Members

International Task Force for Disease Eradication

Current Task Force Members 

Kashef Ijaz, M.D., M.P.H. (Chair, 2021–Present; Member, 2020–Present)
Vice President for Health Programs
The Carter Center

Dr. Kashef Ijaz was previously the principal deputy director in the Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He served as deputy director for science and programs in the Center for Global Health and chief of the Tuberculosis Field Services and Evaluation Branch in the National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention. He helped lead the CDC’s responses to the West Africa Ebola epidemic of 2014-16, the MERS-CoV outbreak of 2013-14, and the H1N1 pandemic of 2009. A public health physician by training, Ijaz began his career as a medical epidemiologist at the Arkansas Department of Health, where he worked with marginalized rural populations at the state, local, and community levels. He has worked extensively in Asia, Africa, and across the developing world on malaria, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases. 

J. Peter Figueroa, B.Sc., M.B.B.S., D.P.H., Ph.D. (2017–Present)
Professor of Public Health, Epidemiology, and HIV/AIDS
The University of the West Indies, Jamaica 

Dr. J. Peter Figueroa is a professor of public health, epidemiology, and HIV/AIDS at The University of the West Indies in Mona, Jamaica, where he has led the development of a Doctor of Public Health program. He was the national epidemiologist in Jamaica and led the National HIV/STI Program for more than 20 years. He also served as chief medical officer. He is chair of the Pan American Health Organization’s Technical Advisory Group on Immunization, and he was a member of WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE). Figueroa is part of the WHO working group on COVID-19 vaccines and a member of the UNAIDS scientific expert panel. He has published widely on communicable diseases, HIV/ STIs, HTLV-1, and public health. Figueroa has received many awards for his work, including a WHO award for global health leadership in 2019.

Donald R. Hopkins, M.D., M.P.H. (Chair, 2001–2016; Member, 2001–Present)
Special Advisor, Guinea Worm Eradication
The Carter Center

Dr. Donald R. Hopkins served as the former vice president for health programs at The Carter Center. He first joined the Center in 1987 as the senior consultant for the health programs, where he led the Center’s efforts to eradicate Guinea worm disease and river blindness. Hopkins’ professional experience includes serving as deputy director and acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He was an assistant professor of tropical public health at Harvard School of Public Health, and he participated the Smallpox Eradication Program in Sierra Leone, India, and Ethiopia. He also co-chaired the 1997 Dahlem Conference in Berlin. Hopkins served as the Project Director for the first International Task Force for Disease Eradication. He is board certified in both pediatrics and public health. Hopkins has been a member of seven United States delegations to the World Health Assembly.

Farida Al Hosani, M.B.B.S., Dr.P.H. (2026)
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Global Institute for Disease Elimination

Dr. Farida Al Hosani is a physician and public health leader specializing in infectious disease control and pandemic preparedness. She currently serves as deputy chief executive officer of the Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE), where she supports global efforts to eliminate infectious diseases such as malaria, polio, lymphatic filariasis, and river blindness through research, partnerships, and capacity-building initiatives. Prior to joining GLIDE, Al Hosani played a key role in establishing the Abu Dhabi Public Health Center in 2019 and served as executive director of the communicable diseases sector, where she oversaw national programs in communicable disease prevention, environmental health, and public health preparedness. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she served as the official spokesperson for the United Arab Emirates health sector and helped guide the country’s public health response and vaccination strategy. Al Hosani has also contributed to global health policy through her appointment to the World Health Organization’s Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework Advisory Group, advising the WHO director-general on strategies for pandemic readiness and response. Her research interests include infectious disease surveillance, outbreak response, and the application of innovation and data systems to strengthen public health programs.

Dr. Osamu Kunii, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H. (2026)
Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director
Global Health Innovation Technology Fund

Dr. Osamu Kunii is the CEO and Executive Director at the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund. He previously held roles with UNICEF and the Global Fund, where he developed a track record for collaboration in his work with numerous global health partners. At the Global Fund, Dr. Kunii heads the Strategy, Investment, and Impact division, where he served as a Management Executive Committee member of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. As a Professor of Global Health Nagasaki University Research Institute of Topical Medicine and Deputy Director of Center of International Collaborative Research, he led research across diverse settings on infectious
disease among a range of other global health topics. He also served as Assistant Director of the Economic Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and met President Carter at Carter Center, Atlanta. Prior to pivoting towards global health work, Dr. Kunii worked as an internal medicine physician in Japan. He completed his medical degree at Jichi Medical University, a Master of Public Health at Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Epidemiology at the University of Tokyo.

