The Dengue Advisory Group (DAG) is a group of experts representing numerous disciplines from the preventative and curative cycles surrounding dengue fever, drawing on experience across fields such as medicine, vector control, diagnostics, disease & vector surveillance, vaccines, infrastructure development, and many more.
Each member of the DAG will work to champion World Dengue Day activities within their own professional communities and countries, acting as spokespeople to highlight the need for this global awareness day.
In an effort to combat dengue using an integrated approach, the DAG will contribute invaluable expertise and assistance in a variety of areas:
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Generating interest and awareness around new research in dengue
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Highlighting the challenges that the dengue research, control and prevention community are currently facing
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Encouraging the World Health Assembly to include World Dengue Day discussions in their upcoming meetings
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Pushing for the United Nations to include a discussion of a World Dengue Day in their assemblies
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Developing meeting programmes for future dengue meetings
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Helping to spearhead global celebrations for a World Dengue Day
World Dengue Day & DAG Secretariat
Dengue Advisory Group
Richard Allan - CEO, MENTOR Initiative
Richard Allan is a qualified tropical parasitologist and has 29 years experience as a public health manager. Following four years in primary health care development for Zaire through the mid 1980s he then spent four years in malaria treatment research with Oxford University and the Medical Research Council with programmes in Gambia and Sierra Leone. Since the start of the Rwanda crisis in 1994 Richard has dedicated his efforts to developing disease control initiatives in conflict based emergencies and natural disasters [...] read more.
Dr. Ashwaq Alnazawi – Ministry of Health Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Dr. Ashwaq Alnazawi is a senior specialist in molecular cell biology at the Ministry of Health Saudi Arabia, with expertise in vector control including insecticide resistance in mosquitoes and cross-resistance mechanisms to inform integrative resistance management and strategies. Dr. Alnazawi trained at the Nottingham Trent University and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine where she obtained respectively a MSc in Molecular Cell Biology and a PhD in Vector Biology.
Dr. Carolina Batista – ISGlobal Barcelona Institute for Global Health & Médecins Sans Frontières
With an academic background in Medicine and International Public Health, Carolina Batista holds expertise in global health, R&D, infectious and neglected tropical diseases. She has extensive experience in developing unique and innovative solutions to address public health challenges throughout the world. In 2011, she became the director of the Brazilian Medical Unit (BRAMU) of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) / Doctors Without Borders, having been involved in multiple assignments in Africa and in Latin America, with special focus on NTDs programs. After three successful years leading the medical unit at MSF, Carolina joined DNDi Latin America [...] read more.
Pr. Emeritus Lulu C. Bravo, MD - College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila
Lulu Bravo is a Professor Emeritus at the College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila. She is the former Vice Chancellor for Research and Executive Director of the National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines Manila (2005 – 2011) and current head of the Vaccine Study Group of the NIH – UPM. She is the President of the Immunization Partners in Asia Pacific (IPAP), current Executive Director and past President of the International Society of Tropical Pediatrics (ISTP) 2008 – 2011, past Chair and Founder of the Asian Strategic Alliance for Pneumococcal Disease Prevention (ASAP) 2007 – 2011, and Executive Director, Sec-General (1998 – 2006) & past President of the Asian Society for Pediatric Infectious Disease (ASPID) 2006 – 2008. [...] read more.
Vivian Justin Joseph, Head of the SADC (Southern African Development Community) Youth Health Cluster (SADC) Youth Taskforce on NTDs and Malaria
Vice President to Military College of Medical Sciences 2020/22, A Malaria Youth Champion under ALMA and a Founder of Watoto Afrika initiative that deals with children with mental health, growth, and development.
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Misheck Gondo - Regional Coordinator Southern Africa Youth Forum (SAYoF-SADC)
International Relations Expert with a Master of Science Degree in International Relations obtained fromUniversity of Zimbabwe, Master Class in Finance and NGO Management with Wits University (SouthAfrica), and a Certified Process Work Facilitator (Process Work UK). Misheck is the Regional Coordinator for SADC Youth Forum (SAYoF-SADC), Board Member with National Association of NGOs (NANGO),Board Chairperson for J.M Busha 54 Races for Peace and Unity in Africa, sits in the Global Coalition forYouth, Peace and Security; a UN-CSOs Global Coalition to advance peace and security agenda,
Represents CSOs in UN Humanitarian Country initiative for Zimbabwe (CEA) and he is an Advocate Campaigner to end Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
Misheck is among the 100 Most Influential Young People under 40, 2020 list by Zimbabwe Leadership Institute, a Fellow of Africa Union (AU) and European Union (EU) Youth Plug in Initiative, IMF and WorldBank Youth Program (U.S.A), Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) Leadership Program (Zimbabwe), United Nations Alliance of Civilization (UNAOC) (Azerbaijan). He is the Author of the bestselling Novel ‘The Terrible Heart Break’, a researcher, human rights defender, blogger and he has published several policy papers and articles.
