Norway Team Members
Carol Holm-Hansen
Senior Scientist
Carol Holm-Hansen is a senior research scientist at the Norwegian Institute of Public Heath in Oslo. She works with serological analysis, development of alternative diagnostic methods, genetic and phenotypic characterization, and molecular epidemiology of HIV and tuberculosis.
Carol was involved in a comprehensive, multidisciplinary bilateral HIV/AIDS intervention and control program in north eastern Tanzania, was coordinator of an international tuberculosis network, and PI for a multinational tuberculosis project addressing the development of a rapid serological diagnostic method funded by the Research Council of Norway and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
She has been actively involved in fieldwork in Africa for 35 years, and is a consultant for WHO HIV/AIDS program and the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. She is a member of the TuBerculosis Vaccine Initiative Advisory Committee and is an adjunct professor at the Institute for Health and Society, Section for Global Health, School of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway.
Carol holds a BA from Swarthmore College, USA and a Dr philos (PhD) from the University of Bergen, Norway.
Aida Babaii
Advisor
Aida Babaii is an advisor at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo. She works as project coordinator developing and providing research administration services for the institute.
Aida has many years of experience coordinating projects supported by the Norwegian government addressing mental healthcare for children, adolescents, and adults. Her previous tasks included maintaining contact with project partners, quality control of data, assisting project managers and partners project implementation, and financial reporting.
Aida holds her BA and MA from UiT The Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø.
Tara Kelly Dolgner
Senior Advisor (01.01.2020-30.09.2022)
Tara Kelly Dolgner is a senior advisor at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo. She works as project coordinator developing and providing research administration services for the institute.
For over 17 years, Tara has supported public government initiatives in a variety of fields, including health services, small business loans, and emergency management. She has a background in project management/coordination, process efficiency, and budget and personnel management.
Since joining the NIPH, Tara has coordinated grants funded by the Research Council of Norway, the Norwegian Agency of Development Cooperation, the European Research Council and most recently with the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership.
Tara holds a BA from Mount Saint Mary’s University, USA and her MA from American University, USA.
Tara was assigned new tasks at NIPH at the end of September 2022.
Ida Laake
Senior Scientist
Ida Laake is a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. She works primarily with vaccine epidemiology and is involved with the national surveillance of the human papillomavirus vaccination program.
Ida specializes in biostatistics, study design and planning, epidemiological methods, and registry-based epidemiology.
She holds a PhD from the University of Oslo, Norway.
South Africa Team Members
Grant Theron
Professor
Grant Theron is a professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
His team, the Clinical Mycobacteriology and Epidemiology group (CLIME), is conducting TB research focused on diagnosis and drug resistance, understanding the role of the microbiome, and studying the infectiousness of patients and transmission.
He has approximately 90 publications in the fields of diagnosis, drug-resistance, and the microbiome, and his work has attracted international recognition and contributed to global health policy. Grant is funded by the EDCTP, NIH, and several national research organisations within South Africa.
He holds a BSc and a PhD from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Anna Okunola
Research Fellow
Anna Okunola is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Clinical Mycobacteriology & Epidemiology (CLIME) group, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
Anna is part of the team engaged in TB diagnostics. She is involved with the planning, conducting, and monitoring of the SeroSelectTB clinical trials at the field sites in Cape Town.
In her previous work, Anna studied the bacterial microbiota and metabolome of human milk related to infant health, and infectious diseases with a focus on TB.
Anna received her MSc degree from the University of Antwerp, Belgium and a PhD from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Byron Reeve
Research Fellow (01.01.2020 – 26.09.2023)
Byron Reeve is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Clinical Mycobacteriology & Epidemiology (CLIME) group, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa where he is involved in the TB diagnostic portfolio.
He facilitates the day-to-day activities of three clinical trials that evaluate nascent TB diagnostic tests and improved implementation of existing commercial tests. Byron has four years of clinical research experience in TB with the aim of bringing rapid, user-friendly TB tests closer to the patient point-of-care and reducing patient loss-to-follow-up within the TB care cascade.
He holds a BSc and a PhD from University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Byron was affiliated with the SeroSelectTB project until his passing on 26 Sept 2023.
We lost our respected colleague and cherished friend, Byron Reeve,
in a tragic traffic accident on 26 September 2023.
He will be deeply missed by so many.
Rest in peace, dear Byron.