Patrick Lammie, Ph.D. (2022–Present)
Director
Neglected Tropical Diseases Support Center
The Task Force for Global Health

Patrick Lammie provides technical guidance and strategic oversight for the Coalition for Operational Research on Neglected Tropical Diseases, an operational research portfolio that the NTD support center manages on behalf of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, and UKAid. He is a former senior staff scientist in the Disease Elimination and Control Group in the Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where his research was focused on lymphatic filariasis and integrated serosurveillance. He continues to support efforts to develop new tools and strategies to monitor and evaluate filariasis and other NTDs. Lammie served on the WHO’s NTD Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group and on the Regional Program Review Groups for PAHO, AFRO, SEARO, and WPRO. He is currently serving as chair of WHO’s NTD Diagnostic and Technical Advisory Group and as the co-chair for the Strategic Technical Advisory Group on Disease Elimination for PAHO.

Kim Lindblade, Ph.D. (2022–Present)
Director of Research
Indiana University Center for Global Health

Kim Lindblade is the director of research at the Indiana University Center for Global Health. Previously, she was the technical director for the President’s Malaria Initiative Insights Project and senior technical advisor to the Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases department of PATH in Geneva. As former head of the Malaria Elimination Unit for the World Health Organization, she oversaw the development of the first WHO malaria elimination guidelines, supported countries in all regions of the world to eliminate malaria, and edited the report of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group on Malaria Eradication. Lindblade supported control of influenza in Thailand and Lao, and she assisted in the interruption of transmission of Ebola in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. She supported the Ministry of Health of Guatemala to eliminate onchocerciasis and monitor for emerging infectious diseases. She also led operational research efforts for malaria at the CDC-KEMRI program in Kenya and at the CDC Malaria Branch.

Daniel Ngamije Madandi, M.D., M.P.H. (2026)
Malaria and Tropical Diseases Department 
Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Care Division
World Health Organization

Dr. Daniel Ngamije Madandi is a physician specializing in malaria control and global health policy. He joined the World Health Organization as director of the Global Malaria Programme in 2023, where he leads global efforts to reduce malaria burden and accelerate progress toward malaria elimination. Before this role, Ngamije served as Rwanda’s minister of health from 2020 to 2022, overseeing the country’s Health Sector Strategic Plan and leading the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, he worked with the WHO Rwanda country office as national program officer for malaria and neglected tropical diseases, providing technical support to national control programs. Ngamije has more than two decades of experience in Rwanda’s health system, including coordinating the country’s National Malaria Control Program and leading large donor-funded health initiatives through the Ministry of Health. He has also contributed to global health governance as former co-chair of the Pandemic Fund and as a member of the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, which monitors global readiness for health emergencies.

David Molyneux, Ph.D., D.Sc. (2001–Present)
Professor of Tropical Health Sciences
Department of Parasitology
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

David Molyneux is the former director of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. He is a member of the WHO Expert Panel on Parasitic Diseases and former president of the British Society of Parasitology and the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. He is also a member of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Group of the World Bank/UNDP/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases and a member of the International Commission for the Certification of Dracunculiasis Eradication. Molyneux is the former chair on the Expert Advisory Committee, Onchocerciasis Control Programme and was the executive secretary for the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis. He has been involved in several initiatives on the impact of change on vectors and disease distribution and contributed to books on biodiversity and infectious diseases for Harvard Medical School and the U.N. Millennium Assessment.

