Degu Jerene Dare joined KNCV as a Senior Epidemiologist in March 2019. He brings a unique combination of proven skills and experiences as Physician-Researcher, Technical Advisor and Project Director, at various organisations including the World Health Organization, Johns Hopkins University and Management Sciences for Health.

In his most recent roles as Technical Director and Regional Director at consecutive USAID funded projects in Ethiopia, Degu led several innovative initiatives which were shared widely in reputable peer-reviewed journals and conferences. Through honorary academic appointments he held in Africa, USA and Europe, Degu made significant contributions to research and education efforts in TB and HIV, and authored over 60 peer-reviewed papers. He currently serves as Associate Editor for two peer-reviewed journals: Public Health Action and Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases, and he is the current Vice Chair of the Union’s HIV Section. Degu obtained his MD from Addis Ababa University (with recognition for ranking top) in 1999, a PhD in International Public Health from the University of Bergen, Norway in 2007, and an MBA from Ashland University affiliated program, USA in 2018.