Degu Dare is a medical doctor with 24 years professional experience working in TB and HIV disease control programmes and epidemiology.

Degu has contributed to over 60 academic articles and is an expert in TB epidemiology, infectious disease management (including TB and HIV/AIDS), capacity building, ministry of health processes, community-based TB services, integrated diabetes/TB/HIV service delivery, TB surveillance and contact screening and health systems strengthening. Degu has previously worked at the World Health Organization, Johns Hopkins University, and Management Sciences for Health.

As the project director of the USAID-funded Challenge TB Project in Ethiopia, Degu developed innovative TB contact screening approaches, led a nation-wide survey on population-based TB awareness and stigma, coordinated the introduction of an integrated specimen transport system both for sputum and viral load testing and introduced innovative digital technologies (99DOTS, online screening, video-conferencing, DHIS-2) to support capacity building, case finding and adherence support.

In addition to his Doctorate in International Public Health from the University of Bergen, Norway in 2007, Degu holds a Master of Business Administration from Ashland University, USA. Degu currently serves as Associate Editor for two peer-reviewed journals: Public Health Action and Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases, and is the current Vice Chair of the Union’s HIV Section. Degu was also part of the WHO-convened global team that developed global TB data compendium for the patient pathway analysis compendium.

Within KNCV, Degu supports the development and revision of national strategic plans for TB, epidemiological reviews and assessments, and the design and implementation of innovative health projects, including community-based TPT, childhood TB diagnosis, and digital health interventions. Degu also works on the implementation of the KNCV-led patient-centered framework for strategic planning in Africa and led the research and epidemiology team contributing to design of KNCV’s innovation pathways and KNCV’s research ethics review. Degu represents KNCV on the Global Fund’s TB measurement taskforce.