Professor Anna Schuh

MD, PhD, FRCP, FRCPath, Honorary Consultant Haematologist, University of Oxford, UK

Professor Anna Schuh completed academic and clinical haematology training in Oxford. In 2006, she was appointed as the clinical lead for haematology laboratories including molecular diagnostics and has been the clinical lead for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and other lymphoproliferative disorders for the NHS Thames Valley Cancer Network since.

Over the past 15 years she has led over 50 early and late phase clinical trials in leukaemia as a principle or chief investigator. A number of these have changed clinical practice for patients in the UK and worldwide. As a result, she was appointed in the board of the iwCLL and as the Chair of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia Research in the UK by the National Cancer Research Institute. In addition to other national and international roles, she has also chaired the UK CLL Forum from 2016 to 2019 that promotes training and education.

Her second research interest is with the development, evaluation and implementation of new technologies for Precision Diagnostics, especially genomics. She was appointed as the Director of Molecular Diagnostics by the University of Oxford in 2014. Her group published the first ever longitudinal study of the changes in the genomic landscape of patients undergoing treatment for leukaemia. She served as the Clinical Lead for the Oxford Genomics Medicine Centre from 2014 to 2017 and has led the Genomics England Clinical Interpretation Partnership for haematological malignancies. Her group has developed a strong focus in Global Health since 2017.

Professor Schuh has received grants from the NIHR, Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK), Cancer Research UK and Blood Cancer UK and she has authored or co-authored almost 300 peer-reviewed publications. She holds a patent in non-invasive prenatal diagnosis and was awarded the University of Oxford vice-chancellor award for Innovation for Seren, a social enterprise concept to improve access to DNA-based diagnostic in sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr Elifuraha W Mkwizu

Dr Mkwizu received medical education and training from a number of institutions. A medical degree (MD) from Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy, Russian Federation. Master`s degree in Internal Medicine (Mmed) from Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi Tanzania, EA Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, London School of Tropical Medicine &Hygiene (LSTMH) and a Post Graduate Fellowship in Clinical Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation from TATA Medical Centre, Kolkata India.

Has been enjoying working as a Consultant Physician/Internist in the Department of Internal Medicine at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre(KCMC) and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCo) and at the same time as Haematology-oncology specialist at the Cancer Care Centre, KCMC covering mostly acute and chronic leukaemias, lymphomas, multiple myeloma, MPNs and aplastic anaemia among adolescents and adults.

As senior faculty member in the departments of Internal Medicine and Oncology has been involved in teaching, mentoring and supervision of undergraduates and postgraduates (residents) in academic and research activities. Has collaborated in publishing across different peer reviewed journals.

Dr Mkwizu is a principal investigator, KCMC site in the AI REAL project

Dr. med. Oliver Henke

MSc

Dr Oliver Henke is a Haematologist & Medical Oncologist from Germany and works at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre since 2016. Together with Dr. Elifuraha Mkwizu he has established haematological services including modern diagnostics and therapies for patients from Northern Tanzania. Dr. Henke mentors this research project for Oxford university at KCMC site.

Other areas of research are barriers to access treatment, palliative care services and chronic leukaemia in the East African setting. Dr. Henke holds a Master´s degree in International Health and is lecturer and coordinator of the postgraduate module “Global Oncology” at Berlin University Charité.

Dr Clara Chamba

MD, MMed, PhD Cand

Dr Clara Chamba, a medical specialist in haematology and blood transfusion, is the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) site Principal Investigator for the AI-REAL project. She is a lecturer and coordinator of the postgraduate training programme in the department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion in MUHAS.

Her research interest is in blood cancer genomics and precision diagnostics for blood cancers. Pursuing this research agenda, she will be validating the use of circulating cell free DNA as a bio-marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of lymphoma in children and young adults as part of her doctoral research. She is also a co-investigator on a project analysing mutations that contribute to the sub-optimal response to Imatinib therapy in Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia patients in Tanzania.

Dr Clara has been awarded the Global Haematology Scholarship award by the British Society of Haematology which has provided an opportunity for her to visit the Oxford Molecular Diagnostic Centre, building on skills that will enable her to achieve her research and career goals.

Dr Sam M Mbulaiteye

MBChB, MPhil, MMed

Dr. Mbulaiteye is a senior investigator (see here) in the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch (IIB) in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG) at the US National Cancer Institute (NCI). He conducts multidisciplinary epidemiological research to understand the role of infections, immunity, and genetic factors in the aetiology of cancer, particularly Burkitt lymphoma and Kaposi sarcoma.

To achieve these goals, Dr. Mbulaiteye designed and conducted a large multi-country, multiyear case-control study of endemic Burkitt lymphoma called Epidemiology of Burkitt Lymphoma in East-African Children and Minors (EMBLEM) study (https://emblem.cancer.gov/) in six rural regions in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya between 2010-2016. EMBLEM collected well annotated samples to facilitate research for the discovery of biomarkers that may be used for early detection, diagnosis, prognosis, or prevention of Burkitt lymphoma.

In addition, Dr. Mbulaiteye has established collaboration with the AI-REAL study as an investigator, a member of the Steering Committee, and as a mentor. He has provided full access to his collaborators at St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor in Uganda to the AI-REAL study and allowed full collaborative access to the EMBLEM facilities in Uganda.

Dr Hadija Mwamtemi

MD, MMED, PhD PaedHaem/Onco

Dr. Hadija Mwamtemi is a senior medical specialist at Muhimbili National Hospital in the department of Paediatrics and Child Health. She obtained her MD degree (1988) In the University of Havana Cuba Calxito (Garcia Hospital). In 1993 she was enrolled in master’s programme of Paediatrics in Muhimbili University Collage of Health sciences, in 1995 she secured Monmbusho scholarship by the Government of Japan. She completed course work in Paediatrics and was enrolled in PhD programme in the University of Shinshu Medical School.

She worked with Haematology oncology patients and doing scientific researches patterning to paediatrics malignancies. The topic for her thesis was Quantitative and Qualitative differences in Thrombopoietin-Dependant hematopoietic progenitors development between cord Blood and Bone Marrow concluding that cord blood contains sufficient numbers of hematopoietic progenitors that exhibit high proliferative potential compared to Bone marrow progenitors supporting the use of Cord blood as another source of allogeneic stem cell transplant. Muhimbili National hospital is in the process of starting Bone marrow transplant. She believes that many African getting such exposure and knowledge and working together in collaboration will improve the care and outcome of childhood cancers and other blood disorders in Africa.

She was a Head of Department of Pediatrics and Child health at Muhimbili National Hospital (2009 to 2013). She successfully facilitated the establishment of Paediatric Oncology ward in Muhimbili National Hospital. She revived Paediatric Association of Tanzania (2005) and served as Treasurer to the association (2005- 2013).

She was a Secretary General to the Muhimbili National Hospital Workers Council (2006-2008).