NCDI Poverty Network to Co-Sponsor Panel with Scottish Government at Global NCDA Forum
Image courtesy of the NCD Alliance.
The NCDI Poverty Network will have a busy schedule at the 2025 Global NCD Alliance Forum, including co-sponsoring a panel event with the Scottish Government during the February convention in Rwanda.
Titled, “From Intention to Action: Designing & Financing Effective, Accessible, and Fully Integrated NCD Interventions,” the panel discussion will feature speakers including Professor Liz Grant, Director of the Global Health Academy at the University of Edinburgh and chair of the Scottish Government’s International Development Technical Advisory Group; Dr. Gene Bukhman, co-chair of the NCDI Poverty Network; and Dr. Mary Amuyunzu-Nyamongo, founder and director of NCD Alliance Kenya.
Moderating the panel will be Dr. Frederick Kateera, deputy executive director of Partners In Health in Rwanda.
The “Intention to Action” panel features innovative leaders in global health, social policy and NCD interventions from Kenya, Rwanda, Scotland and the U.S.
Panelists will discuss their experiences designing interventions for severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) — such as type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and childhood heart disease — within local and national health systems. Discussion will also focus on how the integrated design of these interventions has facilitated financing and scale. Ultimately, case studies shared by panelists will highlight implications for the wider NCD community’s approach to advocating for increased funding for NCD interventions.
Speaker Bios
Moderator: Dr. Frederick Kateera, Deputy Executive Director, PIH Rwanda
Fredrick Kateera, MD, MSc, PhD, is a medical doctor with postgraduate training in epidemiology, immunology and immunogenetics, and a doctorate in malaria epidemiology. Dr. Kateera has participated in numerous hospital- and community-based research projects in rural settings in Africa.
As the Director of Research for Inshuti Mu Buzima, as global health nonprofit Partners In Health is known in Rwanda, Dr. Kateera oversees all research activities for the organization and outside collaborators, and facilitates adherence to institutional and national research guidelines. Dr. Kateera has over 10 years of experience in clinical care, research implementation and program management in East Africa. His research focuses on determinants of access to care, disease and risk-factor determinants, community-based research design and utilization of health survey tools. He has also served as a Fogarty Global Health Fellow implementing an NIH grant, and has five years experience as a study coordinator on various NIH-funded projects.
Professor Liz Grant, Director, Global Health Academy at the University of Edinburgh
Professor Liz Grant is Director of the Global Health Academy at the University of Edinburgh. She develops and supports global health partnerships in low- and middle-income countries, and builds local and global advocacy translating global health research into action. Liz is co-director of the university’s Global Compassion Initiative, developing work based on the WHO’s Sustainable Development Goals, the science of compassion, and the contributions of faith communities. Liz has led the development of global health MSc programs and online courses, and coordinates the Global Health PhD program, all of which are designed for students from resource-constrained countries. She is co-director of the university’s Family Medicine and Global Health Challenges master’s programs.
She also chairs the Scottish Government’s International Development Technical Advisory Group, and the Research Committee for the Consortium of Universities for Global Health.
Dr. Gene Bukhman, Co-Chair, NCDI Poverty Network
Dr. Gene Bukhman (MD, PhD) is a cardiologist and medical anthropologist who is the founding director of the Center for Integration Science at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, U.S. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine and an Associate Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is also the Senior Health and Policy Advisor on NCDs at Partners In Health (PIH). Between 2010 and 2015, he was the Senior Technical Advisor on NCDs to the Rwanda Ministry of Health. Over the past 15 years, Dr. Bukhman has argued that for those living in extreme poverty, NCDs are best understood as part of the “long tail” of global health equity that demands a new “science of integration.” He has translated this critique into practical delivery strategies such as “PEN-Plus” that are now impacting patients' lives in more than 20 countries. Dr. Bukhman was lead-author and co-chair of the 1996-2020 Lancet Commission on Reframing NCDs and Injuries for the Poorest Billion.
Dr. Mary Amuyunzu-Nyamongo, PhD, Founder and Director, African Institute for Health and Development; Chair, NCD Alliance Kenya
Mary Amuyunzu-Nyamongo, PhD, is the founder, director and technical advisor of the African Institute for Health and Development. She previously worked for the Kenya Medical Research Institute, the African Medical and Research Foundation, the Population Council, and the African Population and Health Research Center.
Dr. Amuyunzu-Nyamongo also chairs the NCD Alliance of Kenya and is vice president of the African region for the International Union for Health Promotion and Education. She also serves on various international committees, including Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) and the Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) of the International Food Policy and Research Institute. She chairs the Advocacy Communication and Social Mobilization Technical Working Group for Neglected Tropical Diseases in the Ministry of Health and holds a similar position for noncommunicable diseases in Kenya.
Dr. François Uwinkindi, Division Manager - NCDs, Rwanda Biomedical Centre
Dr. François Uwinkindi is Division Manager for NCDs at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre. He is a medical doctor with a graduate degree in epidemiology from the University of Rwanda. Dr. Uwinkindi previously served as director of RBC’s cancer unit, from 2015-19, and for more than five years in various positions in Rwanda’s national HIV Control Program. His positions there involved prevention, care and treatment, monitoring and evaluation and clinical research. Before joining Rwanda Biomedical Centre, Dr. Uwinkindi served for two years as a medical officer at Byumba District Hospital.
NCDs will be a huge topic in global health circles in 2025, amid the buildup to the United Nations’ High-Level Meeting on NCDs in September, at the UN General Assembly in New York City. Examining successful NCD interventions and care has global impacts, as national governments and partner organizations seek to mobilize more investment in NCDs. Along with injuries — the “I” in NCDI Poverty Network — NCDs are a leading cause of death worldwide and especially devastating in lower-income countries and communities, where people are doubly burdened by poverty and disease.
Ahead of the UN High-Level Meeting this fall, the Poverty Network is crafting a position statement on the global NCD agenda to advocate for priorities in NCD resources, policies, interventions and integration into health systems.
Attendees at the February forum are welcome to check out the Poverty Network’s panel discussion with the Scottish government and join the dialogue with panelists. The event will be held from 4 to 5:15 p.m. CAT on Feb. 14, in room AD12 of the Kigali Convention Centre.
The Convention Centre will be the hub of the 2025 Global NCD Alliance Forum, with events from Feb. 13 - 15. The forum’s title is “Leadership on NCDs Towards 2025 and Beyond.” The NCDI Poverty Network is a supporter and sponsor of the forum, which is held by the NCD Alliance. Learn more and see the full schedule here.