Shima Abdulgader
Research Fellow (01.01.2020-31.12.2022)
Shima Abdulgader is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Clinical Mycobacteriology & Epidemiology (CLIME) group, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. She is part of the team engaged in TB diagnostics.
In her previous work, Shima studied the genomics and molecular epidemiology, virulence determinants, and the genetic background of Staphylococcus aureus. She is a member of the StaphNetAfrica network and of a consortium with the German Research Foundation (DFG) focusing on S. aureus research.
Shima holds a PhD from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Welile Dube
PhD student
Welile Dube is a doctoral student at the Clinical Mycobacteriology & Epidemiology (CLIME) group, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. She is part of the team engaged in TB diagnostics.
In her previous work, Welile evaluated the Xpert® Breast Cancer STRAT4 assay on breast cancer biopsies in South African women. She worked as a medical scientist intern for the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS).
Welile received her BSc and BSc (Hons) from the University of Pretoria and the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, respectively, and her MSc degree from Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
Nick Borain
Managing/Research Director
Nick Borain is the managing/research director of Lateral Flow Laboratories in South Africa.
The company is ISO9001, ISO13485 and FDA GMP certified, and specialises in field ready, point-of-care tests ideally suited for countries where access to diagnostic technologies and services is a challenge.
Nick began his career in medical diagnostics with Abbott Laboratories before starting Vision Biotech (acquired by Alere) and later Lateral Flow Laboratories in 2013. Over the last 25 years, he has developed assays across multiple genres with a strong emphasis on infectious diseases. Nick has developed, co-developed, and optimised tests for multinational companies such as Abbott, Pfizer, Alere and British Biocell.
Nick received his B.Pharm Chem from the University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa and his MBA from Heriot-Watt University, UK.
Julianne du Plessis
Laboratory Manager
Julianne du Plessis is an analytical chemist responsible for laboratory manufacturing operations at Lateral Flow Laboratories in South Africa. She has completed additional advanced post-graduate qualifications in operations management and quality assurance.
Julianne has 12 years of experience in the field of in vitro diagnostic medical device development and manufacturing, and has developed a significant number of new assays.
She has a BSc from Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa. Julianne has completed the Senior Executive Management Program at the University of Stellenbosch Business School, and auditor training courses including ISO/Quality Management Systems 9001, SABS, ISO13485, and GMP.
Roslyn Fairbairn
Quality Assurance Manager
Roslyn Fairbairn is the quality assurance manager at Lateral Flow Laboratories in South Africa.
Her career started in the pharmaceutical environment involved in various roles within quality control and quality assurance (QA). After 15 years she moved on into the food sector and worked in primary packaging manufacturing.
Before joining Lateral Flow laboratories in 2019, Roslyn was responsible for QA at malt producing facilities in Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Cape Town and Gauteng. Her expertise includes the management of effective QA systems, Systems auditing (ISO), and World Class manufacturing and process optimisation.
Roslyn holds a national higher diploma in analytical chemistry and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Stellenbosch University.
Tanzania Team Members
Balthazar Melchior Nyombi
Senior Lecturer and Laboratory Research Scientist
Balthazar Melchior Nyombi is a senior lecturer and laboratory research scientist at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Tanzania. He specializes in clinical biochemistry and molecular diagnostics, antimicrobial resistance, and molecular characterization of HIV-1 and tuberculosis.
Nyombi was formally the director of the clinical laboratory at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre and is currently a chairperson for the Health Laboratory Practitioners Council of Tanzania.
He received his MPhil and PhD from the University of Oslo, Norway.
Debora Charles Kajeguka
Lecturer and Research Scientist
Debora Charles Kajeguka is a lecturer and research scientist at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Tanzania.
Debora has been involved in research funded by EDCTP2 and the Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) that takes an epidemiological approach to evaluating the immunological response against Aedes serological biomarkers to estimate the risk of human exposure to the mosquito vector. She supervises and monitors the clinical trial project under the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP).
Debora holds a BSc in Microbiology from the University of Dar es Salaam and her MSc and PhD from Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College.
Hadija Hamisi Semvua
Senior Research Scientist
Hadija Hamisi Semvua is a principal research scientist at Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute (KCRI) and senior lecturer at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCo). She is currently the Head of Clinical Trials Units at (KCRI) and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) and has over twelve years of experience with clinical trials and pharmacokinetic studies addressing tuberculosis and non-communicable diseases.
