Keynote Speakers

Subtheme: Disruptive Technologies

Subtheme: Resilience in Health Systems 

Dr Nitika Pant Pai is a tenured Associate Professor at McGill University’s Department of Medicine, in the Divisions of Clinical Epidemiology, Experimental Medicine, and Infectious Diseases; and a Physician Scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. She is an elected member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists (2018 cohort) and was featured in the list of Canadian Women in Global Health in 2018 and 2020.

Dr Pant Pai is a global expert in diagnostics with over 15 years of experience and research initiatives in Canada, the United States, South Africa, and India. Her research aims to inform domestic and global policies on point-of-care diagnostics for HIV/STBBIs, particularly as it relates to digital health innovations that expand access, linkage, retention and manage the trajectory of care for patients living with these conditions. She develops integrated process and product innovations, and incorporates digital innovations, artificial intelligence, and implementation science with point-of-care diagnostics to serve marginalized populations nationally and internationally. Recently she has extended her research efforts to improve self-testing initiatives for COVID-19. She has been funded by the CIHR, the FRSQ, Grand Challenges, Gates Foundation, and IC IMPACTS Canada, among others.

Prof Quinette Louw is the Executive head of the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Studies at Stellenbosch University, South African Research Chair in Innovative Rehabilitation and adjunct professor at the University of South Australia. Her qualifications include a BSc from the University of the Western Cape, a MASP as well as PhD from the University of South Australia. She published 160 research papers and supervised 85 postgraduates (masters and doctoral).  Her research aims to optimize human functioning and advance rehabilitation as applicable to the African context.

The specific research activities centres around the contextualisation of evidence-based rehabilitation, development of innovative methods and clinical guidance tools to facilitate the translation of evidence for enhanced capacity, access and quality of rehabilitation services within the health system. Prof Louw is acknowledged by the National Research Foundation as a B2 rated scientist. She regularly serves on national and international expert and guideline panels (e.g., WHO). Prof Louw has fostered long-term, productive linkages with national and international research institutions, professional bodies and relevant government departments.

Subtheme: Innovation in Teaching and Learning

Subtheme: The Future Research Terrain

Dr Irene Dankwa-Mullan is a nationally recognized industry physician and scientist, health equity thought leader, scholar, and author with over 20 years of diverse local-regional, national, and global leadership experience healthcare systems, businesses, and the community.  She is currently Chief Health Equity Officer, Deputy Chief Health Officer at Merative – formerly known as IBM Watson Health. Her current research strives to develop and evaluate datasets (real world data), algorithms as well as inclusive technologies – artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning (ML) driven technologies. A priority is advancing technologies to promote social good and equity.  She supports inclusive and participatory engagement with communities and stakeholders.  She helps teams with modeling complex decisions associated with health equity and social determinants of health. She has engaged in the implementation and evaluation of data and evidence studies including social, legal, and ethical implications of use of these emerging technologies.

Dr Dankwa-Mullan was formerly Deputy Director, Extramural scientific programs at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, NIH and played a key role on promoting strategic trans-NIH and federal efforts. She is the lead scientific editor of the first authoritative resource textbook ‘The Science of Health Disparities Research’ designed to identify research questions, guide collaborative and participatory efforts with communities to promote health equity.  She has published widely on health disparities, evaluation of AI and machine learning technologies, including on the integration of health equity, ethical AI and social justice principles into the AI-ML development lifecycle.

Prof Eric Buch MBBCh, MSc(Med), DTM&H, DOH, FFCH(CM)(SA) is the CEO of The Colleges of Medicine of South Africa and Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Pretoria (UP). Eric was formerly Dean of the UP Faculty of Health Sciences, lead Health Adviser for the New Partnership for Africa’sDevelopment (NEPAD); Deputy Director General for Health Care in Gauteng Province; Executive Director for Health, Housing, and Urbanisation of Johannesburg, and a Director of the Centre for Health Policy at the University of the Witwatersrand. He also served as General Secretary of the National Progressive Primary Health Care Network, was active in the National Medical and Dental Association and co-founded the University of the Witwatersrand Rural Health Services Development Unit in Bushbuckridge.

Prof Buch is the Chair of the Board of the National Health Laboratory Service and formerly served on the Boards of the Global Health Workforce Alliance and Health Systems Trust. In 2015 he was awarded the Public Health Association of South Africa’s “Phila” Lifetime Achievement Award.