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Dr. Norielyn M. Evangelista - Program Manager, National Dengue Prevention and Control Program, The Philippines
Dr. Norielyn Evangelista is currently Program Manager at the National Dengue Prevention and Control Program of the Philippines. Dr. Evangelista is trained as a physician and Medical Officer, and is an established Public Health professional, with expertise in a wide range of areas including Family Medicine and Community Health, nephrology, Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis and Tuberculosis in children, HIV counselling and much more. Recently, Dr. Evangelista trained in Dengue Surveillance with the National Environmental Agency in Singapore.
Pr. Duane Gubler - Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
Pr. Duane J Gubler, ScD, FAAAS, FIDSA, FASTMH, is Emeritus Professor and founding director, Signature Research Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore. He is Adjunct Professor in his alma mater, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Duke University School of Medicine and Duke Global Health Institute. He has spent his entire career working on tropical infectious diseases with an emphasis on dengue, Aedes-transmitted and other vector-borne diseases. He has extensive field experience in Asia, the Pacific, tropical America and Africa, and has published extensively on all aspects of dengue and other vector-borne infectious diseases [...] read more.
Pr. Sri Rezeki Hadinegoro - Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia
Professor Sri Rezeki Hadinegoro MD, PhD is a paediatrician who graduated from the Faculty of Medicine University of Indonesia, Jakarta. She has been working at the Department of Child Health in the same university since 1983. In 1986 she was certified as an Infection and Tropical Paediatric consultant. She obtained a Fellowship from the Japan Society on Promoting of Sciences (JSPS), in Kobe University and Iwate Medical University, Japan from 1993 to 1995. She graduated with her PhD in medicine from the Faculty of Medical University of Indonesia in 1996. Pr. Hadinegoro is active in several organisations and conducts research in the field of infection and tropical paediatrics, especially in dengue and immunisation. Over the past fourteen years she has held a position in the Immunisation Committee, Indonesian Paediatric Society (IPS). Currently, she is chairman of the Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ITAGI), Indonesian Ministry of Health (2007); and member of [...] read more.
Pr. Simon Hay - Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington
Simon I. Hay, DPhil, DSc, FMedSci is a Professor in the Department of Health Metrics Sciences in the School of Medicine at the University of Washington, and Director of the Local Burden of Disease (LBD) group at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). His career has focused on spatial and temporal aspects of infectious disease epidemiology to support the more rational implementation of disease control. He now leads the LBD group, an international collaboration of researchers from a wide variety of academic disciplines, with the objective of improving the outputs and outcomes of infectious disease cartography. Prof. Hay’s best known work is centred on accurately defining human populations at risk of malaria and its burden at global, regional and national scales, through the co-founding of the Malaria Atlas Project. Most recently at IHME, with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, he has embarked on a project to expand these techniques to a much wider range of diseases of the tropics and ultimately harmonize this mapping with the IHME global burden of disease effort [...] read more.
Dr. Somia Iqtadar – King Edward Medical University, Pakistan
Dr. Somia Iqtadar , a Fellow in Medicine, is working as Associate Professor of Medicine at King Edward Medical University. Dr. Somia did her post graduation in Internal medicine in 2010 and is amongst youngest medical fellows in faculty of King Edward Medical University. She’s part of many medical Advisory Boards and also designated as Master Trainer of Dengue infection for WHO and Government of Punjab. She is also appointed as Chairperson Dengue Expert Advisory group and first General Secretary Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine. She has numerous publications in indexed national and international journals and is the primary author of GCP guidelines on Dengue for Pakistan. She has also contributed three [...] read more.
Dr. Zulkifli Ismail – KPJ University College of Health Sciences
Dr Zulkifli Ismail is a consultant paediatrician and paediatric cardiologist at KPJ Selangor Specialist Hospital and visiting paediatric cardiologist at the KPJ Damansara Specialist Hospital. He was formerly Professor of Paediatrics and Paediatric Cardiology in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). He has also served as the Head of the Paediatric Department and Director of Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) as well as Medical Director of its private wing, UKM Specialist Centre, before opting for early retirement from the academic world in 2005. He is currently Clinical Professor at KPJ University College of Health Sciences [...] read more.
Chris Larkin - Head of Communications & External Relations IVCC
Chris Larkin joined IVCC in January 2017 as Head of Communications and External Relations. As a member of the company’s executive team, Chris is responsible for the organisation’s marketing, public relations and stakeholder relations and leads a number of strategic project for IVCC including ZERO by 40. Chris Larkin has over 20 years’ experience in leading communication and engagement strategies across private and public sector organisations.
Prior to joining IVCC, Chris spent 6 years as Director of Communications at Salford University managing their PR, internal communications, digital communications and public affairs programmes in the UK and overseas. Previous roles include Head of Brand and Communications at Marks & Spencer plc, Account Director at Hill + Knowlton Strategies and Senior Press Officer at Nationwide Building Society. Chris is a graduate of UNCLAN (University of Central Lancashire) and holds a B.A Hons (2:1) in Politics and Geography.
Maxime Leduc - Bayer Global Segment Manager Aedes
Since April 1st 2021, Maxime is Global Market Segment Aedes & Partnering Manager for Bayer. Within this scope, Maxime leads the design and implementation of Bayer global strategy to combat Aedes-borne disease, including cross-sector collaboration to promote an integrated vector management solution to Dengue. Before joining Vector Control, Maxime worked for 15 years in the Pharma industry, for companies like Johnson & Johnson and Bayer, holding various positions in sales & marketing. Through his work, Maxime gained solid experience in strategic & operational marketing for consumer goods, business development, sales & negotiation as well as stakeholder management in the pharma industry. Maxime holds a MBA from INSEAD.
Dr. Rachel Lowe - London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Rachel is a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow and Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, researching the impacts of global environmental change on vector-borne disease risk. She is also a visiting scholar at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). Rachel obtained a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Exeter. Her thesis concerned spatio-temporal modelling of climate-sensitive disease risk, with a focus on early warning systems for dengue in Brazil. She held postdoctoral positions at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, and the Catalan Institute for Climate Sciences (IC3) in Barcelona, Spain, working at the interface of climate prediction science and public health decision-making.
Dr. Kevin Maringer - The Pirbright Institute
Dr. Maringer is a molecular virologist studying dengue virus and other emerging flaviviruses. Research in his group is focussed on understanding how molecular virus-host interactions in humans and vectors could be exploited for developing new ways to treat dengue or prevent disease transmission. Molecular research in the group is complemented by field work in collaboration with a growing network of international partners in dengue-endemic countries (primarily Indonesia), with whom Dr. Maringer has also co-organised training and capacity-building workshops. Dr. Maringer has a keen interest in science policy and is passionate about actively improving diversity and inclusion in science. Dr. Maringer completed his PhD in herpesvirus biology at Imperial College London in 2011 and then began working on dengue as a Sir Henry Wellcome postdoctoral fellow at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York and at the University of Bristol. He set up his own research group at the University of Surrey in 2016, , and moved to The Pirbright Institute to take up a group leader position in 2020.
Derric Nimmo - IVCC
Derric manages the IVCC technical team and portfolio, evaluating new active ingredients and innovative vector control tools. The technical team works with industry and academic partners to bring innovative and sustainable tools for vector control to the market. Derric has 25 years’ experience in molecular entomology and field research in a range of insect vectors of disease. He has gained extensive experience in product development and technical leadership, including the technical development of innovative vector control tools, performing and leading field trials in several different countries, monitoring, intellectual property and patents, regulatory engagement and submissions, community engagement and cost of goods. With a focus on insect genetics, entomology and field deployment of novel mosquito control tools around the globe he is motivated by the practical application of current and novel tools for vector control to make a real difference in people’s lives.
Dr. Anna Lisa Ong Lim - Section of Infectious & Tropical Disease, University of Philippines and Philippine General Hospital
Anna Lisa Ong-Lim is an Associate Professor and Section Chief of the Section of Infectious and Tropical Disease, and Attending Pediatrician at the University of Philippines and the Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH). Dr Ong-Lim is a fellow of both the Philippine Paediatric Society (PPS) and the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines (PIDSP). She serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the PPS and is the current President of PIDSP. Dr. Ong-Lim received her MD from the University of the Philippines. She completed her residency in pediatrics and a postresidency fellowship in pediatric infectious disease at UP-PGH. Her publications are focused on pediatric health and infectious disease; she is currently involved in clinical trials of pediatric vaccines, including those for measles, mumps and rubella, polio, pneumococcal disease and influenza vaccines. She is also a regular speaker on topics relating to pediatrics, infectious disease, vaccines and clinical trials in the Philippines and throughout Asia.
