DNDi is very pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Javid Abdelmoneim, Datuk Dr Mahathar bin Abd Wahab, Dr Taruna Madan, Violet Naanyu, and Dr Mario Santos Moreira as members of the organization’s Board of Directors.
DNDi’s Board of Directors consists of six representatives nominated by each of DNDi’s founding partners and a patient advocate who represents the communities we serve. The Board is free to appoint up to eight other members in accordance with the additional skills, knowledge, and experience it requires.
Dr Javid Abdelmoneim is a Sudanese Iranian emergency medicine doctor, with extensive experience in both the United Kingdom’s National Health Service and with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Dr Javid was elected International President of MSF in June 2025.
Born in Cambridge, UK, he graduated with a degree in medicine from University College London, holds a diploma from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians.
Having joined MSF in September 2009 as an emergency doctor in Basra, Iraq, Dr Javid has worked in medical and programme coordination roles since then in Haiti, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Syria, Chad, Ukraine, UK, in Mediterranean search and rescue, and in Sierra Leone during the West Africa Ebola epidemic. His most recent roles with MSF have been as medical team leader in Gaza, Palestine, and as medical team leader in Omdurman, Sudan, until February this year.
Dr Javid served on the board of MSF UK from May 2015 and was appointed its president in 2017, a role he held until 2021.
In addition to his humanitarian and clinical work, Dr Javid is also an experienced television presenter. He has been nominated for both Emmy and BAFTA awards for his work on science documentary and health entertainment series, which have appeared on Netflix, BBC, HBO, Channel 4, and Al Jazeera English.
Dr Javid was preceded as Board Member by Dr Christos Christou, former International President of MSF, who we thank sincerely for his service to DNDi’s mission.
Datuk Dr Mahathar bin Abd Wahab is the current Director-General of Health Malaysia, appointed in May 2025. A seasoned clinician and respected health leader, he began his service with the Ministry of Health in 1996 and has since held a range of senior positions at both hospital and national levels. These include Head of the Emergency and Trauma Department at Hospital Kuala Lumpur (2017–2025), Head of Emergency Medicine and Trauma Services, and President of the College of Emergency Physicians, Academy of Medicine Malaysia.
Trained in both the United Kingdom and Malaysia, Datuk Dr Mahathar holds a Bachelor of Medical Science from the University of St Andrews, a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Manchester, and a Master of Emergency Medicine from Universiti Sains Malaysia. His career has been defined by a deep commitment to strengthening emergency care systems, enhancing medical education, and shaping disaster and crisis response frameworks.
Widely regarded for his contributions to the development of emergency medicine in Malaysia, he has been actively involved in national policy formulation, trauma systems planning, capacity building, and frontline service transformation. His dedication to excellence has earned him numerous accolades, including the prestigious Panglima Setia DiRaja (PSD).
Today, as Director-General, Datuk Dr Mahathar continues to champion innovation, integrated care, and workforce development. His leadership is anchored in clinical experience, policy insight, and an unwavering focus on improving the resilience and quality of Malaysia’s healthcare system.
Datuk Dr Mahathar was preceded as Board Member by Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, who we thank sincerely for his service to DNDi’s mission.
Dr Taruna Madan is a Senior Scientist at the Clinical Studies and Trials Unit (CSTU) at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), with a PhD in Pharmacy from CSIR-IGIB and College of Pharmacy, University of Delhi (now DIPSAR, DPSR University). Dr Madan did her post-doctoral training with Professor KBM Reid and Prof. Uday Kishore, MRC Immunochemistry Unit, University of Oxford, UK, and Dr Raina Fichorova, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA.
Dr Madan is the former President of Indian Immunology Society, a recipient of 2022- ISSRF-Mridula Kamboj Oration, 2018-IUSSTF-WISTEMM-Senior Scientist Fellowship Award; 2016-ACBI-Mrs and Dr G. P. Talwar Oration Award; 2003-CSIR Young Scientist and 1998-INSA Young Scientist Medal. Her group has over 100 peer-reviewed publications with more than 5000 citations (h index 35), 8 granted patents, 1 multi-institution validated product and an ICMR policy brief at the intersection of immuno-regulatory, pattern recognition proteins (PRRs), and human health with a focus on host-defense, cancer and reproductive disorders.
Dr Madan was preceded as Board Member by Dr Rajiv Bahl, who we thank sincerely for his service to DNDi’s mission.
Violet Naanyu is an Associate Professor at Moi University, Kesses, Kenya, and a Visiting Scholar at Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya. She is trained in sociology, medical anthropology, and global bioethics.
Violet is an elected Fellow at the African Academy of Sciences and a member of the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Behavioural Sciences for Better Health. She is the Behavioural and Social Science Lead at the AMPATH Research Network in Eldoret and the Founder of the AMPATH Qualitative Research Core.
She is a Co-Founder of the Focus Projects and Research Organization, Eldoret, Kenya; Board member of the International Centre for Reproductive Health; a Scientific Advisory Board Member of the Irsay Institute; a facilitator of the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa; and the Co-Chair of the Indigenous Populations Special Interest Group, Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases. She is a member of the National Scientific and Ethics Committee, Kenya; a Committee Member of the Bioethics Society of Kenya; and a member of two research ethics committees in Kenya.
Violet has served as a bioethicist on six global research projects. She has extensively used qualitative approaches, community-engaged research, and human-centred designs and has been involved in research activities in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique, Gambia, Zambia, Canada, and South Africa. She has over 125 peer-reviewed publications.
Violet will serve as DNDi Patient Representative on the organization’s Board of Directors. She was preceded as Board Member by Dr Alwyn Mwinga, a longstanding friend of DNDi and patient rights advocate who served previously as Patient Representative prior to her passing in 2024.
At the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) since 1994, Dr Mario Moreira holds a PhD in Public Policy from the Federal University of Paraná, with a doctoral internship at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. He also holds master’s degrees in Public Health from the Sergio Arouca National School of Public Health (ENSP/Fiocruz) and in Technology and Innovation Management from the University of Sussex, United Kingdom. In addition, he earned an MBA in Public Administration from the Getulio Vargas Foundation.
In 2017, he was appointed Vice President of Management and Institutional Development at Fiocruz. He was elected President of Fiocruz in 2023 and subsequently re-elected for the 2025–2028 term.
Dr Moreira serves as the representative of the Region of the Americas on the Board of Directors of the Pasteur Network; is a member of the Steering Committee of the International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat (IPPS); Chair of the Strategic Advisory Group on Strengthening Regional Innovation and Manufacturing Capacities for Medicines and Other Health Technologies at the Pan American Health Organization; member of the Emergency Advisory Group at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention; Chair of the Assembly of the Paraná Institute of Molecular Biology (IBMP); and President of the Pasteur Network.
Dr Moreira was preceded as Board Member by Jorge Bermudez, who we thank sincerely for his service to DNDi’s mission.
