Below are extracts from TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, and a comment from me below.
Full text: https://tdr.who.int/newsroom/news/item/02-06-2026-ebola-response-effort-...
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2 June 2026 News release
During the current Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, in-country public health experts trained through TDR are playing critical leadership roles in clinical trials and response efforts. TDR has also supported long-term efforts to strengthen the data and research foundations needed for more effective preparedness and response to Ebola and other disease outbreaks.
While many TDR-supported scientists and public health leaders are involved in the current outbreak, here, we spotlight two individuals in DRC:
Dr Thierry Kalonji is working with the WHO Country Office in DRC as Field Coordinator of Ebola response activities in Rwampara Health Zone in Ituri province, the current epicentre of the outbreak.
Dr Jepsy Yango, Head of the Clinical Research and Operations Unit at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), is coordinating two major clinical trials aimed at improving both treatment and prevention of Ebola virus disease.
“This is my third Ebola outbreak”...
Thierry is finding that maintaining community trust and acceptance is a major challenge in the face of misinformation, fear and resistance to safe burials after death...
“Beyond technical knowledge, the training emphasized practical problem solving and translating research into public health action,” he said...
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COMMENT (NPW): TDR and HIFA previously collaborated on a series of in-depth discussions on HIFA: evidence-informed country policymaking, implementation research and systematic reviews. https://www.hifa.org/projects/evidence-informed-policy-and-practice HIFA stands by to build on these discussions through a new HIFA Project or Spotlight.
hifa.org/projects
hifa.org/spotlights
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org