Agnes Binagwaho is a Rwandan pediatrician and currently the vice chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity. Since 1996, she has provided clinical care in the public sector as well as held a number of project management, health system strengthening, and government positions, including Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health of Rwanda from October 2008 until May 2011 and Minister of Health from May 2011 until July 2016.[1] In September 2016, she was appointed as professor of global health delivery for the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) in Kigali, Rwanda and, in April 2017, she was named as UGHE's vice chancellor.[2] She currently resides in Kigali.
Agnes Binagwaho | |
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Alma mater | |
Occupation | Vice Chancellor, University of Global Health Equity; Senior Lecturer, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Adjunct Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth |
Awards |
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Early life and education
Binagwaho was born in Nyamagabe, Southern Province, Rwanda. When she was three years old, she and her family moved to Belgium where her father was completing his medical degree. She completed her medical degree (MD) in general medicine at the Université libre de Bruxelles from 1976-1984 and her master's degree in pediatrics (MA) at the Université de Bretagne Occidentale from 1989–1993. In 2010, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science from Dartmouth College in the United States.[3] In 2014, she became the first person to be awarded Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) from the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Rwanda.[4] Her PhD dissertation was titled, "Children's Right to Health in the Context of the HIV Epidemic: The Case of Rwanda".[5]
Binagwaho earned a Certificate of Tropical Medicine from the Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium, between 1984 and 1985. At the Université de Bretagne Occidentale, she completed three certificates: a Certificate in Axiology (General Emergencies) (1991-1992); a Certificate in Pediatric Emergencies (1992-1993); and a Certificate in HIV Patient Care and Treatment (1994-1995). She returned to Rwanda in July 1996, two years after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.[6] From July to August 1997, she completed a training program in AIDS prevention and surveillance studies in Kigali through the World AIDS Foundation, hosted by the University of New Mexico School of Medicine's Health Sciences Center. From November 2009 to April 2010, she completed a certificate in Health and Human Rights - Dimensions and Strategies with InWEnt - Capacity Building International (Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung gGmbH)[7] She was also awarded a Social and Behavioral Research Investigators Certificate by the US-based organization Citi Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative.[8]
Medical career
Binagwaho began her clinical practice in Belgium and France, where she completed her medical education. She specialized in pediatrics, after her earning her master's in pediatrics, she sub-specialized in emergency medicine for adults and children, and the treatment of HIV/AIDS in children and adults. She worked intensely in neonatology and, when she returned to Rwanda in 1996, she served clinically in public hospitals.[citation needed]
Former positions
Binagwaho served as the Minister of Health of Rwanda from May 2011 until July 2016.[9] On July 12, 2016, after five years of service, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame relieved her of her duties as Minister of Health.[10] Prior to this, she served as the Permanent Secretary[11] of the Ministry of Health of Rwanda from October 2008 to May 2011 and as the Executive Secretary of Rwanda's National AIDS Control Commission from 2002–2008. During the time that she served as the Executive Secretary of Rwanda's National AIDS Control Commission from 2002–2008, she was also the chair of the Rwandan Steering Committee for the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).[12] In addition, she was responsible for the management of the World Bank MAP Project in Rwanda.[13]
From 2013 to 2015, she was a member of the International Advisory Board for Lancet Global Health Journal.[14] In 2004, she also served on the Health Advisory Board for Time magazine.[15] She sat on the editorial board for the Public Library of Science.[16] She also served on the United Nations Tracking and Accountability Working Group, co-chairing with Margaret Biggs (CIDA) and Margaret Chan (WHO) and reporting to the Director General of the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. She was also a member of the Join Action Plan for Women's and Children's Health this same year as a Member of the Innovation Working Group, which also reported to United Nation's Director General Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
She first served as a member of The Global Fund's Rwanda Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) from 2002–2008.[17] Then, during her time as Permanent Secretary of the Rwanda Ministry of Health from 2008 to 2011, she also served as the Chair of The Global Fund's CCM. Finally, from 2009 to 2010, she served as a Member of the Fund's Policy and Strategy Committee from 2009 to 2010.
