Dr Ndinda Kusu is the Country Project Director with the USAID Medicines, Technologies, and Pharmaceutical Services (MTaPS) Program and the team lead for Management Sciences for Health in Kenya. She is a clinical pharmacist and an experienced public health, program management and health system strengthening specialist with over 25 years of experience working with public, private, and faith-based health sectors strengthening health and pharmaceutical systems to increase access to and use of medicines and health technologies.

 

She has done immense work in governance, human and institutional capacity development; development and implementation of policies, guidelines, curricula, and tools; implementing continuous professional development; supporting continuous quality improvement, promoting rational use; curbing antimicrobial resistance and strengthening regulatory systems.

 

She has a passion for promoting patient safety through pharmaceutical care, infection prevention control (IPC) and pharmacovigilance systems strengthening. Ndinda has spearheaded premier initiatives such as the introduction of the Kenya Pharmacovigilance Electronic Reporting System, curricula reform, and introduction of a postgraduate Masters’ course on Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacovigilance at the University of Nairobi.

 

In support of African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) agenda, Ndinda worked with the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and other AMRH partners to support the EAC and IGAD Medicines Regulatory Harmonization Initiative through the development and implementation of harmonized regional guidelines, tools and approaches. She is a member of several health professional associations and committees.

Ndinda holds a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy and Masters’ degrees in Clinical Pharmacy and Public Health

Libert Chirinda is a Chief Regulatory Officer in the Pharmacovigilance and Clinical Trials (PVCT) Division at the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ), where he is involved in managing vigilance activities as well as clinical trials oversight activities.

He has more than eight years’ experience in pharmacovigilance activities and regulatory affairs, and has been part of the PVCT Division, which is also the National Pharmacovigilance Centre for Zimbabwe, since 2013. He has been involved in several pharmacovigilance initiatives locally, regionally, and internationally, and seeks to improve pharmacovigilance systems in Zimbabwe and beyond.

He holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy Degree from the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), as well as a Master of Health Sciences Degree in Pharmacovigilance from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).

Outside the work environment, Libert can usually be found playing chess or reading. Libert has been an avid reader for as long as he can remember, and his choice of literature spans across genres.

Anna is medicines information and safety pharmacist with a Master’s of Science in Clinical Pharmacology. She has been heading the national pharmacovigilance centre for over 6 years. Prior to joining the regulatory authority in 2015, she worked in hospital pharmacy where she was also the focal person for pharmacovigilance.

She is the national focal person in the ongoing EDCTP funded project (April 2020 – March 2023) aimed at Strengthening Pharmacovigilance and Regulatory Capacities in four Southern African countries (SPaRCS).

Anna serves as a member of the Namibia Essential Medicine List committee as well as the Education Committee of the Pharmacy Council of Namibia.

MRS HOUDA SEFIANI is medical doctor, graduated from Rabat University School of medicine, Morocco. Specialized in pharmaco-toxicology. She has a PHD in Health Vigilances field.

 

She began her career as practitioner during 4 years before integrating the WHO Collaborating Centre: Moroccan Poison Control Centre and Pharmacovigilance Centre, in 2007.

 

Since 2007: working in pharmacovigilance activities, focusing on cases analysis, causality assessment, signal detection and risk minimization actions.

Since 2008: Involved in different training and pharmacovigilance development projects in collaboration with the World Health Organization, Monitoring Medicines Project, Uppsala Monitoring Centre and the Moroccan Pharmacovigilance Centre, to promote Pv in Africa and MENA region and to develop new tools to manage ADRs.

 

Since 2014, She is member of ATC-DDD WHO Working group.

Florah is a pharmacist by profession currently heading the pharmacovigilance unit of South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA). She holds BPharm and master’s in pharmacy with specialisation in Pharmacovigilance & Pharmacoepidemiology. She joined SAHPRA in 2011 as Medicine Registration Officer in the Pharmaceutical & Analytical Directorate and later Head the Vigilance unit since October 2015 to date. She has experience in different pharmacy sectors, including medicines regulation, retail and hospital pharmacy. She has attended different pharmacovigilance courses offered internationally including training by Uppsala Monitoring Centre.

 

She supports the National Immunisation Safety Expert Committee and member of African Union Smart Safety Surveillance (AU-3S) Joint Signal Management Group, aimed at facilitating cross-country signal management for COVID-19 vaccines in Africa, to support action in the interest of public health and safety.