Appointments Updates

Dr. Amit Thakker appointed new Chair of Kenya Health Professions Oversight Authority

KENYA – Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Health Mutahi Kagwe has appointed DR. Amit N. Thakker as the Chairperson of Kenya Health Professions Oversight Authority for a period of three years, effective March 25th 2022.

The Kenya Health Professions Oversight Authority is at the moment providing technical assistance to counties in inspection of health facilities for quality of care improvement.

Dr. Amit Thakker will now head the project aimed at ensuring compliance to quality of care measures and standards by health facilities.

Thakker is the current President of the Africa Healthcare Federation and the Executive Chairman of Africa Health Business whose interest is to promote the role of the private sector to strengthen health systems across Africa.

He co-founded Avenue Healthcare in 1996, became the first Chairman of the Kenya Healthcare Federation in 2015 and later helped set up the East Africa Healthcare Federation as well as the Africa Healthcare Federation.

Prof. Gibson Kibiki appointed as new Chief Executive of Africa Research Excellence Fund

TANZANIA – Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) has announced the appointment of Tanzanian medical scientist Professor Gibson Kibiki as the Chief Executive Officer.

Prof. Gibson Kibiki MD, MMed, PhD brings in-depth industry expertise in all matters of health, policy formulation and health-related research from his years of experience in healthcare and innovation.

Kibiki is the Founding Executive Secretary of the East African Health Research Commission of the East African Community (EAC).

He is credited for the establishment of the Digital Regional East African Community Health (Digital REACH) Initiative with implementation approval by the EAC council of ministers of health and endorsed by the presidents of the EAC countries.

Kibiki was also actively involved in the establishment of the PanAfrican Consortium for the Evaluation of Antituberculosis Antibiotics, the Malaria Capacity Development Consortium, the African Poverty Related Infection Oriented Research Initiative among other research capacity building programmes.

Clinton Health Access Initiative names Buddy Shah as new CEO

USA – Dr. Neil Buddy Shah has been named CEO of the Clinton Health Access Initiative, signaling the global health organization’s shift toward growth in low- and middleincome countries and the use of new philanthropic efforts to help fund the expansion.

Dr. Neil Buddy Shah succeeds interim co-CEOs Joy Phumaphi and Ann Veneman, who will remain on the CHAI Board of Directors. Buddy will collaborate with the Board, CHAI’s Senior Leadership Team, and staff to develop and implement CHAI’s transformational change strategy in service of the initiative’s government partners.

Shah is currently the managing director of GiveWell, a global health and development research and funding organization, and was previously the co-founder and CEO of IDinsight, a data analytics and advisory firm. Shah, who is also a leader in the “Effective Altruism” movement, will begin his new position at the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) effective June 14, 2022.