Professor Francisca Mutapi

Professor Francisca Mutapi is an internationally recognised global health strategist and Professor of Global Health Infection and Immunity at the University of Edinburgh. She is Deputy Director of the Africa-wide TIBA Partnership, advancing equitable research, innovation, and capacity building across more than 10 African countries. Her pioneering work on NTDs has expanded schistosomiasis treatment access to over 50 million children and contributed to the development of child-friendly drug formulations. Professor Mutapi advises organisations including the World Health Organization (WHO), the WHO Africa Regional Director, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the Global Institute for Disease Elimination and the African Union. She has chaired several WHO expert and advisory committees on NTDs and currently chairs the WHO African Region Monitoring COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Scientific Advisory Committee. She is an elected Fellow of several national and international academies, including the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the African Academy of Sciences.