GC-ADEA Acceleration Workshop – African Diaspora Investment Symposium 2026 (ADIS26)

Acceleration Workshop

Grand Challenges African Diaspora Engagement Accelerator

ADIS26 Home
The Venue
- Where to stay
Agenda
Topics
Speakers
Awards
- Barka Awards
- Luminaire Awards
Get Involved

ADIS26 Home
The Venue
- Where to stay
Agenda
Topics
Speakers
Awards
- Barka Awards
- Luminaire Awards
Get Involved

By Invitation Only

In May 2025, twenty leading African and diaspora scientists convened in Washington, D.C. for the inaugural GC-ADEA kick-off. In the months since then, we have moved from vision to execution at speed, setting the stage for an expanded engagement of African diaspora scientists and innovators. We have adopted a roadmap towards effectively integrating the Diaspora Scientists as core participants in Africa’s health ecosystem. This year, we will complete a secure, GDPR-compliant directory of African diaspora scientists with the intention of eventually reaching 10,000 verified users, to act as our key online engagement platform. A series of online seminars are also being organized, jointly with partners in Africa, to build a community of practice, with some of the discussions feeding directly into the ADIS26 agenda.

In line with these efforts, we are convening our second major workshop to showcase the GC-ADEA program, review the past year’s progress, and chart the path forward through 2026 and beyond. This meeting, branded as the GC-ADEA Acceleration Workshop, will run as a pre-event session of the 2026 Annual African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS26); and will take place in Silicon Valley, California, the global epicenter of biotech, AI, and venture science.

Objectives of the GC-ADEA Acceleration Workshop

To provide an update on current diaspora engagement initiatives and identify opportunities for new partnerships
To expand discussions on how diaspora scientists and innovators can partner with Africa-based scientists and institutions; and ways to improve these partnerships
Identify key commitments and priorities for the 2026–2028 GC-ADEA Acceleration Workshop Roadmap.

Speakers

Jessica Akester

Project Manager, Independent Consultant

Jessica Akester

Project Manager, Independent Consultant

Jessica Akester is a program manager and medicinal chemist with over a decade of experience in infectious disease drug discovery. Trained at the University of Cape Town and shaped by her work at the Holistic Drug Discovery and Development (H3D) Centre, she has led multidisciplinary portfolios advancing TB, malaria, and antimicrobial resistance projects. Jessica currently consults for the TB Alliance and serves as Chair of the GC ADDA Diaspora Engagement Working Group, championing African-led innovation and “brain circulation.” She is passionate about strengthening sustainable drug discovery ecosystems across Africa and fostering global collaboration to tackle infectious diseases.

Dr. Janet Midega

Wellcome Trust, UK

Dr. Janet Midega

Wellcome Trust, UK

Janet Midega is Research Lead for Epidemics and Epidemiology at Wellcome, where she is providing scientific leadership, program development and management support to the Infectious disease program on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). At Wellcome, she continues to lead the work on the global burden of AMR since 2018, working closely with IHME and the University of Oxford and other funders; BMGF and the UK Department of Health. Within the AMR portfolio, Janet leads Wellcome’s work on AMR surveillance and epidemiology to inform evidence-based interventions, working closely with ministries of health and other partners in low and middle countries especially in Africa and Asia. Janet also leads research activities at the intersection of science and policy. Prior to joining Wellcome, Janet was a research scientist at Imperial College, London and University of Oxford, Big Data Institute; in collaboration with the KEMRI- Wellcome Trust Research Programme where she worked for over 15 years conducting academic research on the genomic epidemiology of malaria. Janet is also a Senior Fellow in Public Health at the Aspen Institute, Washington DC, USA. Outside of work, Janet has been a parent governor at her Childrens primary school, President of the Rotary club of Kilifi in Kenya and a keen supporter of the Stroke Association, UK.

