User:HabtamuG2017/sandbox

Summary
Solomon Obioha Nwaka is an international public servant, global health and development expert. His scientific, management and leadership career span various academic, public, international organizations, biotech industry and public private partnerships in several countries including the USA, Canada, Germany, Japan, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. He conceived and led the establishment of ANDI African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation at the World Health Organization (WHO), and presently serves as its founding Executive Director at UNOPS in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He led the establishment of a global North South R&D platform for infectious tropical diseases based on collaboration between industry and academia in developed and developing countries as well as regional innovation networks in Asia.

He also led various R&D units at the WHO’s Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (WHO/TDR) in Geneva, Switzerland. Prior to joining WHO, he served as Scientific Officer/Director of Drug Discovery and Innovation at the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), a product development partnership based in Geneva. Solomon Nwaka has worked on health technology development and access for specific communicable and noncommunicable diseases, as well as on basic and applied research, focusing on environmental stress responses and their implication in health, industry, agriculture, and the environment. He has published extensively, and has overseen several capacity building, training and fellowship programs in developing countries.

Early Life and Education
Solomon Obioha Nwaka, hails from Abaja in Imo State Nigeria and was born to the loving family of His Royal Highness, late Eze Boniface Uzoma. Nwaka and late Philomena N. Nwaka, in June 9, 1963.He attended the St. Aloysius Primary School, Abaja, followed by the Bishop Shanahan College, Orlu Nigeria, where he obtained his West African School Certificate (WASC) in Grade I (Distinction) in 1979. Prior to completion of his secondary education, he sat and excelled in all the subjects he registered for the Ordinary Level, General Certificate Education (GCE O’Level).

He attended the University of Freiburg, Germany, Magna Cum Laude and received a Ph.D. in Biology (Molecular Biology/Biochemistry) in 1995. He also received his Masters Degree in Molecular Biology/ Biochemistry/ Biotechnology with distinction from Catholic University of Belgium in 1992. Solomon also attended a specialized training on Leadership Decision Making at Harvard University, John F Kennedy School of Governance and a program on Optimizing Organizational Performance at Cambridge, USA. He has also attended a considerable number of professional development training and received                                                                                                       quite a handful of fellowship awards.

Career and Contributions
In this role as the Executive Director, Solomon Nwaka has led the transition of ANDI from WHO in Geneva, Switzerland to UNOPS in Addis, Ethiopia, as well as establishment of the ANDI Secretariat at UNOPS. He also led the development of strategies, policies and processes, as well as the technical, communications, advocacy, and fundraising activities of ANDI. He has developed major partnerships, (including North South and South – South initiatives) and resource mobilization network for ANDI, and have convened stakeholder conferences that brought together African ministers of health and Science and Technology, scientists, international and regional organizations including UN, AfDB, AU/NEPAD, etc. He manages the operation of the ANDI Board (where he serves as an exofficio member), and ANDI’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC).

In his tenure in the World Health Organization’s Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (WHO/TDR), Solomon oversaw the development and implementation of ANDI at WHO, and led its advocacy and fundraising activities. Convened multiple stakeholder conferences that brought together African ministers of health and Science and Technology, scientists, WHO and UN partners, etc. He also managed major R&D projects at WHO/ TDR.

In his work as the head of various R&D Units at WHO/TDR, he championed Innovation Networks, which sought to advance global, regional, and national collaborations in supporting innovation in developing countries. This further strengthened the establishment of ANDI, the ASEAN and China regional innovation networks. He also led the Innovation for Product Development in Developing Countries, which sought to promote the establishment of a platform for R&D in developing countries for both communicable and noncommunicable diseases. This further strengthened the establishment of ANDI and other regional innovation networks. He also led Drug Discovery unit, which promoted R&D for infectious tropical diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness, schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis, and lymphatic filariasis. His work as head of Genomics and Discovery Research unit helped to promote R&D for neglected diseases, and resulted in the establishment of global North South Drugs Discovery networks. This work formed the basis for the establishment of the network model for product R&D for diseases that disproportionately affect developing countries, including ANDI and other networks. It also helped to identify lead candidates for infectious tropical diseases, some of which are in development through other partners. ↵In course of this work, he led the negotiation and conclusion of major public-private partnership agreements in support of R&D for diseases that disproportionately affect developing countries which helped to generate new drug leads for infectious tropical diseases. He also served as a resource person for the WHO Secretariat and WHO member countries on the development of the Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property.

Solomon Nwaka was one of the three founding technical managers hired to develop and advance the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) portfolio. He helped to identify project opportunities, and managed calls for proposals and established public – private partnerships around projects. He also supported MMV's Expert Scientific Advisory Committee (ESAC) as Secretary. He was responsible for a portfolio of over 10 projects with annual budget of between 5 to 10 million USD. In this period, only the projects that he managed won the prestigious MMV Project of the Year Awards. He helped manage technology transfer and licensing to support further development of some novel antimalarial drug candidates, including the establishment of major drug R&D partnerships such as the GSK miniportfolio partnership and the partnership with Ranbaxy India

Professional Membership

 * Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
 * Member, American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH)
 * Served or continue to support the international scientific and global health community including: Scientific Editorial Boards of international journals Scientific and Technical Advisory Committees of international, national, regional and philanthropic organizations involved in global health, such as WHO, Wellcome Trust, European Commission (EC), etc.
 * Chaired the Expert Scientific Advisory Committee of the EC antimalarial R&D programme
 * Served on the Board of the Global Alliance for Livestock Medicines (GALVmed) a not for profit public private partnership developing new livestock products.

Patents

 * “Human Elongase Genes, Uses Thereof, and Compounds for Modulating Same”, Michael David Winther, Leah Christine Knickle, Martin Haardt, Stephen John Allen,Andre Ponton, Roberto Justo De Antueno, D. Kenneth Jenkins, Solomon O. Nwaka, Y. Paul Goldberg, US 20080220500 A1, 2008
 * “Methods for Screening Compounds that Modulate Lipid Metabolism”, Michael David Winther, Leah Christine Knickle, Martin Haardt, Stephen John Allen,Andre Ponton, Roberto Justo De Antueno, D. Kenneth Jenkins, Solomon O. Nwaka, US 7256028 B2, 2007
 * “Fat Regulated Genes, Uses thereof, and Compounds for Modulating Same”, Stephen John Allen, Antueno Roberto Justo De, Y Paul Goldberg, Martin Haardt, D Kenneth Jenkins, Leah Christine Knickle, Solomon O Nwaka, Andre Ponton, Michael David Winther, WO 2002040666 A2, 2002