Dr. Yogan Pillay, Ph.D. (2026)
Director, HIV and TB Delivery
Gates Foundation

Dr. Yogan Pillay serves as the director for HIV and TB Delivery at the Gates Foundation. He has contributed to HIV and TB work across a number or organizations, including co-chairing the HIV treatment guidelines committee at the WHO and serving as a member of the TB Alliance advisory board. Prior to joining the Gates Foundation in 2023, Dr. Pillay was the South Africa country director and senior director for universal health coverage at the Clinton Health Access Initiative. Previously, he worked as deputy director-general of health in South Africa’s Department of Health. In this role, he helped expand vaccine coverage, contraception access, and strengthen TB and HIV programs, among other health initiatives. Dr. Pillay was awarded Fulbright and Kellog scholarships and earned his Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Ana Morice Trejos, M.D., M.P.H., M.Sc. (2019–Present)
Pediatrician/Epidemiologist
Independent Consultant

Dr. Ana Morice Trejos is the former technical director of the Costa Rican Institute for Research and Training in Health and Nutrition and vice-minister of health in Costa Rica. An international consultant who’s worked with PAHO, WHO, and CDC, she’s been responsible for implementing measles and rubella elimination strategies and developing the regional protocol to verify measles, rubella, and congenital rubella syndrome elimination in the Americas. She has international experience in designing tools and training for monitoring coverage of public health interventions, data quality assessment, planning and microplanning for immunization service delivery and mass drug administration to eliminate neglected tropical diseases.

Corine Ngufor, Ph.D. (2026)
Associate Professor of Medical Entomology
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Corine Ngufor is a medical entomologist focusing on malaria vector control and the development of new tools to address insecticide-resistant mosquitoes. She is an associate professor at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, where she leads research on innovative vector control interventions to reduce malaria transmission. Based in Benin, Ngufor directs the CREC/LSTM Collaborative Research Program. Her work spans the full pipeline of vector control product evaluation, from early laboratory testing to large, randomized field trials, and she has led projects supported by global partners including the World Health Organization, the Global Fund, and the Innovative Vector Control Consortium. Ngufor also contributes to global malaria policy through advisory roles supporting the development and evaluation of new vector control strategies. 

Dr. Samir Sodha, M.D., M.P.H. (2026)
Acting Division Director, Global Immunization Division
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Dr. Sodha joined CDC in 2006 as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer and has spent much of his career working in global immunization, field epidemiology, and health systems strengthening. He first joined CDC’s Global Immunization Division in 2010, working on routine immunization and eventually serving as team lead. From 2014 to 2018, Dr. Sodha served in the CDC India office as Resident Advisor to the India Epidemic Intelligence Service Program, where he mentored more than 100 outbreak investigations and helped expand field epidemiology training across India, including training for polio surveillance medical officers. From 2018 to 2023, he was detailed to the World Health
Organization headquarters in Geneva, where his work with the Essential Programme on Immunization focused on reaching zero-dose children, strengthening immunization and health systems, and supporting global immunization recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Sodha returned to CDC’s Global Immunization Division in 2023, serving as Principal Deputy Director before becoming Acting Division Director in July 2026. Dr. Sodha
earned his MD from the UCLA School of Medicine and his MPH in International Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed residency training in internal medicine and pediatrics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. 

Faisal Sultan, M.B.B.S. (2021-Present)
Chief Executive Officer and Consultant Physician
Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Center, Pakistan

Dr. Faisal Sultan served as the Pakistan prime minister’s focal person on COVID-19 and as the special assistant to the prime minister on national health services, regulation, and coordination. He graduated from King Edward Medical College in Lahore. Sultan is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine in the specialties of internal medicine and infectious disease. He is also a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan. Sultan was an examiner in infectious diseases for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan and has authored multiple publications. He has also served as a member of advisory committees for various organizations, including the Punjab Healthcare Commission, National AIDS Control Program, Pakistan Medical Research Council, University of Health Science of Pakistan, and the School of Biological Sciences at the University of the Punjab. 

Dr. Dyann Wirth, Ph.D., M.A. (2001–Present)
Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases
Director of Harvard Malaria Initiative
Harvard School of Public Health

Dr. Wirth is the former chair of the WHO/UNDP/World Bank Tropical Disease Research Steering Committee on Drugs for Malaria. She is the recipient of the Burroughs Welcome Award in Molecular Parasitology. She is the immediate past president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and the present chair of Harvard’s Division of Biological Sciences. Dr. Wirth’s research has focused on the Leishmania parasite, for which her laboratory has previously developed a transfection system. Recently, Dr. Wirth’s lab developed an analogous transfection system for the malaria parasite. By analyzing
these two protozoan systems in parallel, she hopes both to understand the mechanism of drug resistance in protozoan parasites and to use this information to develop new approaches to either preventing or reversing drug resistance in these organisms.

Updated June 2, 2026