From 2006–2009, she co-chaired the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and HIV/AIDS (JLICA),[18] an independent alliance of researchers, implementers, policymakers, activists, and people living with HIV. JLICA has had an influence on how important global players, such as PEPFAR and the Global Fund, allocate funds for orphans and vulnerable children today. Between 2006 and 2008, she was a Member of the Rwandan High Level Implementation Committee of the Aid Policy. From 2004 until 2009, she also served as a member of the Steering Committee for the Multi-Country Support Program on SSR/HIV/AIDS and of the Advisory Body of the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam, Netherlands.[19]
She was a Founding Board Member of the Tropical Institute of the Community Health and Development in Africa,[20] based in Kisumu, Kenya. Additionally, she served on the Advisory Board of the Friends of the Global Fund Africa,[21] and the Advisory Committee of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.[22]
She also served on the International Strategic Advisory Board for the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London[23][24] In addition, she served an Advisory Committee Member of the Disease Control Priorities 3 (DCP3).[25]
From 2001 until 2005, she also held the position of Co-Chair of the United Nations[26] Task Force of Millennium Development Goals[27] Project for HIV/AIDS and Access to Essential Medicines, under the leadership of Jeffrey Sachs for the Secretary General of the United Nations.
Current Activities
Since April 1, 2017, Binagwaho has been the Vice Chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda.[2] She co-founded the university on the principle that every member of the community deserves the same level of care and opportunity. The University was the site for the 2019 Women Leaders in Global Health conference.
Since 2008, Binagwaho has been a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is also serving as a faculty affiliate for the Harvard Center for African Studies.[28] She is currently also a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda[2] and an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College.[29][30]
She is a member of the African Advisory Board of the Steven Lewis Foundation.[31] She currently serves as an Executive Advisory Board Member for the Commonwealth Road Safety Initiative [32] and she is a member of the board of directors for the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH).[33] Binagwaho serves on the board of AMP Health[34] and in 2019, she joined the Rockefeller Foundation board of trustees.[35] Binagwaho is also a member of the Women Political Leaders Global Survey On Immunization advisory board[36] and serves as the executive advisory board member for the Wellcome Global Monitor.[37]
Since 2021, Binagwaho is a member of the joint scientific committee of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations/ China Ministry of Science and Technology[38] and also a member of the World Academy of Sciences; Policy Development and Future Actions Committee.[39] Binagwaho also serves on the 2021-2022 TWAS Policy Development and Future Action (PDFA) Committee.[40] Since 2006, Binagwaho has been a member of the United States National Academy of Medicine and, since 2017, a fellow of the African Academy of Sciences.[41][42]
She is a member of the Africa Europe Strategy Group on Health[43] and serves on the Women Leaders Network at the Africa Europe Foundation. Binagwaho is also a member of UNESCO Global Independent Expert Group on the Universities and the 2030 agenda.[44] She also serves as the Co-chair of the Science & Strategic Advisory Council (SSAC) for the International Covid-19 Data Research Alliance and as Co-chair for the Global Health.[45] and Covid-19 Task Force for the T20[46] She serves as the co-chair of the expert panel of the Commonwealth Road Safety Initiative.[47] Binagwaho is a member of the joint scientific committee for the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations/ China Ministry of Science and Technology.[48] Since 2010, she has served as a member of the Global Task Force on Expanded Access to Cancer Care and Control in Developing Countries.[49]
Binagwaho is a member of the Editorial Board for the Health Economics and Management Review,[50] the International Journal of Health Policy and Management,[51] the East African Health Research Journal,[52] and The BMJ.[53] She sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Health and Human Rights[54] and she is an associate editor for the Annals of Global Health.[55]
Presently, Prof. Binagwaho is a member of the advisory group for Cochrane Convenes, member of the African Commission on COVID-19 for the African Union and is Co-chair for the 1st International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA 2021).
Research and activism
With a focus on research in the intersection of health, social justice, and political sciences, her studies and publications aim to improve access to prevention, care and treatment for HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Binagwaho has spoken frequently about the significant role research has played in improving health in her country.[56] She actively fights for children's rights and equality in Rwanda and around the world. She is at the vanguard of the fight against HIV/AIDS, and striving to disseminate implementation research methodology to advance interventions for better response to the burden of disease especially for the most vulnerable. Her PhD dissertation focused on the analysis of missed opportunities for children affected by HIV to fulfil their human right to health.[57]
When she was serving as Minister of Health, Binagwaho launched a series of online discussions through Twitter on topics related to global health policy and Rwanda's national health sector.[58] During her tenure as Minister, Twitter users from around Rwanda and the world joined her in biweekly discussions on topics such as family planning policy in Africa, building a national health sector, the introduction of new vaccines, cross-sectoral policies to combat malnutrition, combatting substandard and counterfeit medicines, and the role of national and international institutions in global health using #MinisterMondays. In December 2011, she partnered with the Rwandan-American ICT company Nyaruka to allow Rwandans who did not have access to the Internet to contribute their questions and comments to #MinisterMondays discussions via SMS.[59]
Honors and awards
In 2013, Binagwaho delivered the University College London Lancet Lecture Series. In 2015, she was the Honorary David E. Barmes Global Health Lecturer[60] through the National Institutes of Health and presented the lecture, "David E. Barmes Global Health Lecture: Medical Research and Capacity Building for Development: The Experience of Rwanda."[61]
In 2015, she received two awards: the 2015 Roux Prize[62] through the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) for her use of Global Burden of Disease Study data to reduce infant mortality in Rwanda,[63] and the Ronald McDonald House Charities Award of Excellence for her contribution to improving the health of children.[64] She was named among the 100 Most Influential African Women for 2020. [65]
Publications
Binagwaho has published over 190 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters.[66]
References
- ^ "New Ministry of Health PS Takes Office - Rwanda". Government of Rwanda. Government of Rwanda. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ a b c "Dr. Agnes Binagwaho's UGHE Faculty Page". University of Global Health Equity. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "Dartmouth's 2010 honorary degree recipients to be recognized at Commencement ceremonies on June 13". Dartmouth College. Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "Binagwaho gets first PhD from University of Rwanda (The New Times)". Republic of Rwanda, Ministry of Health. Republic of Rwanda. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ^ "Dr. Agnes Binagwaho PhD Dissertation: "Children's Right to Health in the Context of the HIV Epidemic: The Case of Rwanda"" (PDF). University of Rwanda. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "Lessons from Rwanda's journey to an equitable health system". TEDMED. TED Conferences, LLC. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
- ^ "Online-Course Health and Human Rights" (PDF). Medical Peace Work. Medical Peace Work. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Citi Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative". Citi Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative. Citi Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "NewMinistry of Health PS Takes Office". Government of Rwanda. Government of Rwanda. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "Government of Rwanda Official Letter". Scribd. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ "New Ministry of Health PS Takes Office". Government of Rwanda. Government of Rwanda. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Archived 20 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine;. Accessed 25 June 2011
- ^ World Bank MAP Project Accessed 25 June 2011.
- ^ "Lancet Global Health Journal". Lancet Global Health Journal. Lancet Global Health Journal. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "Time Magazine to Convene Leaders to Develop Solutions to Global Health Challenges" (PDF). Time. 4 October 2005. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ Public Library of Science. Accessed 25 June 2011.
- ^ "Country Coordinating Mechanism". The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ Final Report of the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and HIV/AIDS. Accessed 27 August 2016.
- ^ Royal Tropical Institute of Amsterdam, Netherlands Archived 26 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 25 June 2011.
- ^ Tropical Institute of the Community Health and Development in Africa. Accessed 25 June 2011.
