International Conference on PHC Agenda with session timings
Collaborate with the global health community for the best PHC outcomes
Date/Time
Opening Ceremony Agenda
08:20-08:30
- Skylight
08:30 - 08:40
Dr. Lia Tadesse Gebremedhin, is serving as Minister of Health of Ethiopia since March 2020. Prior to this appointment, Lia served as State Minister of Health from November 2018. Before that, she served as the Program Director at the University of Michigan's Center for International Reproductive Health Training, was CEO and Vice Provost in St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College in Addis Ababa, and Project Director of USAID's Maternal and Child Survival Program at Jhpiego-Ethiopia. Dr. Lia’s passion is strengthening and reforming health systems and has received recognition for her accomplishments in fighting the covid-19 pandemic, advocacy for gender equity, access to quality health services and training. Dr. Lia is currently co-chair of the COVAX AMC Engagement Group and of the Global Financing Facility (GFF). Dr. Lia earned her medical degree from Jimma University, specialty training in Obstetrics and Gynecology from Addis Ababa University, and a Master’s Degree in Health Care Administration from Jimma University. Lia Tadesse Gebremedhin has served in the Health Sector for over 20 years.
- Skylight
08:40 - 08:50
Dr. Ellen J. MacKenzie is the 11th Dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the world’s oldest and largest independent school of public health. Dean MacKenzie leads an organisation that includes 875 full-time faculty working in over 60 countries and teaching more than 3,500 students from 97 nations. A leading injury prevention and trauma services research expert, Dean MacKenzie was named a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in 2017, recognizing her interdisciplinary work in trauma care and rehabilitation. She founded the Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC), a national network of more than 50 civilian and military trauma centers. She has held key leadership positions at the Bloomberg School including Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management, Director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. She has joint appointments in the Department of Biostatistics and the School of Medicine’s departments of Orthopaedics, Physical Medicine Rehabilitation and Emergency Medicine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named Dean MacKenzie one of 20 leaders and visionaries who have had a transformative effect on the field of violence and injury prevention in the past 20 years. In 2018, Dean MacKenzie was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. She has authored more than 240 publications. Dean MacKenzie received a BA in Mathematics from Douglass College – Rutgers University and a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy from the Department of Biostatistics at the Bloomberg School.
- Skylight
08:50 - 09:00
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was elected WHO Director-General for a five-year term by WHO Member States at the Seventieth World Health Assembly in May 2017, and was re- elected to a second term in May 2022 during the Seventy-Fifth World Health Assembly. Dr Tedros was the first WHO Director-General elected from among multiple candidates by the World Health Assembly, and was the first person from the WHO African Region to head the world’s leading public health agency. Born in the Eritrean city of Asmara, Dr Tedros graduated from the University of Asmara with a Bachelor of Biology, before earning a Master of Science (MSc) in Immunology of Infectious Diseases from the University of London, a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Community Health from the University of Nottingham and an Honorary Fellowship from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Following his studies, Dr Tedros returned to Ethiopia to support the delivery of health services, first working as a field-level malariologist, before heading a regional health service and later serving in Ethiopia’s federal government for over a decade as Minister of Health and Minister of Foreign Affairs. As Minister of Health from 2005 to 2012, he led a comprehensive reform of the country’s health system, built on the foundation of universal health coverage and provision of services to all people, even in the most remote areas. Under his leadership, Ethiopia expanded its health infrastructure, developed innovative health financing mechanisms, and expanded its health workforce. A major component of reforms he drove was the creation of a primary health care extension programme that deployed 40 000 female health workers throughout the country. A significant result was an approximate 60% reduction in child and maternal mortality compared to 2000 levels. As Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2012 to 2016, he elevated health as a political issue nationally, regionally and globally. In this role, he led efforts to negotiate the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, in which 193 countries committed to the financing necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to his election as Director-General of WHO, Dr Tedros held many leadership positions in global health, including as Chair of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, Chair of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, and Co-chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Board. After taking office as WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros initiated the most significant transformation in the Organization’s history, which has generated a wide range of achievements.
- Skylight
09:00 - 09:10
Aboubacar Kampo is a seasoned humanitarian professional who has worked in various countries and held several leadership positions in the field of health and development. He is currently serving as a Representative at UNICEF Ethiopia since January 2023. Previously, he served as the Director of Program Health at UNICEF in New York, United States; Representative of UNICEF in Afghanistan, and in Côte D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). Aboubacar Kampo has also held several other leadership positions at UNICEF, including Chief of Health in Nigeria, and Chief YCSD in Zimbabwe. He started his career at UNICEF as a Health Specialist in the Greater New York City Area. Before joining UNICEF, Aboubacar Kampo worked as a Country Manager at International Medical Corps in Afghanistan, and as a Roving Technical Advisor in Washington D.C. He also served as an EHA Focal Point at the World Health Organization in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and as a Country Medical Director and Project Coordinator at Merlin in Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo respectively. With his extensive experience and expertise in the field of health and development, Aboubacar Kampo has played a crucial role in improving the lives of vulnerable communities around the world.
- Skylight
09:10 - 09:20
Dr. Atul Gawande is the Assistant Administrator for Global Health. He is a renowned surgeon, writer, and public health leader. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, he was a practising general and endocrine surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He was founder and chair of Ariadne Labs, a joint center for health systems innovation, and of Lifebox, a nonprofit making surgery safer globally. He also co-founded CIC Health, a public benefit corporation supporting pandemic response operations nationally, and served as a member of the Biden transition COVID-19 Advisory Board. From 2018-2020, he was CEO of Haven, the Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase healthcare venture. In addition, Atul was a longtime staff writer for The New Yorker magazine and has written four New York Times best-selling books: Complications, Better, The Checklist Manifesto, and Being Mortal. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the winner of two National Magazine Awards, AcademyHealth’s Impact Award for highest research impact on healthcare, a MacArthur Fellowship, and the Lewis Thomas Award for writing about science.
- Skylight
09:10 - 09:20
Professor Senait Fisseha is a globally recognized leader in reproductive health & rights. An attorney and a physician, her ability to bring the advocacy, practitioner, and policymaking communities together has fundamentally shifted global conversations around access to reproductive and maternal health services. She currently serves as the Vice President of Global Programs at the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, as well as Chief Advisor to the Director General of the World Health Organization. An Obstetrician and Gynecologist specialist, previously Prof Fisseha was Chief of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility at the University of Michigan, Medical Director of University of Michigan’s Center for Reproductive Medicine and founding Executive Director of the Center for International Reproductive Health Training (CIRHT). She also co-directed the Medical School’s Path of Excellence in Global Health & Disparities. She was included in the 100 Most Influential Africans for 2018 by New African magazine and the 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy (2019) and top forty most forward-thinking women (2020) by Athena40. She has also received the Ethiopian Ministry of Health’s highest award; University of Michigan’s Bicentennial Alumni Award; the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine; and the 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award from Southern Illinois University.
- Skylight
09:10 - 09:20
- Skylight
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Resilient Primary Health Care: The Foundation of Universal Health Coverage
In The Era of Sustainable Development Goals
Skylight Hotel Meeting Room Floor Plan
Date/Time
Closing Ceremony Agenda
15:35-15:45
Dr. Frehiwot is the Executive Director at The International Institute for Primary Health Care in Ethiopia. Before joining IPHC-E, she worked with Project HOPE as the Community Service Director and Policy, Health Systems advisor for the USAID- funded HIV program. She also worked at the Federal Ministry of Health in Ethiopia as the Assistant Director for the Disease Prevention and Control Program, as well as the National HIV program team lead. Dr. Frehiwot has more than ten years of experience in public health program management primarily focusing on health system strengthening.
- Call to action
15:35-15:45
Dr. Tom Frieden is a physician trained in internal medicine, infectious diseases, public health, and epidemiology. He is former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and former commissioner of the New York City Health Department. Dr. Frieden is currently President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives. Dr. Frieden began his public health career in New York City leading efforts that documented and ended the largest outbreak of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis to occur in the US. He was then assigned to India, on loan from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he helped scale up a program for effective tuberculosis diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring that saved millions of lives. Asked to return to New York City to become Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s Health Commissioner, he directed efforts to reduce smoking and other leading causes of death that increased life expectancy by 3 years. As Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Frieden oversaw the work that helped end the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic.
- Video message
15:45-15:55
Dr. Kesetebirhan (Kesete) Admasu joined Big Win Philanthropy in January 2019 as CEO, after serving as CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria. He served as Minister of Health of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia from 2012 – 2016. Prior to his appointment as Minister, Dr. Kesete served as State Minister for the Health Programs and Director General of the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention General Directorate in the Ministry. In his capacity as Director General, Dr. Kesete oversaw health sector reform and led the implementation of the country’s flagship Health Extension Program (HEP), which improves the quality and availability of primary health care services through community-based health workers. He has held a number of prominent positions within regional and international organizations in the health sector, including serving as Chair of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa, Chair of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Ministerial Committee on Health, and Member of the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. In recognition of his contribution to reproductive health, he was selected as a 2016 Winner of “120 Under 40,” an initiative organized by the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health.
- Closing Remark
15:55-16:05
Susna (MSc, MPH) has been with BMGF for 7 years, currently serving as the deputy director for health and nutrition for Ethiopia. Prior to Ethiopia, she supported BMGF’s evolving primary health care efforts, served as interim deputy director for health in Nigeria, and led GDP’s partnership (co-sponsored with the Africa team) with USAID, developed the team’s 3G+ collaboration workstream, and helped chart GDP’s nascent partnership with UNICEF. With 20+ years of experience in international health, she has worked to strengthen local systems, institutions, stakeholder alignment, and coordination to maximize impact. Susna is passionate about partnership, both internally and externally, to streamline and optimize for country-led initiatives. Programmatically, her work has focused on health systems strengthening, including health care financing, governance, private sector strengthening in health, workforce planning, integration of health information systems (HIS), and performance-based financing. Prior to the Foundation, Susna served the Health Systems Strengthening Lead for USAID in Tanzania and before that in Namibia, At USAID, she led the design of the USAID/Tanzania’s first HSS strategy, its first integrated systems strengthening (cross-sectoral) project, and GFF investment. In Namibia, she facilitated the transition process of the USG program, particularly donor funded health workers, to domestic financing mechanisms. Before USAID, Ms. De worked for Abt Associates for nine years where she facilitated donor harmonization on resource tracking, including National Health Accounts. She also supported the firm’s efforts in evaluating the systems effects of Global Health Initiatives, private sector investment in health, performance-based financing, and user fee waiver programs. Ms. De has supported health systems strengthening efforts in various countries, including Kenya, Rwanda, Vietnam, Egypt, Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Mozambique.
- Closing Remark
16:05-16:15
His Excellency Dr. Jean Kaseya is the first Director General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Jean Kaseya is a Congolese Medical Doctor with master’s degrees in Epidemiology and Community Health. He has over 25 years of experience in public health, working at both international institutions and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Dr. Jean Kaseya has been elected as Director General of Africa-CDC for a term of 4 years by the African Heads of State on the sidelines of the 36th African Union Summit, which was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Dr. Kaseya has over 25 years of experience in managing public health programs including policy development, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of innovative, impactful and integrated people-centered health services in Africa thanks to his professional engagement with various Governments, CHAI, WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, GFATM, BMGF, CDC, and CSOs). Dr. Kaseya will oversee the delivery of the core functions and key objectives of the organization, as per its statute. The DG will also be responsible for the formulation and implementation of substantive work programs for the Regional Collaborating Centers and ensure that programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion. His overarching task is to lead the agency in its quest to ensure global health security for populations across Africa. This includes strengthening disease surveillance, working with countries to strengthen health systems, and responding to health emergencies.
- Closing Remark
16:15-16:30
Dr. Lia Tadesse Gebremedhin, is serving as Minister of Health of Ethiopia since March 2020. Prior to this appointment, Lia served as State Minister of Health from November 2018. Before that, she served as the Program Director at the University of Michigan's Center for International Reproductive Health Training, was CEO and Vice Provost in St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College in Addis Ababa, and Project Director of USAID's Maternal and Child Survival Program at Jhpiego-Ethiopia. Dr. Lia’s passion is strengthening and reforming health systems and has received recognition for her accomplishments in fighting the covid-19 pandemic, advocacy for gender equity, access to quality health services and training. Dr. Lia is currently co-chair of the COVAX AMC Engagement Group and of the Global Financing Facility (GFF). Dr. Lia earned her medical degree from Jimma University, specialty training in Obstetrics and Gynecology from Addis Ababa University, and a Master’s Degree in Health Care Administration from Jimma University. Lia Tadesse Gebremedhin has served in the Health Sector for over 20 years.
- Closing Remark
