Biography
Professor Yap Boum II is the Executive Director of the Institut Pasteur of Bangui in the Central Africa Republic. He was the former Representative of Epicentre, The research arm of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and has implemented studies on TB, malaria, HIV, Ebola, and COVID-19. He teaches Public Health and Microbiology at several Universities in Africa. He was the Chief of Operations for the COVID-19 response in Cameroon. He serves on the Board of The Lancet Global Health with a strong interest in equity and the contribution of African scientists to Global Health. He has co-founded Kmerpad, which developed washable sanitary pads to empower women. He has also co-founded iDocta, a digital platform that takes healthcare services to the community. He started Homegrown Solutions for Health (HS4Health) to find innovative solutions to address Africa's health challenges. The Village digital platform from HS4Health uses AI to connect scientists toward decolonizing Global Health. He is inspired by the vision of a healthy and wealthy Africa that will develop by relying on local resources and equitable partnerships.
He holds a degree in Engineering from the School of Industrial Biology, Cergy; a Master’s in microbiology from the University of Paris XI; PhD in Microbiology from the University Paris XI; a Master's in Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Liverpool; Master in Business Administration specialized in Entrepreneurship and Leadership, University of Cape Town. Professorship in microbiology at Mbarara University of Sciences and Technology in Uganda.
He published over 100 articles in The Lancet, including the need for African solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic.