Francisca Mutapi

Health | Zimbabwe

2021 New Voices Fellow

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Prof. Francisca Mutapi is an award winning global health expert empowering African scientists and policymakers to tackle infectious diseases and improve epidemic preparedness prioritizing local needs and solutions. She holds a Chair in Global Health infection and Immunity at the University of Edinburgh where she is the Deputy Director of the TIBA (Tackling Infections to Benefit Africa) Partnership. She leads collaborative transformative research developing and deploying infectious disease diagnostic tools and interventions across the continent, especially in places with limited infrastructure or resources. Her work has led to health improvements for over 50 million African children. She is helping shape research and training in Africa directly through research, as a thought leader and through independent advisory board membership. She sits on various funding committees, technical and strategic advisory boards including the WHO Africa Regional Director’s Advisory Board, the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Science Advisory Group and the board of Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases. She chairs the WHO African Region Monitoring COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness (AFRO-MoVE) network strategic advisory group. She is a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Zimbabwe Academy of Sciences and is a 2021 TED Fellow and Senior Aspen New Voices Fellow. She is also a writer, an award winning visual artist and founder of Mwenje Wedu Foundation whose aim is to enable children and youth in Zimbabwe to reach their full potential through providing scholarships, training, social enterprise and creating an enabling learning environment.