Proposal Review Committee

Members

The current PRC is composed of the following members:

(Please click on plus sign to see the member’s bio)

PRC Chair

Andy Gray

Andy Gray B Pharm, MSc (Pharm), FPS, FFIP is a pharmacist whose research interests include policy analysis (in particular, the development and implementation of National Medicines Policies), rational medicines use and the application of antiretroviral therapy in resource-constrained settings. He is a Senior Lecturer in the Division of Pharmacology, Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. He is also consultant pharmacist (research associate) for the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA). Full CV

PRC Core Members

Enrica Alteri

Enrica Alteri MD, DiplPharmMed
After completing her medical studies in Rome and a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda (USA), Dr Alteri spent 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry, where she was involved in major projects that yielded important drugs such as Gleevec for myeloid leukaemia, Coartem for malaria and Reyataz for HIV-AIDS.
In 2012 she joined the European Medicines Agency, where she was Head of Human Medicines R&D support Division, and member of the Executive Board.
In these roles, Dr Alteri was part of many high impact EMA’s initiatives, from the transparency of clinical trial data to the development of regulatory science strategy to 2025.
Dr Alteri is currently a member of the Scientific Committee and faculty of the master course in Drug R&D of the University of Geneva, and master courses in R&D at the Luiss University and Universita’ Cattolica in Rome.

Blaise Bikandou

Dr Blaise Bikandou MD, PhD, MBA is a Public Health Doctor and Senior Expert in International Health with a strong orientation towards health systems. He is currently member of the PRC for Unitaid and TRP for Global Fund. Previously, he has led AMP Office in Guinea, worked at the Paris Hospitals, headed the department of preventive medicine, epidemiology, and clinical trials at the National Institute of Public Health of Congo-Brazzaville. He has a MD supplemented by a medical specialty diploma (René Descartes-Paris), a master in communicable diseases (Massachusetts Medical School, US), a PhD in molecular biology, immunology and virology (René Descartes-Paris/Kyoto University-Japan), Diplomas in Immunology & Vaccination – Clinical Trials (Institute Pasteur, Paris) and Health MBA (ESCP-EHSP/Europe, Columbia University, NY). Full CV

Miranda Brouwer

Miranda Brouwer is a Public Health physician with over 15 years’ experience in global health supporting countries and programmes with TB and TB/HIV. She works as an independent consultant conducting evaluations and providing technical assistance and capacity building, amongst other support. She has a PhD on implementation of guidelines and has published widely on tuberculosis control and on monitoring and evaluation. Full CV

Bernard Fourie

Bernard Fourie is a medical microbiologist with a career focus in tuberculosis, particularly translational research on rapid diagnostic methods, inhaled therapies and vaccination, and clinical trials of anti-TB medications and other interventions. He is currently attached to the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of Pretoria and formerly served as the Director of the Tuberculosis Research Institute and of the MRC National TB Research Programme in South Africa. Apart from Unitaid, he has provided expert technical support in the field of tuberculosis over many years to international organizations such as WHO, UNIDO, EDCTP, GIZ, and locally to the South African Medicines Control Council. Full CV

Cheri Grace

A PRC Member since 2010, Cheri Grace has 30 years of work experience in a variety of work sectors and organisation types – pharmaceutical industry; corporate finance; grassroots development; academic research, global health consulting. For 15+ years, Cheri has worked as a strategy advisor to aid finance organisations/donors, bringing commercial business knowledge as well as understanding of the strategic direction of various funders, progress and challenges in global health and the wider development aid environment, and experience working in more than 20 aid recipient countries. Previously a Senior Health Advisor in DFID, Cheri led DFID’s work through Product Development Public-Private Partnerships, and supported work in Advance Market Commitments and the broader Access to Medicines agenda. Cheri is also a focal point for the Global Fund Technical Review Panel. Full CV

Lulu Muhe

Lulu Mussa Muhe is an adjunct professor of pediatrics and Child Health in Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia since 2015. Before that he worked with the World Health Organization in Geneva and in AFRO in the areas of pediatric infectious diseases such as HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, diarrhea and pneumonia mainly supporting research, policy development and capacity building, monitoring and evaluation in many developing countries. Full CV

Sa’adatu Talatu Sule

Dr Sa’adatu Talatu Sule is an obstetrician/gynaecologist and public health practitioner who has worked as a reproductive health specialist with Nigerian and international institutions, organisations and donors including Ahmadu Bello University, various NGOs and the United Nations System.