Pr. Scott O'Neill - World Mosquito Program & Monash University
Scott O'Neill (PhD FAA FAAAS) is an internationally recognised scientist and founder of the World Mosquito Program. Scott has spent his career at the University of Illinois, Yale University, The University of Queensland and Monash University where, until recently, he was the Dean of Science. He has received many awards, including the Centenary Medal and the Mackerras Medal. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Microbiology. Prof O'Neill leads a large international research collaboration, The World Mosquito Program. This program is working on the development of Wolbachia as a novel method to block the transmission of dengue fever and other mosquito transmitted viral diseases like zika and chikungunya.
Pr. Tikki Pang - Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore
Professor Tikki PANG is currently Visiting Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore since 2012. He was previously Director, Research Policy & Cooperation, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland (1999-2012). Prior to joining WHO, he was Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Postgraduate Studies & Research, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1989-1999) and Lecturer/Associate Professor, Dept of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1977-1989). He holds a PhD in immunology-microbiology from the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists (UK), Institute of Biology (UK), American Academy of Microbiology (USA), Academy of Medicine of Malaysia, and Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS). Professor Pang was Co-Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Dengue & Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1982-1995), and a member of the WHO Technical Advisory Group which developed the guideline Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever: Diagnosis, Treatment and Control (1986)... [read more].
Gregory Rose - Health & WaSH Technical Team Manager, British Red Cross
Gregory has worked, and consulted, for WHO, Asia Foundation, Management Sciences for Health, World Vision, the NHS and at least 20 Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies globally over the last 20 years. He has conducted needs assessments, baseline studies, mid-term reviews and evaluations as well as designing monitoring systems for multi-sector programmes in emergencies and in development contexts. He currently leads the Health & WaSH team in British Red Cross where he also has technical responsibility for an emergency response unit focused on hygiene and sanitation. He is a registered Public Health Specialist and Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health... [read more].
Dr. Tom Schmidt - University of Melbourne
Dr. Tom Schmidt is a Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne, as part of the School of BioSciences' Pest & Environmental Adaptation Research Group. Tom studies invasive arbovirus vectors - specifically, population genetics/genomics and dispersal through anthropogenic environments. This research informs biocontrol efforts at three key stages: identifying invasion routes and source populations, estimating the potential for spatial spread of disease during arbovirus outbreaks, and designing strategies for the elimination or control of invasive populations.
Dr. Frederik Seelig - Partnerships Manager, the Global vector Hub, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Dr Frederik Seelig is the Partnerships Manager for the Global Vector Hub. His main responsibilities include building and managing relationships with stakeholders across the vector control community, resource users, data providers and industry supporters. Before joining the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in 2019, Frederik worked in the Population Health team at the Wellcome Trust. Frederik studied biology at the University of Bonn/Germany and the University of New South Wales/Australia; he then joined Klaus Kurtenbach’s group at the University of Bath/UK for a PhD project on the molecular ecology of Ixodes ticks. After obtaining his PhD in 2012... [read more].
Dr. Siti Nadia Tarmizi - Ministry of Health, Indonesia
Dr. Siti Nadia Tarmizi is the Director for Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases Prevention and Control at the Ministry of Health, Indonesia. Dr. Tarmizi is a medical doctor with a long career and extensive expertise in public health and disease control, spanning positions as National AIDS Program Manager, National Malaria Control Program Manager and chief of standardisation and partnerships in the National TB Program. Dr. Tarmizi has also supported numerous cross-disease initiatives, and has been a member and focal point for the TB-HIV working group and the TB laboratory working group.
Pr. Usa Thisyakorn - Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, and Mahidol University
Pr. Usa Thisyakorn is presently a Professor of Pediatrics and an Executive Director of Tropical Medicine Cluster at Chulalongkorn University, an advisor of Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Department of Health, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University. Her additional positions include Council Member of World Society for Virology, Board Member of World Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Executive Committee of International Society of Tropical Pediatrics, Past President of International Society of Tropical Pediatrics, Asian Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Pediatric Society of Thailand as well as Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of Thailand... [read more].
Dr. Hasitha Tissera - Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka
Dr. Tissera is a Senior Medical Epidemiologist of the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka. He headed the National Dengue Control Programme from 2013 to 2019. He joined the Central Epidemiology Unit in 2002 after serving as a Regional Epidemiologist in the then war-torn Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. His responsibilities at the Epidemiology Unit encompass national surveillance of dengue, coordination of dengue case management based on National Guidelines and training of all levels of clinical and public health staff. As the programme manager of the Dengue Control Programme he was responsible in planning, implementation and evaluation of all dengue control activities at national and sub-national levels... [read more].
The International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases
