Speakers

John Waitumbi is a Kenyan senior scientist and the Research Director of the KEMRI/WRAIR-Africa Basic Science Laboratory, located in Kondele Kisumu. Dr. Waitumbi joined KEMRI/WRAIR-Africa as a senior NRC fellow (1998-2001) and conducted research to answer the questions why, on contracting malaria, some children develop anemia and others cerebral malaria. On completion of NRC fellowship, Dr. Waitumbi took a full time employment at WRAIR-Africa as an FSN senior scientist for 26 years. He is now a KEMRI Emeritus scientist and assists in the conduct of genomic surveillance and discovery of pathogens in patients with acute febrile illness, wastewater based bio-surveillance and bats as bio-indicators of circulating pathogens. He serves as mentor for local and overseas students whom he hosts in his Lab.

Dr. Waitumbi was raised in a small village in Limuru central Kenya and earned his BVM from Nairobi University, DVM from Glasgow Vet School, and PhD from Nairobi University. Thereafter he did postdoctoral training in Bordeaux University, France and Hebrew University, Israel. Dr. Waitumbi has authored over 100 peer review articles.

John met his wife of 35 years at Kenya Trypanosomiasis Research Institute where they both worked. They have two children (31 and 34) and one grandson.