Giorgio Roscigno

Dr. Giorgio Roscigno is a senior and passionate public health specialist with a very long experience in the private and public sectors. He has been working as medical doctor from 1972 to 1982 in Ethiopia Sudan DRC Algeria and Italy. In 1982 he joined the pharmaceutical Industry and worked in Switzerland France the UK and Italy. He left the Industry in 2000: during this period he developed up to FDA approval all the fixed dose combinations for TB, the first nontoxic drug for Sleeping Sickness and Rifapentine. From 2000 to 2014 he has been involved as Founder and CEO of the Global Alliance for TB (2000/2003); FIND (2003/2013) , The African Society for Laboratory Medicine( COO 2013/2014) and NEXT2PEOPLE ( Executive Chair 2015 -now). Dr. Roscigno has been actively involved in the creation of the Stop TB Partnership and covered overtime positions in the Board and chaired Working Groups in Drugs and Diagnostics. Full CV

PRC Disease/Issue-Specific Members

Betina Durovni

Betina Durovni is a medical doctor specialized in infectious diseases whose career started in the centre of the AIDS epidemic in 1986.  After many years as a clinician, Dr Durovni became interested in Public Health and Health administration. She holds a MBA in health administration and a PhD in medicine from the Rio de Janeiro Federal University and a MPH from the Johns Hopkins University. Dr Durovni has served as a consultant for Brazilian MoH and UNAIDS with experience in several countries. Dr Durovni also has experience in operational research and team leadership in international collaborations in projects in tuberculosis, HIV and primary care. Dr Durovni has also interest in the primary care and helped to implement the health care reform in Rio de Janeiro as undersecretary for surveillance, promotion and primary care. Full CV

Tim Farley

Tim Farley is a medical statistician with over 40 years experience in clinical and epidemiological research on medical devices, diagnostics, pharmaceutical products and public health interventions.  During 30 years with the World Health Organization in Geneva he was involved in multi-national research in sexual and reproductive health with particular focus on the needs of women and men in developing countries.  This included development and assessment of novel contraceptive methods, assessing the safety of established contraceptive products, and accelerating development and implementation of new HIV prevention interventions.  He led research on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV during breastfeeding, developed access strategies for woman-controlled HIV prevention methods, and coordinated implementation of voluntary medical male circumcision programs.  After leaving WHO in 1981 he founded a statistics and strategy consulting company near Geneva whose clients include international organizations and foundations, academic institutions and commercial entities.  Tim hold a PhD in Statistics from the University of Kent, UK and is a professionally qualified Chartered Statistician.

Nelson Juma Otwoma

Nelson Otwoma is a Social Scientist with over 20 years’ public health experience, mainly working directly with civil society organizations and affected communities affected with HIV, TB and related coinfections and comorbidities. He is currently the Director at the National Network of PLHAs in Kenya (NEPHAK) where he works to provide professional, accountable, committed and strategic leadership for the communities’ voice and visibility. Nelson has excellent understanding of the science of HIV and TB as well as the global policies guiding the HIV and TB response and the hands on experience in designing and implementing interventions for achieving the TB/HIV epidemic control. He has been a key leader in designing and promoting Community Engagement (CE) through Community Systems Strengthening (CSS) and helping with the interfacing with the wider Health Systems Strengthening (HSS). This has enhanced his knowledge in health systems, including health policy, health and community systems strengthening and the partnership that drive public and private sector healthcare. This has also given him an excellent opportunity for engaging in the M&E systems, including design and appraisal of M&E indicators and systems; selection and definition of indicators and baselines; verification; reporting; evaluating public health impact and value for money and impact assessment.

Sheila Nyawira Macharia

Dr Sheila Nyawira Macharia is a Public Health Expert, with 20 plus years’ experience in the field of Adolescent Health, Family Planning, Reproductive Health, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. She has A Master of Public Health and Bachelor of Dental Surgery from the University of Nairobi and a Fellowship in Population and Development from the Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, U.S.A. She is also a Recipient of the Marjorie Horn Award from USAID/Washington for “Sustained leadership, tireless efforts moving Family Planning/Reproductive Health evidence to practice.” She is a passionate advocate for women’s and girl’s health and a youth mentor. Currently an Independent Consultant in Health Policy and Strategy she has served as a strategy advisor for various clients including USAID Washington, USAID Malawi, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Government of Kenya, developing health program strategies, formulating policy recommendations, and evaluating global health activities. She previously served as the USAID Kenya Director for Family Health a career spanning19 years, as the Mission’s strategic lead for family planning, reproductive health, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, nutrition, water, and sanitation.

Gilles Raguin

Gilles Raguin is a medical doctor, trained in internal medicine and infectious diseases, and a global health specialist with more than 20 years of experience with hospital work, governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Combining a very good knowledge of global health actors and funders with a strong experience in clinical practice, humanitarian aid and technical expertise, Dr Raguin is particularly experienced in the fields of infectious diseases, global health security and humanitarian health in resource limited countries.

Judit Rius Sanjuan

Judit Rius Sanjuan has joined the Unitaid PRC as an Intellectual Property issue expert. She is a lawyer with over 20 years of experience in strategies to promote innovation and access to medicines and other technologies. She currently works as a Policy Specialist on health technologies at an international inter-governmental organization in New York. Prior to this position, Judit was the US Manager of the Access Campaign of Doctors Without Borders, a staff attorney at Knowledge Ecology International, and has been an in-house counsel in several software and pharmaceutical companies. She has taught in graduate programs at the New School, Georgetown Law School and University Oberta of Catalunya. She has an LL.M. in Law, Science and Technology from Stanford Law School, a master’s in International Relations and a Law Degree from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona.