Keynote Speakers

Rosanna Peeling is Professor Emeritus, Diagnostics Research, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Professor, Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Canada and the founding Director of the International Diagnostic Centre (IDC) Network. Trained as a medical microbiologist, she previously held positions as the Chief of the Canadian National Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Research Coordinator and Head of Diagnostics Research at the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases in Geneva. Her research focuses on defining unmet diagnostic needs and facilitating test development, evaluation and implementation. She established the IDC to advocate the value of diagnostics, foster innovation, and accelerate equitable access to quality-assured diagnostics.

Professor Peeling has served on WHO guideline development groups for HIV, Hepatitis, dengue and as a member of many expert advisory committees, including the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on In Vitro Diagnostics (SAGE IVD), the Global Validation Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Mother-to-child Transmission of HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis B, the WHO STI POC Test Initiative, the Global Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Innovation Fund, the European Horizon 2020 and UK Longitude Prize for Antimicrobial Resistance, the US National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s Committee on Public Health Interventions and Countermeasures for Advancing Pandemic and Seasonal Influenza Preparedness and Response, the G20 Summit Task Force advisory group and the Africa CDC Laboratory Working Group. Prof Peeling was awarded the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene’s George MacDonald Medal for outstanding contribution to tropical medicine in 2014 and made an Honorary Fellow of the Society in 2021.

Dr. Osamu Kunii, MD, Ph.D., MPH, is currently serving as CEO and Executive Director of the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT), which promotes R&D of therapeutics, diagnostics and vaccines against infectious diseases such as neglected tropical diseases, tuberculosis and malaria. In the past 30 years he has been engaged in global health, especially infectious diseases control, humanitarian emergencies, and maternal and child health, through NGO, JICA, academia, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UNICEF, and the Global Fund. He serves as visiting professor in several universities, and has published over 100 articles and books related to global health. Recently he served as Deputy Director of G7 Hiroshima Global Health Taskforce and Chair of 100 Days Mission Working Group.