Carlos Kilowe
Nairobi
Summary
I’m a pharmacist with a decade experience in Pharmacovigilance and Public Health practice at the global, regional and national level. My proven track record demonstrates my abilities to develop, strengthen, and implement robust pharmacovigilance policies, capacities and systems aimed at enhancing the safety of vaccines, medicines and medical devices. I am proficient in policy setting, capacity building, operational research, and health systems strengthening as well as leveraging digital technology to enhance pharmacovigilance practice. Additionally, I have over half a decade experience in setting up pharmacovigilance centers, scientific writing, teaching at universities, and organizing grant writing projects. My best traits include my capacity for teamwork, strategic thinking, creative and innovative leadership, and excellent communication.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Regional Pharmacovigilance Lead
Africa CDC
11.2022 - Current
- Heading the Africa CDC’s country and regional pharmacovigilance program in 14-Eastern African countries. I provide strategic direction to a team that develops and enhances pharmacovigilance policies, capacities and systems which has strengthened member states pharmacovigilance systems.
- Supporting countries to set-up pharmacovigilance centers beginning with policies, systems and infrastructure. Five countries have successfully set up functioning pharmacovigilance centers and three are at an advanced stage.
- In-charge of resources mobilization efforts aimed at increasing the scope of pharmacovigilance activities in the region. We have secured $3 million from Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI) to strengthen pharmacovigilance systems and capacities of member states in the next three years.
- Providing guidance on grant writing to countries to secure funding aimed at addressing the prevailing health emergencies on the continent. Three countries have been awarded the Pandemic fund grant in our region.
- Coordinating the Partnership for African vaccine manufacturing initiative (PAVM) in the region aimed at promoting Local R&D and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals.
- Reviewing regional guidelines and policy documents with a goal of streamlining regional Pharmacovigilance activities and Research
- Building capacity among National Regulatory Authorities in Operational research, utilization of AI, and other advanced Information Technology Techniques in pharmacovigilance to promote efficient and timely handling of safety data.
- Leading the Africa CDC Pharmacovigilance Scientific committee. Three manuscripts have already been submitted for publication in the last quarter and one has already been published
- Reviewing Safety data of vaccines and medicines and providing recommendations to the Africa CDC leadership on the suitability of the vaccines and medicines for the African continent
- Supporting the pharmacovigilance networks on the continent to enhance safety monitoring through knowledge sharing, activities harmonization, and resources mobilization
- Coordinating the strengthening of the Pharmacovigilance regulatory capacity and maturity levels of the National Regulatory Authorities on the continent through a flagship program of peer to peer learning
- Leading the pharmacovigilance capacity building agenda among healthcare workers to ensure timely detection and reporting of ADRs/AEFIs/AESIs from health facilities to the National Pharmacovigilance centers.
- Organizing strategies and activities to strengthen National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) capacity to carry out AEFI/ADRs case investigations, causality assessments, signal detection and Risk management. I trained 14 countries in my region on these advanced pharmacovigilance practices.
- Collaborating with other partners in enhancing risk communication and community engagement activities aimed at dispelling infordemics surrounding medicines and vaccines usage. Recently, I supported Kenya Ministry of Health to contain infordemic surrounding Oral Polio Vaccine following deaths of two children.
- In charge of data sharing initiative between the Africa CDC and the member states with an aim of promoting timely sharing of Pharmacovigilance data for evidence based decision making.
- Supporting the development of continental database for reporting of safety data which will serve as an important tool to enhance pharmacovigilance research.
- Supporting case investigations and causality assessments of serious AEFIs/ADRs while advocating for strong risk communication and community engagement activities aimed at reducing hesitancy towards vaccines and medicines
- Developing monitoring and evaluation plans to measure the successes and challenges surrounding the implementation of Pharmacovigilance in the region
- Chairing regional meetings, reviewing country micro plans and compiling reports
- Coordinating team building activities at the regional office with an aim of promoting team work, networking, and good mental and physical health
University Lecturer
Kamuzu University of Health Sciences
02.2018 - 10.2022
- Developed teaching and learning materials in Pharmacy especially in pharmacovigilance and Pharmacoepidemiology, Research Methods, Public Health, and Health systems and policy. Thousands of healthcare professionals, medical students and the public were trained using these materials which contributed to promotion of pharmacovigilance and research activities.
- Trained, mentored and supervised thousands of Medical and Nursing students in, Pharmacy, Pharmacovigilance and Pharmacoepidemiology, Research, Public Health, Clinical Practice and scientific writing. This has increased the skilled workforce in pharmacovigilance in Malawi
- Established Pharmacy Journal club at the university to encourage students to read, share knowledge, do research and publish pharmacy related topics
- In-charge of regulatory standards unit in the manufacturing unit in our University department. We manufactured and supplied thousands of PPEs during covid-19 pandemic
- Undertook Research in multiple fields including pharmacovigilance and Pharmacoepidemiology especially drug utilization studies and antimicrobial stewardship which has contributed to the body of knowledge in pharmacovigilance.
- Led a team for research grant writing under my unit. We secured $10,000 grant to promote pharmacovigilance activities in collaboration with the National Pharmacovigilance Center
- Served in Ad-hoc University Committee for safety surveillance and response during Covid-19 pandemic. The committee provided vaccine safety guidance to the Extended Program for Immunization (EPI) during Covid-19 vaccinations
- Served in the University student disciplinary committee and advocated for early student’s mentorship programs which reduced disciplinary cases by over 60%
- Headed the departmental research committee for undergraduate students which increased the number of student research publications by over 40%
- Coordinated the departmental examination moderation and administration which ensured upholding of standards in setting-up exams
- Reviewed clinical trial protocols such as the Malaria vaccine protocol to ascertain the safety profile in of the new vaccine. This initiative was done in consultation with the National Regulatory Authority.
- Headed the curriculum and grading system review committee and changed grading system from weight-based to Grade Point Average (GPA)
- Oversaw clinical internship program for Pharmacy students at the university, and I introduced pharmacovigilance clinical rotation to promote clinical pharmacovigilance practice
- Served as a clinical practice tutor in hospital wards especially pediatric and oncology units where we dealt with many cases of ADRs/AEFIs hence building trust in the convention healthcare
Pharmacovigilance Consultant
National Pharmacovigilance Center
01.2020 - 09.2022
- Coordinated the of set-up of the National pharmacovigilance center housed at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences. Developed the reporting tools, trained members of staff, and supported the procurement of systems and infrastructure for reporting of ADRs/AEFIs
- Supported the development and implementation of National Pharmacovigilance policy, SoPs and procedures to promote standardized pharmacovigilance practices and processes.
- Advocated for utilization of digital reporting tools to ensure timely and efficient handling of safety data at the National Pharmacovigilance Center.
- Trained and mentored thousands of healthcare professions across the country in safety surveillance drive. All the three regions in Malawi received pre-and- post service training in safety surveillance of medicines, vaccines and medical devices
- Capacity building of the National Pharmacovigilance center staff in Case Investigations, Causality assessments, Signal detection and Risk management in pharmacovigilance which solidified the trust in the National Center and encouraged many people to report AEFIs/ADRs.
- Led the recruitment, orientation and mentorship of the National Pharmacovigilance center staff which improved the result output of the center.
- Connected the Center to series of Pharmacovigilance Networks for knowledge, information and expertise sharing.
- Promoted the utilization of local and regional relevant research findings to inform and guide policies around good pharmacovigilance practices at the Center
Clinical Pharmacist
Ministry of Health
07.2016 - 01.2018
- Led the development and implementation of hospital system for reporting of ADRs/AEFIs, resulting in high percentage of reported adverse events at the Hospital
- Headed the development of safety surveillance tools, risk communication and mitigation strategies for vaccines, medicines and medical devices which harmonized and streamlined pharmacovigilance practice within the facility
- Constituted the hospital case investigation and causality assessment committee and served as its first secretary. More than 40% of serious ADRs were investigated and concluded
- Trained healthcare workers in detecting and reporting of ADRs/AEFIs which improved the numbers and quality of ADRs/AEFIs reports
- Mentored Pharmacy students in pharmacovigilance research and practice with an aim encouraging junior Pharmacists to pursue pharmacovigilance as well as generating local data for decision making and improved pharmacovigilance practices
- Advocated for stringent good Manufacturing and pharmacy practices to reduces cases of ADRs/AEFIs resulting from poor handling of Vaccines and Medicines
- Provided clinical care to patients presenting with ADRs/AEFIs which increased trust in the convention health care system despite the adverse events associated with medicines, vaccines and medical devices
- Held community sensitization campaigns on the importance of reporting AEFIs/ADRs. This initiative increased adverse events reporting rates from the public and healthcare workers
- Hosted pharmacovigilance Science Cafe in collaboration with the Pharmacy school of the Kamuzu university of Health Sciences. The Cafes provided a platform for research dissemination, advocacy and knowledge sharing
Education
Master of Science - Pharmacoepidemiology & Pharmacovigilance
University of Nairobi
Nairobi, Kenya09-2023
Bachelor of Science - Pharmacy (Hons)
University of Malawi
Blantyre, Malawi06-2016
Skills
- Setting up and strengthening pharmacovigilance Centres and Systems in Africa
- Coordinating continental and regional pharmacovigilance networks
- Developing and reviewing of teaching and learning materials, grant writing, and communication strategies
- Ability to establish strong collaboration and cooperation among partners on a set agenda
- Extensive knowledge, experience and proficiency in Pharmacy, pharmacovigilance and Public Health
- Excellent abilities in communication, leadership, diplomacy, and Strategic thinking
- Outstanding project Management, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) skills
Accomplishments
- Led a team that secured $3 million to implement safety monitoring of vaccines in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Successfully coordinated the set up and implementation of pharmacovigilance centres in more than Five countries
- Headed the implementation of Pharmacovigilance activities in more than 14 countries in the Eastern Africa region
- Led the Continental pharmacovigilance peer to peer learning program where countries with weak pharmacovigilance systems learn from countries with advanced pharmacovigilance systems
- Championed the set-up of pharmacovigilance department at the Africa CDC to sustain continental Pharmacovigilance activities beyond programmatic initiatives
- Strengthened pharmacovigilance networks in Africa such as ISOP through collaborations in research, webinars and resource mobilization.
- Trained, mentored and supervised hundreds of university students and healthcare professionals in Pharmaceutical Sciences especially in pharmacovigilance and Pharmacoepidemiology
Conferences and Trainings
- Clinical trial regulations, Pharmacovigilance, and Bioethics - BVGH (Nairobi-Kenya, May-2024)
- Essentials of Biosecurity and Biosafety-Africa CDC & WHO: (Nairobi-Kenya, September-2024)
- Public Health Emergency Management systems-WHO & Africa CDC: (Nairobi-Kenya, October-2024)
- Strengthening pharmacovigilance systems in Africa, Africa CDC: (Rabat-Morocco, March-2023)
- Project Management-University of Washington: (Virtual, July-2023)
- Principles of Grant Writing-University of Malawi: (Blantyre- Malawi, August-2021)
- Principles of Pharmacovigilance- GSK/WHO: (Lilongwe-Malawi, November-2019)
Additional Information
- Regional Pharmacovigilance Lead at the Africa CDC-2023
- Elected Sports president for KUHES-2022
- Elected Blantyre Rotaract club president, 2018-2020
- Elected President of University of Malawi-College of Medicine students’ union-2015
Certification
Dr Mazyanga Lucy Mazaba
Regional Director
Africa CDC
Nairobi, Kenya
Email: LiweweM@africacdc.org
Cell: + 254 792 328982
Dr Judith Kose
Program Lead-Saving Lives and Livelihood,
Africa CDC. Nairobi KENYA Email:
Otienoj@africacdc.org
Cell: +254 722 756925
Dr Baxter Kachingwe
Former Head of Department
Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS)
LILONGWE/BLANTYRE??? MALAWI
Email: bkachingwe@kuhes.ac.mw
Cell: +265 994 400776
Timeline
Regional Pharmacovigilance Lead
Africa CDC
11.2022 - Current
Pharmacovigilance Consultant
National Pharmacovigilance Center
01.2020 - 09.2022
University Lecturer
Kamuzu University of Health Sciences
02.2018 - 10.2022
Clinical Pharmacist
Ministry of Health
07.2016 - 01.2018
Dr Mazyanga Lucy Mazaba
Regional Director
Africa CDC
Nairobi, Kenya
Email: LiweweM@africacdc.org
Cell: + 254 792 328982
Dr Judith Kose
Program Lead-Saving Lives and Livelihood,
Africa CDC. Nairobi KENYA Email:
Otienoj@africacdc.org
Cell: +254 722 756925
Dr Baxter Kachingwe
Former Head of Department
Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS)
LILONGWE/BLANTYRE??? MALAWI
Email: bkachingwe@kuhes.ac.mw
Cell: +265 994 400776
Master of Science - Pharmacoepidemiology & Pharmacovigilance
University of Nairobi
Bachelor of Science - Pharmacy (Hons)
University of Malawi
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