Hadija’s area of interest is on understanding the safety and efficacy of anti-TB and drugs for non-communicable diseases. She works closely with Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA) to facilitate Investigational Medicinal Product (IMP) permits.
Hadija received her BPharm at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) in Dar es Salaam, her MPH at KCMUCo in Moshi, and her PhD from Radboud University-Nijmegen in the Netherlands.
Gaudensia Alois Olomi
Research Scientist
Gaudensia Alois Olomi is a nurse officer working with the Regional Medical Officer’s office in Kilimanjaro as the Regional Research and Global Health Coordinator.
Gaudensia is involved in community-related research activities addressing communicable and non-communicable diseases including TB in schools and TB-diabetes mellitus co-morbidity management.
Gaudensia received her BSc in nursing (BScN) and MPH from Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College in Moshi.
Arnold Japhet Ndaro
Research Scientist
Arnold Japhet Ndaro is a laboratory scientist and Head of Clinical Laboratory Department at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC).
Arnold has worked in biomedical research for more than 10 years, his main interests being immunological and microbiological diagnostics, TB drug resistance and molecular characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Currently, Arnold is working on project addressing TB-diabetes mellitus co-morbidity and the evaluation of high dose rifampicin among children in Kilimanjaro Region.
Arnold received his BSc in Medical Laboratory Sciences (BMLSc) and MSc in Medical Microbiology and Immunology at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College.
Ruphia Ramadhani
Laboratory Technologist
Ruphia Ramadhani is a medical laboratory technologist. She will be responsible for field sample collection, laboratory investigations performed in Tanzania, and SeroSelectTB project data management.
Ruphia received her DMLSc from Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College in Moshi, Tanzania.
Flavia Stephen Mayo
Instructional Technologist
Flavia Stephen Mayo is an Instructional Technologist at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Tanzania.
Her research addresses the application of AI in agriculture, and she has developed a deep learning model for the early detection of maize disease in Tanzania. The model has the ability to detect two maize diseases, Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN) and Maize Streak Virus (MSV), when deployed on a mobile-based application.
Flavia holds a BSc in Informatics from the Sokoine University of Agriculture and her MSc in Information Communication Science Engineering from the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology in Tanzania.
Jemrath Bikombo
Laboratory Scientist (01.01.2020-31.12.2023)
Jemrath Bikombo is a medical laboratory scientist and tutorial assistant at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College. He will be responsible for the SeroSelectTB project data management and laboratory investigations performed in Tanzania.
Jemrath received his BSc from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) in Dar es Salaam.
Mussa Mkumbwa
Computer Operator (01.01.2020 – 30.6.2024)
Mussa Mkumbwa is computer operator at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College. He has previously worked with MEPI (Medical Education Partnership Initiative) as an office assistant.
Mussa is trained in web development and design, database management, information technology and systems, networking, and mobile App development.
Mussa holds a Diploma in Information and Communication Technology from the University of Dar es Salaam Computing Centre in Tanzania.
Victor Selengia
Project Administrator
Victor Selengia is a senior administrator and currently serving as Head of the Office of Sponsored Projects at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCo). His main role is to coordinate and oversee effective management of research & capacity building projects at KCMUCo. He has worked and received training in project administration within and outside Tanzania.
Victor holds a BA from the University of Dar es Salaam and a Master’s degree in International Public Health from Hanoi Medical University, Vietnam.
Ethiopia Team Members
Kidst Bobosha
Senior Scientist
Kidist Bobosha is a senior scientist at the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Research Division of Mycobacterial and Other Bacterial Diseases. She served as the head of the Mycobacterial Diseases Research Department from July 2017 to July 2023. Kidist’s focus is on immunodiagnostics to profile and analyse host immunological responses against mycobacterial antigens, search for potential biomarkers, and develop field-friendly diagnostic tests.
Kidst has served on the Alert Internal Review Board and the National Ethics Review Board, and is a project manager and local coordinator for the NIH-funded Ethiopia-Emory TB Research Training Program.
She received her MSc from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia and a PhD from Leiden University, the Netherlands.
Tamirat Assefa
Researcher
Tamirat Assefa Demissie is a researcher at the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Research Division of Mycobacterial and Other Bacterial Diseases where he is involved in research activities including proposal development and project implementation.
Tamirat has extensive experience in project coordination, data collection and management, and analysis and interpretation of research data. He has also served for more than 8 years at various levels of the health care system in Ethiopia supporting TB and HIV-related activities.
Tamirat received his BSc from Gondar College of Medicine and Health Sciences, and his MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
Melese Yeshambaw
Researcher
Melese Yeshambaw is a researcher at the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Research Division of Mycobacterial and Other Bacterial Diseases, and is a project officer for SeroSelectTB in Ethiopia. He will coordinate project activities including planning, training of healthcare workers, field trial implementation and reporting.
Melese has comprehensive experience in epidemiological and clinical research activities, from designing and implementation to interpretation and reporting.
Melese received his BSc degree from Haromaya University and his MPH from Mekele University, Ethiopia.
Yonas Abebe Habtesilase
Project Manager
Yonas is a project manager at the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Research Division of Mycobacterial and Other Bacterial Diseases. He coordinates activities in the Southern and East African Regional Network for TB Control (SEARN-TB) and the Pan-African Bioethics Initiative (PABIN) and supports the SeroSelectTB project in management activities.
Yonas has many years of experience coordinating NIH-funded TB research projects as well as other TB and HIV/AIDS-related research projects in collaboration with Emory and John Hopkins Universities.
Yonas holds a BSc in nursing from Mizan Tepi University and his MSc degree in project planning and management from Debre Markos University, Ethiopia.
Solomon Abebe Yimer
Senior Scientist
Solomon Abebe Yimer is a senior scientist at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) in Oslo, Norway where he coordinates diagnostics for vaccine development against CEPI-target diseases.
At the University of Oslo, Solomon coordinated a multinational research project focusing on the molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the Horn of Africa. He also conducted epidemiological investigations addressing TB in Ethiopia, documenting the role of diagnostic delay in the spread of the disease. Before coming to Norway in 2006, Solomon served in Ethiopia for over 10 years at various levels of the health care system as a public health expert.
He holds a BSc from Gondar College of Medical Science, Ethiopia, and received his MPhil and PhD from the University of Oslo, Norway.
Samuel Asmamaw Yesuf
Assistant Researcher
Samuel Asmamaw Yesuf is an assistant researcher at the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Research Division of Mycobacterial and Other Bacterial Diseases. He supports the SeroSelectTB field activities in the Sidama Region of Ethiopia.
Samuel has many years of experience in public health research coordination and management.
Samuel received his BSc degree from Haromaya University and his MPH from the University of Gondar, Ethiopia.
Roman Tsehaynew
Laboratory Practitioner (01.09.2022-31.08-2023)
Roman Tsehaynew is a local district coordinator for the SeroSelectTB project in Bahir Dar Zuria. She supports the healthcare workers at the health posts and health centers through providing supplies, supervising data collection, sample collection, randomization, and REDCap data entry.
Roman holds a BSc degree in medical laboratory science from Gamby Colleges of Business and Health, Ethiopia.
Mekdelawit Wondiyfraw
Field Research Coordinator
Mekdelawit Wondiyfraw is a researcher at the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Research Division of Mycobacterial and Other Bacterial Diseases, and a field coordinator for the SeroSelectTB project in Sidama, Ethiopia. She will coordinate project activities including planning, training of healthcare workers, field trial implementation, and reporting in the Sidama region.
Mekdelawit has comprehensive experience in project coordination and management, data collection, and epidemiological and clinical research activities.
Mekdelawit received her BSc degree in Public Health from Jigjiga University and her MPH from Yekatit 12 Hospital Medical College, Ethiopia.
Germany Team Members
Tim Welsink
Head of Research & Development Services
Tim Welsink heads the Research & Development (R&D) Services Department at InVivo BioTech Services GmbH. InVivo is an ISO9001 and ISO13485 certified company with over twenty years of experience in mammalian cell culture and protein production.
InVivo’s expert team for protein manufacturing focuses on expression and purification of recombinant proteins in mammalian cells including recombinant antibodies. Tim will lead the team at InVivo responsible for developing transient expression systems and stable cell lines for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) protein expression and providing Mtb antigens for the SeroSelectTB assay.
Tim holds a PhD from the Free University of Berlin, Germany.
Stephan Grunwald
Scientist
Stephan Grunwald is a scientist at the Research and Development (R&D) Services Department at InVivo BioTech Services GmbH.
The R&D Services department supports the protein manufacturing group during the planning, development and evaluation of recombinant protein expression projects.
Stephan has extensive experience in the expression and purification, as well as biochemical and structural characterization, of recombinant proteins. He will provide scientific advice for the development of Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens for the SeroSelectTB assay and will function as internal project manager.
He holds a PhD (Dr. rer. nat) in biochemistry from the Free University of Berlin, Germany.
Netherlands Team Member
Kristin Kremer
Senior Scientist
Kristin Kremer is lead of the diagnostics team at KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, The Hague, The Netherlands where she also leads a project addressing the implementation of nanopore sequencing for diagnostics in Kyrgyzstan, Tanzania and Vietnam.
Kristin has worked with TB at the National TB Reference Laboratory at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and WHO. At RIVM she was the principal investigator of an EU project studying the effect of genetic variation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis on vaccine escape and drug resistance. Kristin was responsible for the coordination of the TB laboratory network, the organization of drug resistance surveys, and the implementation of new diagnostics for TB in the WHO European Region. During her last position at RIVM Kristin coordinated the Bacteriological Serology Diagnostics Unit and contributed to the evaluation of serological and cellular assays for Lyme borreliosis and COVID-19.
She holds a BSc from the Institute for Life Sciences and Chemistry, Utrecht, Netherlands and a PhD from the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Austria Team Members
Aleksandar Josifoski
Information Management Specialist
Aleksandar Josifoski, managing partner at Aether Dynamics Consulting & Trading GmbH, is an internationally recognized expert with experience in all tiers of digital transformation and digital systems development. He has been engaged as a team leader in numerous projects focusing on the development of digital policies, studies and countrywide digital information systems. He is also regularly contracted as an expert in monitoring and evaluation.
Aleksandar manages the complete delivery process of complex information systems with the development of e-services for citizens and governmental institutions. He has over 15 years of experience working with governments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa with donors such as EUROPAID, EBRD and the World Bank.
Aleksandar holds his BSc and MSc from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Macedonia.
Sasho Najdov
IT Site Reliability Engineer
Sasho Najdov is a software engineer at Aether Dynamics Consulting & Trading GmbH. He works as an IT expert and consultant for systems in healthcare, finance and logistics, and helps organizations develop tailor-made software solutions.
Sasho has worked with system management, design and development, and provided system administration, deployment and automatization for organizations and businesses. He was a teaching assistant at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje responsible for courses on programming, algorithms, computer organization, operating systems, networks, and systems security.
Sasho received his BSc from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Macedonia.
Jovan Davcev
IT Software Engineer
Jovan is an IT expert in software engineering and architecture at Aether Dynamics Consulting & Trading GmbH and contributes to the development, management, and maintenance of the Clinical Trial Management System. He is specialized in building modern, robust, cloud-native, distributed, scalable, and secure enterprise applications.
Jovan has played a pivotal role in various projects, including a Transport Management System, HR system, cryptocurrency exchange, and ride-hailing application. His expertise includes designing and implementing solutions for high performance and reliability. Jovan has served as a teaching assistant at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, where he was responsible for courses in software engineering, web programming, operating systems, e-commerce, and business and management.
Jovan earned his BSc from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Macedonia.
Jordancho Arsov
IT Software Engineer
Jordancho Arsov is a software engineer at Aether Dynamics Consulting & Trading GmbH with over six years of experience in developing cloud-based information systems and innovative mobile applications.
Jordancho is proficient in the entire software development life cycle, from strategic planning and project architecture design to problem-solving, optimizing code efficiency, proficient development, and successful deployment of cloud-based solutions. He has contributed to a diverse range of projects, including Transport Management System, Board Management System, B2C e-commerce apps, and ride-hailing application.
Jordancho holds a BSc from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Macedonia.
Miloje Savic
Director of Epidemiology
Miloje Savic is the Director of Epidemiology at GSK Biologicals, Wavre, Belgium. He works as an epidemiologist on real world evidence and development of vaccines against several major infectious diseases.
As a senior advisor at the National Institute of Public Health in Oslo, Norway, Miloje was involved in the development of economic incentives and policies for stimulation of antibiotic R&D. Miloje has extensive experience in fundamental and applied research across different areas acquired at various institutions in Europe and the USA. He is a member of Global Burden of Disease and Financing Global Health projects at Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington, USA. Miloje is affiliated with the SeroSelectTB project as an external senior consultant.
Miloje received his BSc and MSc from the University of Belgrade in Serbia, his MHE from Pompeu Fabra University in Spain, and his PhD from the University of Manchester, UK.
Belgium Team Member
France Team Member
Fatima Gruszka
Chief Executive Officer (01.01.2020- 31.12.2022)