Expert Details
Pharmacovigilance Specialist
ID: 739829
Ethiopia
Expert previously coordinated pharmacovigilance efforts and provided technical assistance to the National Pharmacovigilance Center of the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini, geared toward strengthening the pharmacovigilance system. He supported the Eswatini Ministry of Health in setting up a pharmacovigilance center, among other efforts, including national pharmacovigilance policy and guidelines, data flow and management, and capacity building. Expert also supported the establishment of the pharmacovigilance center at the Ministry of Health, Government of the Republic of South Sudan, developing various standard operating procedures, tools, and training manuals for health care workers.
Expert holds a Bachelor's Degree in Pharmacy, a Master’s Degree in Clinical Research, and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Pharmacovigilance and Pharmacoepidemiology at the University of Bordeaux, France.
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 2024 | Degree: PhD | Subject: Pharmacovigilance and Pharmacoepedemiology | Institution: University of Bordeaux |
| Year: 2017 | Degree: MsC | Subject: Clinical Research | Institution: Central University of Nicaragua (UCN) |
| Year: 2010 | Degree: B.Pharm | Subject: Pharmacy | Institution: Pharmacy Jimma University, Jimma (Ethiopia) |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2023 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Senior Technical Officer - Pharmacovigilance | Department: |
Responsibilities:▪ Ensure that all AEFI related challenges and risks are identified and mitigation measures are established and implemented▪ Stand up country consultations to assess existing AEFI surveillance systems to identify gaps and develop plan of activities to address challenges. ▪ Support capacity building of member states and implementing partners on AEFI surveillance, investigation, and response ▪ Establish a coordination mechanism between regional programme teams to exchange COVID-19 vaccine safety information including a data sharing mechanism for COVID-19 vaccine safety data and reporting of adverse events |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2022 to 2022 | Employer: Management Sciences for Health (MSH) - Global staff | Title: Principal Technical Advisor - Pharmacovigilance | Department: |
Responsibilities:▪ Oversee implementation of program activities and provide high quality technical and strategic leadership, managerial oversight, and administration of the Global Fund and MTaPS PV projects in over 10 African and Asian countries▪ Supervise, manage and mentor PV activities in all MTaPS countries ▪ Ensure the development and execution of project results framework, performance monitoring plan, technical strategy, MERL plan and annual work plans as per contract/agreement requirements, MSH technical frameworks and standards ▪ With the Senior Manager, ensure project staffing, structure and reporting relationships are aligned with project needs, local context and available resources ▪ Build and maintain strong working relations with key internal and external stakeholders, beneficiaries, prime and subcontractors, suppliers and partners |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2019 to 2022 | Employer: Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation/National Pharmacovigilance Center | Title: PharmacoVigilance Africa (PAVIA) Coordinator | Department: |
Responsibilities:▪ Coordinate Pharmacovigilance activities of MoH partners, the National Drug Regulatory Unit (MRU), Public Health programmes and Health facilities▪ Assist in the set-up of the National Pharmacovigilance(PV) Center ▪ Initiate and coordinate PAVIA project activities in-country ▪ Update all partners in country about the latest developments in the field of Pharmacovigilance (PV) relevant for their roles in the project. ▪ Assist in strengthening PV data collection system in country including support in the development of a PV roadmap. ▪ Facilitate trainings, development of PV data collection plans and SOPs. ▪ Monitor and supervise the data flow, and actual data collection and reporting. ▪ Conducting causality assessment signal detection and Medicine risk Communication ▪ Coordinate and assist PV policy development and National PV Guidelines |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2021 to 2021 | Employer: The United Nations Development Programme | Title: International Consultant to Support the Establishment of the Pharmacovigilance Center at the Ministry of Health | Department: Government of the Republic of South Sudan |
Responsibilities:• Establish Pharmacovigilance(PV) Center• Providing credible safety and regulatory information on medicines. • Providing training programmes to build and strengthen the capacity of national safety surveillance systems for medicines and vaccines. • Develop and validate Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to cover all expected functions of the Pharmacovigilance. • Organize Training of trainers on pharmacovigilance. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2020 to 2021 | Employer: FHI 360/EpiC | Title: Pharmacy Technical Specialist | Department: |
