fs for all, freeing Europe’s youth from unhealthy marketing and reinventing the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. Previous experiences include work on human rights, environment, and in the cultural and private sectors. He gained an MA in European Law and a postgraduate degree in agricultural economics. nikolai@epha.org
Niyada Kiatying-Angsulee, Drug System Monitor and Development Program, Chulalongkorn University
Niyada is a manager at Drug System Monitoring and Development Centre in Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. She currently holds a BSc (Pharmacy), MS (Pharmacology), and PhD (U London).
Anja Leetz, German Alliance for Climate Change and Health
Anja Leetz holds degrees from Germany and the UK in teaching, communications, and business management. For the last eighteen years Anja worked for a number of national and European environmental and health organisations in the UK and Belgium. Between 2009-2018 she served as the Executive Director of Health Care Without Harm Europe in Brussels, covering issues such as chemicals, climate and pharmaceuticals in the environment. Anja worked as an advisor to the German government on chemicals and the WHO Euro region on environmentally sustainable health systems. Currently Anja is a board director of the German Association for Climate Change and Health. Since September 2018 Anja Leetz is pursuing a M.Sc. in Global Health Policy at the University of Edinburgh while working as an Environmental Health Consultant. Anja is a member of Sciana, the European health leaders network, supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation. anja.leetz@klimagesund.de
Jean Yves Stenuick, Health Care Without Harm
Jean-Yves works on pharmaceutical pollution and its link with antimicrobial resistance at Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), a global NGO whose mission is to make healthcare worldwide more sustainable. He previously worked at the Brussels-based think tank Friends of Europe where he led the Health & Wellbeing Programme to ensure stronger EU action on issues ranging from antimicrobial resistance to disruptive health technologies. Before that, he monitored policy developments in key parliamentary committees for the political strategy unit of a large political group at the European Parliament. jean-yves.stenuick@hcwh.org
Maarten van der Heijden, ReAct Latin America
Maarten van der Heijden is Research and Policy Manager at ReAct Latin America. Within ReAct he focuses on global governance initiatives, mainly focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals, but also providing analysis and advocacy on policy debates on antibiotic resistance. Maarten studied international relations and rhetoric at Utrecht University and UC Berkeley and has subsequently been trained as a lawyer both in international trade and intellectual property law, as well as human rights and humanitarian law in Amsterdam and Geneva. Maarten gained experience working in commercial law and different human rights and civil society projects. Over the last years next to his studies he supported Médecins Sans Frontières, both in the humanitarian affairs department as the Access Campaign. maartenvanderheijden@gmail.com
Annie Tracie Muraya, ReAct Africa/EPN
Tracie Muraya is a Program Officer at Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN) which houses ReAct (Action on Antibiotic Resistance) Africa. She has over 10 years’ experience in the clinical pharmacy field. Tracie holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Rhodes University, South Africa and a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health from the University of Liverpool. She also holds certificates in Program Management and Antimicrobial Stewardship from short courses via the University of Washington and University of Dundee, respectively and is also a beneficiary of WHO/AFRO Trainer-of-Trainers for AMR NAP development. Prior to joining EPN, she was the Chief pharmacist at the Mombasa hospital, one of the largest private hospitals in Mombasa County in Kenya. Her current role at EPN entails managing projects that promote access to quality pharmaceutical services and rational medicines use - an aspect that is often overlooked in the fight against AMR; all factors (behavior change, adherence, etc) put in place, the fight against AMR remains a losing battle as long as humans and animals are subjected to sub-standard/falsified antibiotics. Through her portfolio as Program Manager - ReAct Africa (RAN) – she is involved in collaborations with identified sub-Sahara African countries in the implementation of their National Action Plans (NAPs) on AMR. She is also involved in projects that capacitate health care workers on AMR as well as establishing Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) in health facilities across countries in sub-Saharan Africa such as Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon and Ghana among others. In 2017, she mapped out and developed a database of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) within RAN’s network. Through this database, the CSOs are engaged in various AMR interventions including the process of developing and implementing NAPs for AMR in their respective countries within the continent and most recently, implementation of Africa CDC’s AMR Framework. Ongoing, and in collaboration with partners in ReAct Latin America, she is heading a project that aims to create public awareness and education on AMR via the Child-to-Child methodology in Kenya; a successful pilot of this will result in the inclusion of the selected AMR guidelines in the primary school curriculum. tmuraya@epnetwork.org
Anthony So, ReAct Strategic Policy Program
Anthony So is Head of the Strategic Policy Program and North America node of ReAct—Action on Antibiotic Resistance. He also serves as the Founding Director of the Innovation + Design Enabling Access (IDEA) Initiative in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Previously, Dr. So served as the Director of the Duke Program on Global Health and Technology Access, during which he sat on The Lancet Infectious Diseases Commission on Antibiotic Resistance, chaired a WHO expert working group on fostering innovation to combat antimicrobial resistance; and was part of the Antibiotic Resistance Working Group of the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors in Science and Technology. Before this, he served as an associate director for the Rockefeller Foundation’s Health Equity Program and as Senior Advisor to the Administrator at the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. So received his BA in philosophy and biomedical sciences and his MD from the University of Michigan as well as a MPA from Princeton University as a Woodrow Wilson Scholar. aso5@jhu.edu
Prateek Sharma, ReAct North America
Prateek is a new Research Associate with the IDEA Initiative/ReAct Strategic Policy Program having completed his Masters of Science at the University of British Columbia, Canada. While an intern at the World Health Organization's Innovation, Access and Use Unit, he contributed to the global antimicrobial consumption report. However, he has a (relatively) long-standing interest due to his undergraduate research on issues of community-level antibiotic resistance and One Health. psharm32@jhu.edu
Joshua Woo, ReAct North America
Joshua Woo serves as a full-time Research Assistant with the IDEA Initiative/ReAct Strategic Policy Program. He is currently a rising undergraduate sophomore at Johns Hopkins University studying Public Health Studies and Economics, and is involved in a variety of on-campus organizations such as MedHacks, Osler Medical Symposium, and Epidemic Proportions. Throughout his collegiate and high school years, Joshua has volunteered abroad extensively, and also conducted research with both Clemson University and Hopkins on drug/nanoparticle design and development. jwoo25@jhu.edu
Philip Mathew, ReAct Asia Pacific
Philip is a community physician by training; and is functioning as a public health consultant with ReAct Asia Pacific. He is based in India and has been a part of several initiatives to engage actual users of antibiotics in human and non-human sectors. He has also assisted a number of community based interventions which were aimed at reducing antibiotic use in various domains and the challenges associated with it. He is working with varied groups like Secondary Level Hospitals, Faith Based Organizations, Farm clusters, Universities and Local Self Government institutions. Philip is also functioning as the Executive Director of a small not-for-profit organization in India and is a faculty member of a medical school in Kerala, India. philipmathewRAP@gmail.com
Mengying Ren, ReAct Europe
Mengying Ren is a Policy Associate at ReAct Europe. Her work focuses on analysis of ongoing policy development and debate on antibiotic resistance. Together with ReAct’s policy team and regional nodes, she supports the strategic policy and advocacy work towards broader international aid and financing communities for sustainable financing to address antibiotic resistance. Mengying is also responsible for the global coordination and monitoring and evaluation of ReAct’s projects.
Before ReAct, Mengying worked for the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) on Access to Medicines and Sustainable Health Financing. Prior to CHAI, she was the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Mengying holds a Master’s degree in Global Health from Karolinska Institutet. mengying.ren@medsci.uu.se
