Speakers

Confirmed Keynote Speakers & Invited Speakers

Topic: M-pox

Prof Placide Mbala Kingebeni

University of Kinshasa Medical School | National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB)

Prof Placide Mbala Kingebeni is an Associate Professor at the University of Kinshasa Medical School and the Head of the Epidemiology and Global Health Division and Director of the Clinical Research Center at the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Dr. Mbala has extensive experience in medical biology, with specific expertise in microbiology, virology, and outbreak investigations. His research focuses on viral zoonoses and human contamination risk factors. As a principal and co-investigator for various university and US-funded grants, he has conducted foundational research in remote areas of the DRC. His work includes the clinical and genomic characterization of pathogens such as Ebola, mpox, and SARS-CoV-2.

Currently, Dr. Mbala leads several international research collaborations across Africa, Europe, Asia, and America. He was recognized in Nature’s 10 in 2024 and the TIME 100 Health list in 2025. He has published over 100 journal articles and holds an MSc in Public Health from the Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp and a PhD in Health Biology from the University of Montpellier. He holds various academic appointments, including roles at the University of Kinshasa, the University of Montpellier, Osaka Metropolitan University, and the University of the Western Cape.

Topic: Ecology and evolution of zoonotic poxviruses under a One Health lens

Dr. Alesandra Scagalini

University of Bologna

Alessandra Scagliarini graduated in Veterinary Medicine, PhD in Epidemiology and Control of Zoonotic Diseases and Full Professor at the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences at the University of Bologna. She is an internationally recognized expert in virology under a one health perspective with more than two decades of continuous research on epitheliotropic and emerging viral infections at the human–animal–environment interface. She is the author of over 150 publications in national and international journals and presentations at national and international conferences.
Her research gave major contributions to the study of the ecology of the zoonotic poxviruses. Through molecular, genomic, and phylogenetic approaches integrated with pathology, her work has generated novel insights into viral evolution, host tropism, and zoonotic potential.
A central component of her scientific profile is the development and validation of innovative diagnostic tools, including molecular assays and point-of-care technologies, aimed at improving viral surveillance and outbreak preparedness. Her research also encompasses antiviral strategies, from in vitro testing to translational applications.
She has coordinated and participated in numerous national and European research projects and is actively involved in One Health networks. In October 2023, she was honored to receive the One Health Award as the best Italian scientist in this field.
From 2020, she is member of the Board of the International Society for Infectious diseases (ISID), associate editor of the IJID – One Health Journal, member of the WHO One Health Working Group on Skin Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and of the Zoonotic poxvirus expert group of the DISCONTOOLS initiative.

Topic: Can we improve the differential efficacy of oral rotavirus vaccines in Africa?

Dr. A. Duncan Steele

Gates Foundation

Duncan Steele is the Deputy Director and Strategic Lead for enteric vaccines in the Enterics, Diagnostics, Genomics and Epidemiology (EDGE) team of the Gates Foundation. He is responsible for an integrated portfolio of vaccine research and development and for implementation strategies for the control of diarrhea and enteric fever in vulnerable populations in endemic countries. He coordinates teams across Vaccine Development and Vaccine Delivery for improved and new vaccines against rotavirus, cholera, typhoid fever, Shigella spp. and Hepatitis E virus.

Before starting at the foundation in October 2011, Dr. Steele was at PATH, a global health non-profit organization, where he worked across multiple diarrhea vaccine-related programs, including the Gavi-funded Rotavirus Vaccine Program focused on disease burden and clinical trials in Africa and Asia; and in vaccine development for new alternative rotavirus vaccines; and for vaccines against ETEC and Shigella. Previously, as a scientist at the Initiative for Vaccine Research, Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, World Health Organization, Steele was responsible for the diarrheal disease vaccines portfolio, where he coordinated a global strategic agenda for vaccine research for the major diarrheal and enteric diseases. Dr. Steele is a South African trained microbiologist with extensive experience in virology and microbiology, especially for diarrheal diseases, and was based at MEDUNSA, now Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University where he has kept a relationship, continuing to mentor postgraduate students. In 1996, he established the world recognized South African MRC Diarrheal Pathogens Research Unit which pioneered rotavirus research on the continent and developed collaborations with African researchers which continues today.

Topic: Application of Epstein-Barr Virus proteome microarrays to characterize humoral immune response and define immune signatures for risk of EBV-associated cancers

Prof. Denise L. Doolan

Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Professor Denise Doolan is the Director of Research and Group Leader at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience. She is a molecular immunologist with expertise in immune-based diagnostics and therapeutics for tropical infectious diseases. Her multidisciplinary research spans the areas of host-pathogen immunity, vaccine engineering, and biomarker discovery, with a focus on the application of systems immunology and high throughput technologies to samples from experimental or natural infection in humans. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, Australian Society of Parasitology, and International Society for Vaccines, in recognition of her contribution to health and medical science in Australia and internationally. Professor Doolan serves on a number of Executive Boards and Advisory Boards, including the Federal Government’s Australian Medical Research Advisory Board (AMRAB) to provide specialist insights into Australia’s medical research and innovation priorities.