Responsibilities:▪ Provide technical support in strengthening Decentralized Drug Distribution(DDD) to private health sectors▪ Mentor to strengthen technical capacity among MoH/public health facility and private sector pharmacy staff working on supply chain and commodity management to improve quality systems for commodities. ▪ Support capacity building to the pharmacy staff ▪ Manage the availability and promote rational use of ARV drugs and other chronic care medicines in the participating private sector facilities |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2018 to 2019 | Employer: Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation | Title: Technical Advisor - Patient Safety | Department: Swaziland/Technical Support to PEPFAR Programs in the Southern Africa Region |
Responsibilities:• Implementation of data collection and analysis activities for the pharmacovigilance system• Encourage and improve reporting of adverse drug events at all HIV and TB Facilities • Develop and distribute the semi-annual Medicines Safety newsletter • Disseminate information on medicines safety profiles • Support ART sites to maintain the recommended minimum-maximum stock levels of ARVs, anti-TB medicines, laboratory commodities, and condoms • Refining medicine management tools, implement standard operating procedures (SOP) for pharmaceutical management, including prescribing, counseling, adverse drug reaction (ADR) monitoring and dispensing, and monitoring of use • Conduct routine, quarterly and annual supportive supervision to ART/TB treatment sites • Facilitating On-site and offsite training |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2017 to 2018 | Employer: Management Sciences for Health | Title: Technical Advisor | Department: |
Responsibilities:▪ Harmonizing and developing standard operating procedures (SOP) for pharmaceutical management system, rational medicine use, adverse drug reaction (ADR) monitoring and dispensing, and monitoring of use.▪ Implementation of and data collection and analysis activities for the pharmacovigilance system for feedback to health care providers to support clinical management. ▪ Assist in ensuring that the selection of medicines and the management of the essential medicines list. ▪ Provide technical assistance and continuous mentoring support to the health workers on pharmaceutical management, forecasting and quantification. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2014 to 2017 | Employer: Swaziland Christian University | Title: Lecturer | Department: Pharmacology and Biochemistry Lecturer |
Responsibilities:▪ Conducting research and pharmaceutics laboratory Practical▪ Supervising and mentoring students during their clinical attachment community work ▪ Health education campaign in the campus and community ▪ Development and revision of curriculum |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2011 to 2012 | Employer: Garamulata Hospital, Hararghe (Ethiopia) | Title: Hospital Pharmacist | Department: |
Responsibilities:• Dispensing in OPD pharmacy and ART pharmacy• Member of Drug and Therapeutic Committee(DTC) • Preparation and updating of the Hospital’s drug list • Stock management • Dispensing and pharmacist in wards and inpatient pharmacy • Compounding |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2011 to 2011 | Employer: Ethiopian Ministry of Science and Technology | Title: Chemical and Pharmaceutical Technology Transfer Expert | Department: |
Responsibilities:▪ Investigating/assessing the need of pharmaceutical companies in the country▪ Providing advisory service and technical support for governmental and non-governmental organization ▪ Providing on job training for different individual and organization ▪ Reviewing pharmaceutical researches that are to be granted/sponsored by the Ministry office ▪ Identifying the best technology that pharmaceutical companies in Ethiopia are using so that it help to transfer the technology to home land ▪ Providing on job training for different individual and organization |
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Career Accomplishments
| Associations / Societies |
|---|
| ▪ Member of The International Society of Pharmacovigilance (ISoP) ▪ Member of Ethiopian Pharmacy Association ▪ Member Of Swaziland Pharmacy Association ▪ Member of International Association for Public Health Logisticians (IAPHL) |
| Licenses / Certifications |
|---|
| ▪ Pharmacist by Ministry of Health of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (since 2010) ▪ Pharmacist by Swaziland Dental and Medical Council (since 2012) |
| Publications and Patents Summary |
|---|
| 10 publications. |
Additional Experience
| Other Relevant Experience |
|---|
| ▪ Pharmacovigilance databases: Vigiflow®, Vigilyze® PViMS and MedDRA® dictionary ▪ Project Identification, planning and Monitoring & evaluation ▪ PV data entry, causality assessment, Signal detection and communication ▪ Data analysis software: SPSS and R ▪ WHO Global Benchmarking assessment Tool |