- ^ Friends of the Global Fund Africa. Accessed 25 June 2011.
- ^ International AIDS Vaccine Initiative Archived 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 25 June 2011.
- ^ "Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London". Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London. Imperial College London. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "IGHI Advisory Board Invitation Letter for Dr. Agnes Binagwaho". Scridb. Private User. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ^ "Disease Control Priorities Advisory Committee Member: Dr. Agnes Binagwaho". Disease Control Priorities. Disease Control Priorities. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "United Nations". United Nations. United Nations. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "Millennium Development Goals". United Nations. United Nations. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "Faculty Affiliates". africa.harvard.edu. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ "Dr. Agnes Binagawho's Harvard Faculty Page". Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "Dr. Agnes Binagwaho's Dartmouth Faculty Appointment". Dartmouth. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ Steven Lewis Foundation Archived 2 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 25 June 2011.
- ^ "HRH Prince Michael of Kent". Commonwealth Road Safety Initiative. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- ^ https://www.cugh.org/
- ^ hps://amphealth.org/partnership-board
- ^ hps://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/profile/agnes-binagwaho/
- ^ https://www.womenpoliticalleaders.org/about/advisory-board/
- ^ https://wellcome.org/who-we-are
- ^ https://cepi.net/about/whoweare/
- ^ https://twas.org/
- ^ https://twas.org/
- ^ "Member". National Academy of Medicine. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ https://events.aasciences.ac.ke/uploads/downloads/11th_AAS_General_Assembly_Event_Book.pdf
- ^ https://www.friendsofeurope.org/insights/africa-europe-foundation-call-for-action-on-vaccines/
- ^ https://www.uib.no/en/sdgbergen/141236/members-unesco-expert-group#agnes-binagwaho-nbsp-nbsp-university-of-global-health-equity-ughe-kigali-rwanda
- ^ https://icoda-research.org/
- ^ https://taskforce.org/
- ^ https://www.commonwealthrsi.org/
- ^ https://cepi.net/
- ^ https://cdn1.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2411/2018/09/01_GTF-CCC_GTF-Members_05-10_13.pdf
- ^ https://armgpublishing.sumdu.edu.ua/journals/hem/
- ^ https://www.ijhpm.com/
- ^ https://www.eac.int/institutions/eahrc/ea-health-research-journal
- ^ https://www.bmj.com/
- ^ "Health and Human Rights Journal". Health and Human Rights Journal. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ https://www.annalsofglobalhealth.org/about/editorialteam/
- ^ News Releases. "Rwanda's Health Minister to deliver global health lecture at NIH". National Institutes of Health. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ "Professor Agnes Binagwaho's PhD Dissertation: "Children's Right to Health in the Context of the HIV Epidemic: The Case of Rwanda"" (PDF). University of Rwanda. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/jan/04/saving-world-social-media-development-digital
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/jan/04/saving-world-social-media-development-digital
- ^ "Rwandan Health Minister Dr Agnes Binagwaho presents Barmes Global Health Lecture at NIH". National Institute of Health. National Institute of Health, Fogarty International Center. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "David E. Barmes Global Health Lecture: Medical Research and Capacity Building for Development: The Experience of Rwanda". National Institute of Health. National Institute of Health, Fogarty International Center. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, Minister of Health of Rwanda, wins Roux Prize for using data to improve Rwandan health". Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "2015 Roux Prize Winner". Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "Award of Excellence". Ronald McDonald House Charities. Ronald McDonald House Charities. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "100Women | Avance Media | Agnes Binagwaho". Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ https://ghsm.hms.harvard.edu/person/faculty/agnes-binagwaho
External links
Academic:
- Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School Archived 11 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- Harvard Medical School, Catalyst Profile
- University of Global Health Equity, Rwanda
- Department of Pediatrics and The Dartmouth Institute of Health Policy and Clinical Care, Dartmouth College
Government:
- Rwandan Ministry of Health
- Rwanda National Institute of Statistics
Personal:
- Binagwaho's Blog