Executive Board

Duncan Selbie

President, IANPHI
Former Chief Executive, Public Health England, United Kingdom

Prof. Duncan Selbie has been the president of IANPHI since December 2020. He was the founding chief executive of Public Health England (PHE) from 2013 to 2020 (now the UK Health Security Agency). He has been an Executive Board member of IANPHI since 2016 and has also served as IANPHI Foundation Board trustee and IANPHI treasurer. 

Prior to 2013, he was chief executive of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals, the regional teaching hospital for the south east of England. From 2003 to 2007, he was the director general of Programmes and Performance for the NHS, and subsequently its first director general of Commissioning. Prior to this, he was chief executive of South East London Strategic Health Authority, and before that, chief executive of the South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust.  

Other appointments include honorary professor at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen; honorary professor at Chester University; companion of the Institute of Healthcare Management; honorary fellow of the UK Faculty of Public Health; and chief adviser to the public health authority of Saudi Arabia.

Aamer Ikram

Vice-President, IANPHI
Former Chief Executive Officer, National Institute of Health, Pakistan

Prof Ikram, Vice President IANPHI, is the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute of Health, Pakistan. He holds prestigious international portfolios; currently Chair of the Advisory Board for Training Programs in Epidemiology & Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET); Regional Technical Advisor EMPHNET; member Technical Advisory Group–Biosafety, WHO; Partnership for International Vaccine Initiatives (PIVI); Strategic Council Gulf CDC; International Biosafety & Biosecurity Initiative for Science (IBBIS); Executive Committee Institute of Safety in Technology & Research (ISTR); member of the Governance Committee (ex-member Board) GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance; Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation (APHEA). Previously, he has served on numerous international boards and committees focusing on epidemiology of infectious disease, health security and global public health including Chair Board of International Federation of Biosafety Associations (IFBA); member TAG Health Security Interface WHO; Future Global Health Initiatives (FGHI), Lusaka Agenda Working Group; Global Council International Vaccine Institute. He is a Fellow and Councilor of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences. Currently Advisor Health with Fauji Foundation.

Prof Ikram graduated from Pakistan's Army Medical College in 1987; completed a Diploma in Pathology in 1990; MCPS Clinical Pathology in 1991; Fellowship (FCPS) Microbiology in 1998; clinical training in the UK (2005); and PhD in microbiology from Baqai Medical University, Karachi, in 2014. He holds the Diploma Occupational Safety Health & Environments; Diploma Disaster Management; Certificate in Emerging Infectious Diseases from University of Iowa; and Dual-Use Biosecurity from Bradford University. He attained qualification as Registered Biosafety Professional (RBP) from the American Biological Safety Association (US); Biosafety Professional (BSP) from the Institute of Safety in Technology & Research (UK); and IFBA Certified Professional status. He was awarded FRCP by Royal College Edinburgh (2012); FRCPath by Royal College of Pathologists London (2014); and Fellowship in Public Health from Royal Colleges UK (2018). He is a Fellow and Councilor of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences.

Mika Salminen

Treasurer, IANPHI
Director General, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)

Professor Mika Olavi Salminen, Ph.D., Director General, is a highly experienced public health professional with a strong focus on population-level public health improvement. With a career spanning several decades, he has held multiple leadership positions and demonstrated expertise in infectious disease management and public health policy.

Mika is the Director General of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), a 1300+ FTE and 130+ M€/per annum public health agency reporting to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. He has previously led the Public Health and Welfare department at THL, overseeing public health and welfare initiatives and the Health Security department, responsible for national vaccination programs, infectious disease surveillance systems, microbiological reference laboratories, and environmental health.

Professor Salminen is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Helsinki, a former member of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and currently at EU Commissions DG HERA's scientific Advisory Forum. He is the Chair of the European Space Agency Planetary Protection Working Group. He has published widely on various infectious disease and public health topics.