Topic: Advances and challenges in the prevention of RSV

Prof. Shabir Madhi

University of the Witwatersrand

Shabir A. Madhi, M.B.B.C.H. (Wits), FCPaeds(SA), Ph.D.
Shabir Madhi is the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor of Vaccinology at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. He also holds the position of Director of the South African Medical Research Council Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit (VIDA) and is co-Director of the African Leadership Initiative for Vaccinology Expertise (ALIVE).
Prof Madhi is an A-rated scientist by the National Research Foundation since 2012 in recognition of his international standing for research on vaccines. He is an internationally recognised for his research on vaccines against life threatening disease in childhood, in pregnant women and against respiratory diseases; and studies on vaccines in people living with HIV. He has published over 700 peer-reviewed articles, with a h-index of 103, and has been ranked in the top 1% of most cited researchers by Clavriate in 2024 and 2025.

Topic: A quest for the development of a universal influenza vaccine in plants.

Dr. Sandiswa Mbewana

University of Cape Town

I am a biotechnology researcher, educator, and research leader specializing in plant-based vaccines and diagnostic reagents. As a Lecturer and Head of the Biopharming Research Unit in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Cape Town, I focus on developing affordable, high-impact biopharmaceutical solutions for developing countries.
My background includes a BSc in Biotechnology (University of the Western Cape), BSc Honors and an MSc in Wine Biotechnology (Stellenbosch University), and a PhD from the University of Cape Town, where I developed plant-based vaccine candidates and diagnostic
reagents for Rift Valley fever virus. I have also held prestigious research fellowships,
including a Carnegie International Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and a Junior Research Fellowship. Currently, I lead projects on plant-based expression of proteins related to Human papillomavirus, African Horse sickness, Avian influenza, Rotavirus, and Rift Valley fever, and
antivirals. I also mentor emerging biotechnologists and support capacity building in molecular biology and biopharming.

Topic: Transmission dynamics of Foot and Mouth Disease Virus, a highly infectious picornavirus at the wildlife-livestock interface in southern Africa.

Dr. Francois Maree

University of Pretoria

I obtained my PhD degree in 2001 at the University of Pretoria focusing on viral protein structures as antigen delivery systems. From 2003 to 2021, I was a Specialist Scientist at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) leading efforts to control one of the most infectious viral diseases known to mankind, through rational vaccine design, surveillance, and transmission studies. I focussed on the development of improved recombinant vaccines against a small, positive-sense RNA virus or picornavirus specific for Africa. My key research contributions include the structural improvement of viral vaccines, developing recombinant antibodies for viral diagnostics, and investigating viral transmission dynamics and persistence in its host. Concurrently, from 2015 to 2021, I served as the WOAH (OIE) designated expert for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in southern Africa. In this role, I investigated outbreaks and reported the regional FMD disease status, and chaired the Global FMD Research Alliance (GFRA). In 2021, I transitioned to Clinglobal holding the positions of Director of Biologics and Infectious Diseases and Director of Clinomics. I am currently a Professor in the Department of Medical Virology at the University of Pretoria.

Topic: HIV transmission and the implications of minor viral populations

Prof. Carolyn Williamson

University of Cape Town

Carolyn Williamson is the Head of Medical Virology at the University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Health Sciences, with a joint appointment at the National Health Laboratory Service. Her research focuses on viral evolution and host–virus interactions, particularly HIV and SARS-CoV-2. In HIV, she has made significant contributions to understanding the molecular mechanisms of transmission and identifying viral traits associated with protection from acquisition, providing critical insights to inform future prevention strategies.

Topic: Disease Surveillance Using Wastewater: From Piloting to Implementation and Integration into
Clinical Case-Based Surveillance Systems in South Africa

Dr Mukhlid Yousif

NICD

Dr Mukhlid Yousif is a medical scientist and Senior Genomics and Public Health Scientist with over 15 Years of experience in molecular virology, bioinformatics, and genomic epidemiology. His research spans hepatitis B virus, HIV drug resistance, measles, rubella, and polio. He co-established the Wastewater Genomics Syndicate at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in South Africa, leading the development and implementation of multi-pathogen wastewater surveillance to inform public health responses.
Dr Yousif has led international collaborations and consortia, received multiple grants, published over 20
peer-reviewed articles, supervised postgraduate students, and works closely with regional and global partners to strengthen diseases surveillance using wastewater across Africa.

Topic: Using salt (water) to treat viral infections. Science behind an ancient remedy

Dr Sandeep Ramalingam

University of Edinburgh

I am a consultant virologist at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and an Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh. I did my MD (Microbiology) and PhD (HIV genotypes in S. IndiaV ) at Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore, India. In 2002, I moved to the UK, further trained at Kings College Hospital, London and Public Health Laboratory Services, Colindale and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists.
In Edinburgh, apart from my clinical work, I train medical, post graduate and MSc students in virology. The in-vitro work presented here was carried out by these students. Together they helped identify a chloride ion dependent innate antiviral mechanism in cells. As I regularly liaise with General Practitioners, my clinical research moved towards treating the common cold. Based on the in-vitro evidence we successfully completed two randomised controlled trials in adults and children with the common cold. I shall present the in-vitro data, how we tested this evidence in two randomised controlled trials to demonstrate the efficacy of a simple homemade intervention to treat the common cold.