Masabho Peter Milali

Research Scientist, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Masabho Peter Milali

Research Scientist, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Masabho, PhD, is a Research Scientist at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. His work integrates mathematical modeling and machine learning to address major global health challenges, with a focus on HIV, malaria, and cardiovascular disease. He also conducts cost-effectiveness analyses to inform evidence-based prevention and treatment strategies in resource-limited settings.

Victor Mero

PhD Candidate, University of California, Berkeley

Victor Mero

PhD Candidate, University of California, Berkeley

Victor Mero is a PhD candidate in Epidemiology at UC Berkeley and a graduate researcher in the Marshall Lab. His research focuses on mathematical modeling of mosquito-borne diseases, integrating vector ecology with epidemiological data to inform malaria control strategies. Victor has extensive experience developing digital surveillance systems for national malaria programs, including working with the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania. He is passionate about translating modeling research into practical public health interventions across Africa.

Javier Gordon Ogembo

Director of Global Oncology Initiative, Professor in Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope

Javier Gordon Ogembo

Director of Global Oncology Initiative, Professor in Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope

Professor Javier Gordon Ogembo, Ph.D., is a Full Professor in the Department of Immuno-Oncology at the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope. He earned his Ph.D. in Virology from Nagoya University and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on oncogenic viruses, particularly Epstein-Barr virus, to advance vaccines and immunotherapies for virus-associated cancers. He directs the Global Oncology Initiative at City of Hope. His team has developed a promising EBV vaccine candidate with plans to advance it toward clinical evaluation in 2026, underscoring his commitment to translational science, global health, and community-engaged research.

Akhere Omonkhua

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Africa Research Excellence Fund, AREF

Akhere Omonkhua

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Africa Research Excellence Fund, AREF

Akhere Omonkhua is a Professor of Medical Biochemistry. Her research focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of local plants used in disease treatment. She has studied the performance of COVID-19 rapid diagnostic tests in Nigeria and is investigating factors underlying the high dizygotic twinning rate in Igbo-Ora, Nigeria. Her work spans identifying plant compounds involved in managing diabetes and reproductive conditions, research capacity building, and developing postgraduate programmes for African reproductive health researchers. Over time, her interests have increasingly centred on mentoring postgraduate students and early career researchers, leading to her current role as Chief Executive Officer of AREF, which supports African health researchers toward research leadership.

Tolullah Oni

Professor and Founder/CEO, Unviersity of Cambridge and UrbanBetter

Tolullah Oni

Professor and Founder/CEO, Unviersity of Cambridge and UrbanBetter

Tolu(llah) Oni is Clinical Professor of Global Public Health and Sustainable Development at the University of Cambridge and Founder and CEO of UrbanBetter. Born in Lagos and living in the diaspora, she is a pan-African public health physician and urban epidemiologist working across Africa and globally at the intersection of urbanisation, climate and health. Her work focuses on building institutions, partnerships and evidence for implementable and investable solutions that align health, climate resilience and inclusive urban development. She has over 150 academic publications and is a Fellow of leading global science, policy and innovation networks, advancing diaspora-led pathways for Africa’s healthy sustainable future.

Susan Winks

Chief Operations Officer, H3D Foundation

Susan Winks

Chief Operations Officer, H3D Foundation

Dr Susan Winks (PhD, MBA) is the Head of Research Operations and Business Development at the Holistic Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D) at the University of Cape Town. She leads strategic operations, partnerships, fundraising, and governance to enable interdisciplinary drug discovery in Africa. Dr Winks is also co founder of the H3D Foundation, where she drives ecosystem building initiatives to strengthen Africa’s drug discovery capabilities. Her work includes leading the Grand Challenges African Drug Discovery Accelerator—spanning eight countries—and piloting a process chemistry skills development hub in South Africa focused on cost competitive, greener API manufacturing using flow reactor technology. Her career is dedicated to building sustainable scientific capacity, strengthening R&D ecosystems across the continent, and advancing Africa led innovation for global health impact.