With a passion for improving health systems and preparedness, Mika actively contributed to the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) initiative. He was intimately involved in developing the WHO led Joint External Evaluation process, fostering strong relationships with relevant organizations such as the WHO, US-CDC, and the World Bank. He led multiple IHR Join External Evaluation missions, including the one in Australia.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Mika played a pivotal role in leading the response efforts at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). In addition to leading the response and situational awareness team, he collaborated closely with then Prime Minister Sanna Marin's office and the entire National Cabinet of Ministers. He engaged with various sectors of society, acting as a major spokesperson for THL and providing crucial information to the public through interviews and regular press conferences. For his achievments, he received multiple awards such as the Presidential Medal First Class of the Order of the Knights of the Finnish White Rose, the Helsinki Medal and the Leader of the Year Award. He is especially proud of being awarded the title of the Caricature figure of the year in 2021.

Mika's extensive experience includes coordinating EU Joint Actions and participating in expert functions covering multiple areas within the ECDC's mandate. He possesses a deep understanding of the EU Commission's structures and workings, particularly in relation to DG SANTE and DG HERA, through his close interaction with the ECDC and other EU agencies.

Privately Mika enjoys travelling, boating and repairing an old summerhouse in the Finnish archipelago. He is a cross-country skier and does his commuting to work by bicycle whenever it is possible. He communicates fluently in Swedish, Scandinavian, Finnish and English, and can understand German.

André van der Zande

Immediate Past President, IANPHI
Former Director General, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, The Netherlands

André van der Zande is the former director general of the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). He serves as president of IANPHI between 2018 and 2020, after serving as vice president of the organization. He studied biology at Leiden University and graduated with distinction in 1976. In 1984 he was awarded his Ph.D. from the same university on the subject of the field of tension between recreation and bird conservation.

From 1986 onwards he managed various large knowledge institutes in Wageningen, among them Alterra. He was a part-time professor of Spatial Planning and Cultural History under the Belvedère programme at Wageningen University (2005-2009).

In 2002 André Van der Zande made the changeover to the former Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (Ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit, LNV). Until 2007 he was director-general at the LNV, and his responsibilities included agricultural policy, nature and biodiversity, manure policy and general environmental policy. In 2007 he became secretary-general there, until the merger of the LNV with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Hongbing Shen

Director General, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, China

Prof. Shen obtained his MS in epidemiology from Nanjing Medical University (NMU) in 1989 and PhD in epidemiology from Shanghai Medical University in 1999, then continued his 3-year study as a senior visiting scholar at the Department of Epidemiology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in the United States.

From 2002 he served as the vice dean, dean of school of public health of NMU, and in 2014 became the president of the University. In April 2021, he was named as deputy director of newly established National Administration of Disease Control and Prevention and was appointed concurrently as the director general of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in July 2022.

Prof. Shen has been engaged in epidemiological research for over 30 years. His research interest focuses on cancer epidemiology, prevention and treatment strategies for high-risk populations, birth cohort, and health and medical big data sciences, and has made remarkable contributions to enhancing cancer prediction and precision prevention. Prof. Shen has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers in international journals and has been awarded several science and technology awards, such as the Second Prize of National Natural Science of China, and the Ho Leung Ho Lee Science and Technology Progress Award.

Vivian Kourí Cardellá

General Director, Institute of Tropical Medicine "Pedro Kouri" (IPK), Cuba

Graduated as a Doctor of Medicine in 1991, Dr. Vivian Kourí Cardelláshe studied the specialty of Microbiology. She has a master's in Virology and in Infectious Diseases, a PhD in Medical Sciences, and a Second Doctorate in Sciences. She has a Diploma in Public Administration. She is a Professor and Senior Researcher and is a member of the Cuban Society of Microbiology, Cuban Society of Immunology, International AIDS Society, member of the JCB of TDR-WHO, and IANPHI. She is also a member of the Cuban Academy of Sciences. She has participated in 108 scientific events and has represented Cuba in meetings with international organizations. She has conducted more than 80 scientific projects, 17 of them with international organizations. For more than 30 years she has actively participated in the surveillance of viral infections and combating epidemics (Dengue, Influenza, Adenovirus, Zika, SARS CoV-2, Mpox). Her main lines of research and interest are Infectious Diseases, Epidemics and Pandemics preparedness, Microbiology, Virology, STIs, HIV, SARS-CoV-2, Molecular Epidemiology, and Genomic Surveillance of pathogens.

Eduardo Samo Gudo

Director General of the National Institute of Health, Mozambique

Dr Gudo is a Medical Doctor with over 20 years’ experience in Public Health. He holds a PhD in Immunology and Virology since 2012 and a Senior Post-Doctoral training through a fellowship of the European Foundation Initiative for African Research into Neglected Tropical Diseases between 2015 and 2018. Dr Gudo is currently the General Director of the National Institute of Health in Mozambique (MOZ-NPHI). Prior to this, he occupied the following positions at the MOZ-NPHI: Deputy General Director between 2018 and early 2023, Scientific Director between 2014 and 2018 and Head of Department of Reference Laboratory Services between 2010 and 2014. Dr. Gudo is a lead researcher on Emerging Virus Diseases and Climate Change and Health, with nearly 90 publications in medical peer review journals. During COVID-19 pandemic, he served as the deputy chair of national task force for COVID19 response and led surveillance activities in response to major health emergencies in Mozambique, including in response to the most devastating extreme climate events. At the international level, Dr. Gudo is currently serving as the Chair of the Advisory and Technical Council of Africa CDC and a member of the Lancet Commission for Sustainable Health in the subject matter of Climate Change and Health. Between 2012 and 2017, he served as the Governing Board member of ASLM.

Youngmee Jee

Commissioner, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA)

Dr Youngmee Jee is Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Prior to this position, Dr. Jee was Chief Executive Officer of Institute Pasteur Korea (2021-2022) and served the KDCA as the Director-General of the Center for Infectious Disease Research (2017-2019) and the Center for Immunology and Pathology (2014- 2017).

From 2007 to 2014, Dr. Jee worked as a Regional Coordinator for the Expanded Programme on Immunization in the WHO Western Pacific Region after ten years as a public health expert at the National Institute of Health in the Republic of Korea.

During the MERS-CoV outbreak in 2015, Dr. Jee was a member of the WHO-Korea Joint Mission on MERS-CoV Outbreak in the Republic of Korea, and in 2017, was assigned the role of the National Lead for the WHO IHR Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of the Republic of Korea's Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response.

Dr Jee has expert knowledge in infectious diseases and In June 2024, she was appointed as a member of The Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme. She has served on various WHO advisory boards, including the WHO International Health Regulation Emergency Committee on COVID-19, the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization, the WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Blueprint on Research and Development Preparedness for Epidemics. She also served as a member of the Korea National Immunization Technical Advisory Group, a Board of Trustees member of the International Vaccine Institute, and Chairperson of the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases.

Dr Jee graduated from the Seoul National University Medical School with PhD in Virology from the University of London. In 2017, she received the President's Medal of Distinguished Service.

Lars Schaade

President of the Robert Koch Institute, Germany

Prof. Dr. Lars Schaade is the President of the Robert Koch Institute since April 2023. From 2011 until March 2023, he was the institute’s Vice President. In addition, he is the head of the institute's Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens since 2010. Prior to joining the Robert Koch Institute, Schaade lead the communicable disease unit in the German Federal Ministry of Health from 2007 to 2010 and was an advisor for the same unit from 2002 to 2007. He has also held positions in science and clinical medicine at the University Göttingen, the Clinical Centre Kassel, and the RWTH Aachen University. Schaade received his doctorate in medicine in 1994. Since 2000, he is board certified for microbiology and infectious disease epidemiology. He was appointed as a university lecturer (Habilitation) for medical microbiology and virology at the RWTH Aachen University in 2003 and as an adjunct professor at the Charité University Medicine Berlin in 2017.

Tracey Cooper

Chief Executive, Public Health Wales, United Kingdom (Wales)

Dr. Tracey Cooper, an experienced Chief Executive, has had the privilege of leading two diverse, high-profile national agencies in two different countries over the last sixteen years. With significant expertise in public health, health and social care regulation, and health system reform, Dr. Tracey Cooper excels in leading transformations within organizations and delivering complex services.

Boasting extensive experience both nationally and internationally, Dr. Tracey Cooper has collaborated with partners across organizational boundaries, developing strong, effective, and purposeful relationships to transform outcomes for populations. She works closely with Ministers and senior officials at both national and international levels, spanning the breadth of government.

Dr. Tracey Cooper's active involvement in global health spans two decades, including impactful contributions to the World Health Organization (WHO), International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI), the Commonwealth Secretariat, and the InterAction Council. Serving as the President of the International Society for Quality in Health Care, Dr. Tracey Cooper has been a key advisor to governments in various countries, shaping healthcare policies and practices for positive change.

