Agenda

Dr Melanie Bertram is Unit Head for Insights, Capacity and Operations in the Department of Data, Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence at the World Health Organization. An experienced health economist, she has a strong background in global health policy, health systems strengthening, epidemiology, health technology assessment (HTA), and value-or money analysis. At WHO, she has led and contributed to initiatives focused on economic evaluation, digital health, innovation, impact investment and evidence-informed policy development to support resilient and equitable health systems. Prior to joining WHO, Dr Bertram worked in research and policy roles in the international health and development sector, focusing on translating evidence into practical policy solutions for governments and partners. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Health (Health Economics) from The University of Queensland.

Dr. Derrick Muneene is the Team Lead for the Assessment, Planning and Partnerships Team within the Insights, Capacity and Operations Unit of the Department of Data, Digital Health, Analytics and AI at the World Health Organization (WHO) Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. He has over 25 years of progressive experience in global digital health, health information systems, digital transformation, public health informatics, digital health governance, capacity development, and strategic partnerships.

Dr. Muneene leads WHO's work on digital health assessment, planning, and partnerships, including the Secretariat of the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH), development and implementation of the Global Strategy on Digital Health,  and collaboration with Member States and international partners to accelerate the digital transformation of health systems.

Prior to his current role, he served as Unit Head, Capacity Building and Collaboration in the Department of Digital Health and Innovation within WHO's Science Division, where he led WHO's global work on digital health capacity building, partnerships, and knowledge exchange. During this period, he played a key role in advancing the implementation of the Global Strategy on Digital Health and strengthening international collaboration to support countries in their digital health transformation.

Dr. Muneene holds a PhD and an MSc in Public Health, an MSc in Information Systems Management, a BSc in Computer Science and professional certifications in project management, including PRINCE2 and CompTIA Project+. Before joining WHO Headquarters, he served as the Regional mHealth and eHealth Adviser for the WHO Regional Office for Africa, where he supported 47 countries in developing national digital health strategies, governance frameworks, and digital health programmes. Prior to joining WHO, he worked with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC), serving as Acting Branch Chief for Health Informatics and as Health Systems Analyst/Health Applications Manager, leading the design and implementation of national digital health systems.

Melissa joined the World Health Organization HQ in 2022. She serves as Technical Lead for the Global Initiative on Digital Health, a WHO Managed Network of Networks, supporting strategy and external partnerships for digital health transformation within the Department of Data, Digital Health, Analytics and AI. She has 13 years of experience managing and implementing programs in digital- and community health, information management for emergency response and CRVS- and clinical trial digitalization across countries in the African region and at the global level.

Previously, she has worked with UNICEF, Plan International, Transparency International, the pharmaceutical/life science sector as well as youth inclusion in health innovation. She holds Bachelor Degrees in Chemistry and Business Management from Wittenberg University, United States, and a Master’s in International Maternal and Child Health from Uppsala University, Sweden.

Mr. Eskandar is the Senior project manager at Giga Initiative at ITU focusing on Digital Transformation and Digital Public Infrastructure for sectors such as Education, Governance among others. Previously, Mr Eskandar was one of the co-founder of GovStack, a leading initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure and Digital Governance. He has also initiated and led several other key initiatives such as Smart Villages, Be Healthy Be Mobile (as global initiative for Mobile Health in collaboration with WHO) among other projects in digital health, agriculture and education in collaboration with several governments, UN agencies and other stakeholders. He has led the development of several guidelines and best practices reports on digital applications and the use of AI particularly for digital Government, digital Health and digital Agriculture.

Mr. Eskandar has more than 30 years of extensive on-the-ground experience in the field of ICT for Development where he previously, through working with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent in Switzerland and, UNDP, Ministry of ICT and other NGOs in Egypt, was involved in several development projects in the fields of Health, Education, Illiteracy Eradication, Community Development, SME development and Micro Credits. 

Mr. Eskandar has an educational background in Electrical Engineering (Telecommunications) from Alexandria University, Egypt and has completed an MBA from McGill University, Canada and a Master Degree in Social and Economic Development Studies from University of Paris I, France. 

Dr. Andrew Kashoka is the Director of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at the Ministry of Health, Zambia, where he provides strategic leadership for the country's digital health transformation agenda. With more than two decades of experience in digital health, health informatics, cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, and information systems, he has been instrumental in shaping Zambia's digital health ecosystem and advancing the use of technology to strengthen health systems and improve population health outcomes.

He leads the development and implementation of national digital health strategies and oversees the design, governance, and interoperability of health information systems that support healthcare delivery, public health surveillance, health workforce management, and health intelligence. His leadership has driven the adoption of standards-based digital health solutions, strengthened national health information exchange, promoted data-driven decision-making, and enhanced digital governance across the health sector.

Dr. Kashoka has successfully championed several national and regional digital health initiatives in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), UNICEF, the Global Digital Health Partnership, academic institutions, and other international development partners. His work focuses on interoperability, cybersecurity, digital health governance, enterprise architecture, artificial intelligence for health, and the development of resilient, secure, and sustainable digital health systems aligned with global best practices.

An active researcher and thought leader, Dr. Kashoka has authored and co-authored publications on digital health transformation, health information exchange, health intelligence, data quality, and digital governance. His work continues to inform policy, strengthen institutional capacity, and support evidence-based digital transformation across Zambia and the African region.

Dr. Kashoka holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Cyber Security and Health, a Master of Engineering, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA). He is widely recognized for his commitment to advancing secure, interoperable, and people-centred digital health systems that accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage and strengthen health system resilience.

Cátia Sousa Pinto is a Medical Doctor and Public Health Specialist with an established career at the intersection of digital health, data governance, and international cooperation. She currently leads the Global Digital Health and International Affairs Unit at SPMS, coordinating Portugal’s participation in multiple European digital health projects and coordinating the implementation of MyHealth@EU and Healthdata@eu services within the framework of the European Health Data Space Regulation. Previously, she served as Head of Epidemiology and Surveillance at the Directorate-General of Health, where she led the modernization of national core public health surveillance systems. She has represented Portugal in several European and international fora, including the European Commission, WHO, OECD, and the Global Digital Health Partnership, where she serves as deputy Chair. Her academic background includes Medicine and Public Health, with advanced postgraduate training in statistics, epidemiology, and health information systems at leading national and international institutions, reflecting a career focused on the digital transformation of health systems and the strategic governance of health data.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/c%C3%A1tia-sousa-pinto-md-4987513a/

Aferdita Bytyqi is Founding Member and Executive Director of the Digital Transformations for Health Lab (DTH-Lab), where she leads work at the intersection of digital determinants of health, digitally enabled health systems and global health policy and governance. She builds multistakeholder partnerships across sectors to advance equity, protect communities, and drive health value through innovative governance in digital transformations for health. Her work addresses the challenges raised by the Lancet and Financial Times Commission on Governing Health Futures 2030 by bridging digital literacy, health literacy, and civic engagement to ensure young people thrive in a digital world.

Alongside her role at DTH-Lab, she serves as an Advisory Board member of the Alliance for Health Promotion, a Steering Committee member of the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH), an Advisory Board member of the European Digital Health Equity Network (EDHEN), an Advisory Board member for the Swiss National Science Foundation study "Health literacy of adolescents in Switzerland," and an Expert Member of the OECD Expert Group on AI in Health.

She brings over 30 years of progressive experience implementing international research, development, and regeneration health programmes on behalf of multilateral and bilateral agencies and private donors. Her earlier focus spans SRMNCAH and Health Workforce and she has worked with ICS Integrare, WHO, FAO, MSF, CAD.

Central to her leadership philosophy is ensuring the benefits of digital transformation are equitably shared while mitigating harms, through governance frameworks that prioritize public trust, ethical data use, and value-driven outcomes.

Ms. Bytyqi holds a Dipl.-Ing. in Architecture and an MSc in Design and Development from UCL.

Dr Sophie Delaigue is a medical doctor specializing in public and digital health. Over the past decade, she has worked with international organizations including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), and the World Bank, contributing to digital health and telemedicine initiatives across diverse global health contexts.

She currently works at the Geneva Digital Health Hub (gdhub), University of Geneva — a global hub built on over two decades of telemedicine implementation experience in Africa. In this role, she supports evidence generation for digital health, develops learning tools, and manages communities of practice.

In short, Dr Delaigue strengthens digital health ecosystems through implementation, evidence generation, and collaboration.

Dr Manish Pant is a Policy Specialist on Digital Health at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), where he leads the organization's global digital health portfolio and advances its policy and thought leadership on digital and AI in health. He works closely with governments and development partners on helping countries translate policy into practical solutions on responsible adoption of digital and AI technologies that can be implemented and sustained at scale.A clinical doctor with specialist training in public health from Delhi University, India, he has worked at the intersection of country-level implementation and global health policy across Asia, Africa, the Pacific and Europe to address complex health issues. He has contributed to public health policy and academic literature with publications covering HIV, maternal and child health, financing and the intersection of climate change and health.
 
Earlier on at UNDP India, he led the organization's digital health portfolio partnering with the government in implementing nationally scaled digital health interventions including the Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) and CoWIN. Dr. Pant’s career spans more than two decades, including technical and leadership roles with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Diabetes Federation. Across Asia, Africa and the Pacific, he has led public health programmes in immunization, maternal and child health, HIV, non-communicable diseases, public health emergencies and disaster risk management.