Africa CDC Youth Advisory Team for Health (YAT4H)

 

The Africa CDC Youth Advisory Team for Health (YAT4H) is a group of five young African leaders who have been appointed to advise the Africa CDC on health issues affecting young people in Africa.

The YAT4H was established in 2023 as part of the Africa CDC's commitment to engaging young people in its work. 

The team is composed of representatives from the five African Union regions: North Africa, East Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa.

The YAT4H's role is to provide advice to the Africa CDC on a range of issues, including:

YAT4H

Youth Advisory Team for Health Class of 2023 Bios

Reem Yehia Kamel Elsayed

Northern Region
Her Bio
Reem Elsayed is a pharmacist working as technical officer and researcher at Egypt Healthcare Authority, the government agency responsible for achieving universal health coverage in Egypt. Committed to achieving health equity beyond Egypt, Reem has more than seven years of experience as a volunteer and project manager in different local and international non-governmental organizations in Egypt, America, and South Africa. She is an associate alumnus of Harvard Medical School from the Egypt Clinical Scholar Research Training Program (ECSRT). As a Mandela Rhodes scholar, she holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies (with a focus on global health) from the University of Western Cape, South Africa.

Margret Soko

Southern Region
Her Bio
Margret is a Public Health professional registered with the Medical Council of Malawi and lecturer with an administrative role as the Head of the Public Health Department, University of Livingstonia, Malawi. Aspiring research leader in Reproductive Health in Africa, she is author and co-author of many papers in international journals – with conference contributions. Her research interests span Public Health fields, mainly Adolescent Health and Maternal and Child Health. Margret obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Public Health from the University of Livingstonia and Master of Health Sciences in Reproductive Health from Pan African University, Nigeria, as a scholarship recipient. She is a member of the Malawi Environmental Health Association (MEHA).

Franckline Sevidzem Wirsiy

Central Region
His Bio
Frankline is a global health expert with a decade of experience in development, research, global health security, emergency response and humanitarian in both national and international domains. With a doctorate in Public Health and Master’s degree in Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Diseases, his research areas include global health security, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, immunization practice, mental health, health policy & systems, Maternal and Child health. He currently serves as Technical Expert for Global Health Security Disease Control and Prevention at Amref Health Africa; Global Health Security Consultant at the University of Nebraska Medical Center; and Research Consultant at the University of Pittsburgh, USA.

Rebecca Cherop

Eastern Region
Her Bio
Rebecca is a Global Mental Health research champion and a lived experience advisor with over five years of experience. She is currently a student of ‘Mental Health and Law’ at the International Center for Mental Health, Law and Policy, India – advocating for increased access to quality mental healthcare for young people in Uganda and beyond through her non-profit ‘The Semicolon Nation’. Rebecca has worked with a broad range of stakeholders in drafting and promoting policies, research and making recommendations to governments on mental health. She has authored several articles and scientific papers published by global mental health organizations like the Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and MQ Mental Health Research. She currently serves as a Champion under the Africa CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Bingwa Initiative and also sits on the Global Mental Health Peer Network Executive Committee.

Edward Agyemang

Western Region
His Bio
Edward is a health tech professional with a Master’s degree in Health Informatics and a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health (Health Informatics Major) from the University of Ghana. He is currently concluding his doctorate at the University of Cape Coast where he evaluates the National Electronic Health Record System being implemented in health facilities by the Government of Ghana. During his master’s, he designed for diabetic patients at the University of Ghana Hospital a mobile application that reminded patients to take medication on time and allowed regular communication between patients and care providers at a distance. He has been appointed at the Ghanaian Ministry of Health to assist with the National Electronic Health Record System implementation.