Abderrahmane Maaroufi

Director, Pasteur Institute of Morocco

Prof. Abderrahmane Maaroufi, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, and Director of Institut Pasteur du Maroc (National Public Health Institute). Professor Maaroufi is a Medical Doctor, finished the residency program in Infectious Diseases at Medical School of Casablanca from 1992 to 1998, He holds a Master Degree in Public Health form the University of Montreal (Canada) in 1996, He passed the comprehensive exam of PhD Program in Epidemiology at The University of Montrealin 1999, He holds a Master Degree in Management and Administration of Health Organizations from the University of Strasbourg (France) in 2020 and a diploma on Health policies and systems analysis from the Institute of Tropical Medicine of Antwerp ( Belgium) in 20217.

Prof. Maaroufi is the Head of the department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine (Morocco) from 2005, Director of Epidemiology and Disease Control of Programs at the Ministry of Health from 2013 to 2018, Director of the National School of Public Health from 2005 to 2012, Country Focal Point of Africa CDC from 2019 and member Advisory and Technical Council of the Africa CDC. Prof Maaroufi is representative of North Africa Region at the Board of Directors of African Society of Laboratory Medecine (ASLM) and hold the position of representative of Euro Mediterranean region at the Board of Directors of Pasteur Network Association.

Currently, Prof Maaroufi is the coordinator of the Moroccan project of development, local manufacturing and distribution of vaccines and biotechnological products through the model of Public Private Partnership. He has participated to many expertise missions of expertise with WHOand other international organizations. He is the founder of the Field Epidemiology Training Program in Morocco and the Moroccan Public Health Journal. Prof Maaroufi is co-author of many scientific publications. He is laureate of the ¨ Rising Star Award ¨, delivered by US CDC d'Atlanta and laureate of the scholarship of excellence of the Canadian Francophonie Scholarship Program, delivered by the Canadian Government.

Mesay Hailu Dangisso

Director General, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Ethiopia

Dr. Mesay Hailu Dangisso is currently leading the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) and serving as an Executive Member of the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, he oversees the largest, most complex, and oldest public health institute in Africa. In addition to these roles, he holds positions as a board member of the Ethiopian Science Academy, the Ethiopian Antidoping Authority, and chairs the board of directors of the Furra Institute of Education and Development Studies in Ethiopia. As a distinguished researcher, public health specialist, and leader, Dr. Mesay Hailu Dangisso has steered various academic and public institutions in Ethiopia. Before joining EPHI, he served as Vice President and Senate Executive Committee member at Hawassa University, one of the top universities in Ethiopia. He also took on the roles of Chief Administrative and Business Development Director, as well as Associate Professor of Public Health and Epidemiology at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences. As a member of the Advisory and Technical Council for the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Mesay Hailu Dangisso is recognized for outstanding service. He remains affiliated with Hawassa University and serves as an Associate Professor of Public Health Epidemiology. Dr. Mesay Hailu Dangisso earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Hawassa University, a Master’s of Public Health from Jimma University, and a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Bergen, Norway. Dr. Mesay Hailu Dangisso continues to contribute significantly to the advancement of public health in Ethiopia.

Caroline Semaille

Director General, Santé publique France (SpF)

Caroline Semaille is a practicing hospital doctor in public health and an infectious diseases specialist with a postgraduate qualification in research. She has over 20 years of professional experience in French health safety agencies (SpF, ANSM, Anses) and has devoted most of her professional career to the field of infectious diseases and protecting populations from the risks they face. She became Director General of Sante Publique France on February 23, 2023.

Over the course of her career, Caroline Semaille has spent more than 10 years contributing to the fight against HIV/AIDS and to the management of a number of international health crises, including H1N1, SARS, MERS-CoV, Ebola and COVID-19.

From April 2021 to February 2023, she worked at the ANSM (National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products), as Deputy Director General for Operation. She directed and coordinated the work of all the medical and business divisions responsible for access to and safety of healthcare products, in order to serve patients, alongside healthcare professionals and in consultation with their respective representatives.

From 2019 to 2021, as Deputy Director General of the regulated products division at the ANSES (French National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety), she coordinated all the divisions responsible for evaluating and issuing marketing authorizations for veterinary medicinal products, plant protection products and biocidal products, and strengthened phytopharmacoviogilance.

