We are proud to announce that our president, Dr. Silvia Gold, has been appointed member of the Board of Directors of Uniting to Combat NTDs, a coalition born in 2012, after the London Declaration, in order to join forces and support the achievements achieved in line with the objectives set by the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding 10 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
The new board of directors brings together leaders from five continents and brings great experience in global health, the private sector, philanthropy, multilateral and governmental relations. Dr. Gold will share the board with leading professionals such as Ellen Agler (CEO of The END Fund), Maïmouna Diop Ly (Chief Health and Social Protection Officer of the African Development Bank), Mona Hammami (Senior Director of the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi), Ilona Kickbusch (Professor of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva), Carl Manlan (Director of Operations of the Ecobank Foundation), Francisca Mutapi (Professor of the University of Edinburgh), Katey Owen (Director of NTD of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation), Peter Stevenson (former Vice President of Pfizer), Rieko Suzuki Kitaoka (President of SDG Promise Japan) and Wang Yu (Professor of Tsinghua University)
During the announcement, Thoko Elphick-Pooley, Director of the Uniting Secretariat, said: “I am delighted to welcome this new team to guide our work and strategic decisions. Their unique background and diverse experience will be invaluable as we embark on a new era for our association and work to ensure that NTDs receive the attention they deserve ”.
Neglected tropical diseases are a group of treatable and preventable diseases that affect more than 1.6 billion people in the world. These diseases are a consequence and cause of poverty, as they thrive where access to drinking water, sanitation and medical care is limited.