From 2013 to 2019, she was Director of Products at ANSM, in charge of vaccines, anti-infectives and products used in rare metabolic diseases, dermatology, hepato-gastro-enterology and gene therapy.

In 2000, in parallel with her clinical work, she joined the Institut de Veille Sanitaire (now Santé publique France) as a medical epidemiologist. Two years later, she became head of the unit responsible for monitoring HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and hepatitis until 2013.

She has also been a member of the coordinated actions of the ANRS and the High Council for Public Health, national health plans, and participated to the National Commission on Ethics and Public Health and Environmental Alerts. She has carried out numerous humanitarian missions on behalf of Doctors of the World, among others, and worked as a hospital clinician for over 10 years.

Abdullah Algwizani

Chief Executive Officer, Saudi Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Saudi Arabia

Dr. Abdullah Algwizani joined the Saudi Center for Disease Prevention and Control (formerly Saudi Public Health Authority) from its inception as the founding chief executive in 2018. Reporting to the minister of Health, Dr. Algwizani is responsible for achieving the organization’s goal to protect and improve the health of the population in the kingdom. He is passionate about supporting the development of a nation that lives longer and healthier. He envisages the success of this mission as a joint endeavor across and beyond the healthcare system.

As a published researcher with a medical background in infectious diseases and as a practicing consultant, Dr. Algwizani has held many key positions. He was the director of Infection Prevention and Control at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital. In addition, he is part of several national and international memberships on a wide range of committees such as public health, dengue control, vaccines and biological medicine. 

He has also represented the country at international forums, including the World Health Assembly, Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Steering Committee and is the Anti-Microbial Resistance Champion for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the G20.

Aamer Ikram

Strategic Adviser, IANPHI

Dr. Ikram is a physician with expertise in the fields of biosafety, biosecurity and infection control. Dr Ikram is a Fellow of Pakistan Academy of Sciences and the former Executive Director of the National Institute of Health in Pakistan. 

Jean-Claude Desenclos

Strategic Adviser, IANPHI

Dr. Jean-Claude Desenclos is a public health epidemiologist. He was secretary general of IANPHI between 2016 and 2021. Until recently he was also deputy director for Scientific Affairs at Santé publique France, the French public health agency. He previously worked for Médecins Sans Frontières and Epicentre, an NGO dedicated to epidemiological studies in low-income countries created by MSF before joining the Epidemic Intelligence Service program of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1988. He then joined the Réseau National de Santé Publique (French national public health network) in 1991, which then became the Institut de Veille Sanitaire (InVS). Dr. Desenclos was the head of the InVS Infectious Diseases Department before becoming scientific director of InVS and then Santé public France. Dr. Desenclos is currently an associate editor for the European Journal of Epidemiology, and a member of the COVID-19 scientific committee of the French Agency for Research on HIV, Hepatitis, Tuberculosis and Emerging Infection (ANRS-MIE).

Quentin Sandifer

Strategic Adviser, IANPHI

Dr. Quentin Sandifer OBE was nominated in 2021 as strategic adviser to IANPHI by the IANPHI Executive Board. In this role, he supports the collaboration between the IANPHI Europe Regional Network and WHO Europe; the chair and vice chair of the Europe network, and to the IANPHI Executive Board and Secretariat. Between 2014 and 2020 he served as the executive lead representing Public Health Wales in IANPHI. In 2019 he became the first chair of the Europe network. In this role he focused on building a relationship with WHO Europe and contributed to the IANPHI COVID-19 Webinar Series. 

Dr. Sandifer served as executive director of Public Health Services and medical director of Public Health Wales between 2012 and 2020. After retiring in November 2020, he returned in 2021 as a consultant adviser on Pandemic and International Health. At Public Health Wales he led the directorate responsible for the provision of all national screening programs, health protection and microbiology services, and public health emergency planning and response for the population of Wales. In 2020, he served as the strategic director for Public Health Wales’ response to COVID-19.

Dr. Sandifer has practiced public health for almost 30 years and before that spent eight years working in hospital medicine and family practice in the UK and Canada. Besides his medical and public health degrees, he holds an executive MBA from Columbia University and London Business School.