Key characteristics

The committee is composed of a range of technical experts from across the world who meet regularly to review applications for support from Gavi-eligible countries and to advise on their suitability for funding, ensuring alignment with Gavi’s strategic objectives and compliance with Gavi policies.

The Independent Review Committee (IRC), was evaluated in 2023 by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The three main objectives for this independent evaluation were: (1) to assess the suitability of IRC's strategic design in the context of Gavi 5.0/5.1, (2) to conduct an impartial assessment of IRC's proposal review process, and (3) to utilise the assessment to collaboratively develop solutions with the concerned teams. For more details we invite you to visit the IRC evaluation page.

Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the IRC to advise on whether to fund country plans and programmes and to review new country plans and requests for extensions of existing programmes in accordance with policies adopted by the Gavi Board. The aim of the IRC review is to make a recommendation as to whether a country plan will likely achieve (i.e. on a balance of probabilities) the proposed results and contribute to Gavi achieving its mission and strategy, taking into account the justification for the programme, soundness of approach, country readiness, feasibility of plans, system strengthening and sustainability, economic and financial considerations and public health benefit of the investment in line with Gavi’s mission.

Round opening
(on the portal)

2023 Deadline for submission

2023 IRC meeting
(indicative dates)

~2mths prior

17 January

13–24 March

~2mths prior

18 April

19–30 June

~2mths prior

18 July

19–29 September

~2mths prior

3 October

27 Nov – 8 Dec

IRC review rounds

In addition to the previous rounds, the IRC meets periodically for in-country reviews of requests associated with the Full Portfolio Planning process and remotely for ad-hoc reviews of time-sensitive requests.

    IRC Membership

    Members of the Independent Review Committee consist of specialists from a broad range of expertise.

    IRC members generally serve a term of three years. This term may be renewed for another period of up to 3 years. Upon reaching the second term limit IRC members will not be eligible to serve on the IRC for at least 1 year. During their term IRC members may be called upon to serve on the IRC for review of country plans or requests for extensions for which he or she has specific relevant skills.

    IRC LEADERSHIP

    Dr Rose Leke, a Cameroonian immunologist, parasitologist and malariologist was appointed Chair of Gavi's Independent Review Committee by the Board in December 2023.  Dr. Leke will serve a two-year term and is currently supported by her two co-chairs: Dr. Benjamin Nkowane and Dr. Sandra Mounier-Jack.

    Range of expertise

    The increasing complexity of Gavi support types requires an IRC with a broad range of expertise in areas such as:

    • Routine immunisation programmes, especially at country level
    • Management of campaigns
    • Delivery of health services including child and adolescent health
    • Health systems strengthening and management
    • Epidemiology and disease control
    • Cold chain and logistics
    • Financial and budget analysis
    • Gender and equity

    List of IRC pool members

     

    Name

    Areas of expertise
    1 Zenaw Adam HSS, innovative strategies, data quality, project management, human capacity building, MCH, NVS/epidemiology, measles
    2 Borja Cuervo Alonso Access to primary healthcare services in low resource settings; HSS; disaster risk reduction; emergency relief; support to refugees and IDPs
    3 Alvaro Alonso Garbayo Health systems development, immunization, NGOs, fragile countries, cholera outbreaks, humanitarian health
    4 Beatriz Ayala-Öström HSS, supply chain management and resilience, system investments for vaccine preventable pandemics, project management, implementation and evaluations
    5 Andrew Azman Infectious disease epidemiology, cholera, hepatitis E, water and sanitation related diseases, infectious disease dynamics, vaccine study design, seroepidemiology
    6 Saidou Pathé Barry HSS, national health strategies, policy dialogue in the health sector, M&E, primary health care
    7 Sabine Beckmann Public health, community-based primary health care, routine and mass vaccination campaigns and supply chain management, M&E, technical assistance
    8 Blaise Bikandou HSS, policy development, vaccine preventable diseases, epidemiology, health programme management and administration
    9 Francois Boilloit Disease control, health system development and reform, health financing, development assistance for health
    10 Diego Buriot Public health interventions, communicable diseases, fragile and crisis settings
    11 Brent Burkholder Epidemiology, vaccine programmes and disease control, outbreak investigations
    12 Lisa Cairns Immunisation policy, epidemiology, M&R control, national immunisation programme reviews
    13 Aleksandra Caric Immunisation, vaccine safety and regulation, programme management and administration
    14 Valerie Chambard iSC Expert in vaccine management, EVM assessment and cold chain inventory and gap analysis
    15 Rochika Chaudhry Primary Health Care, outbreaks, epidemics and emergency response, malaria, health finance, health policy and planning, M&E 
    16 Dah Cheikh Organization and management of vaccination programmes, HSS, vaccine campaigns, trainings
    17 Sadia Chowdhury Reproductive Health, HSS, child health services, programme delivery, M&E of health programmes
    18 John Crump Infectious diseases, epidemiology, outbreak responses, typhoid
    19 Henrique D’Alva Cold chain, EPI logistics
    20 Teklay Desta Managing immunization program, Vaccine Preventable Disease surveillance and outbreak investigation, New vaccine introduction and data management
    21 Ousmane Dia HSS, project/program management, capacity building, supply chain management of health commodities, vaccine and cold chain management
    22 Mohamed Dramé HSS, health policy dialogue, process & impact evaluation, health financing, human resource for health, community health, immunization systems
    23 Rene Dubbeldam National health policies, essential medicines strategies, child health programmes, community health, epidemiology
    24 Linda O'Neal Eckert Infectious diseases, vaccine preventable disease policy and program development, epidemiology
    25 Ogijo Arome Emmanuel Compliance, financial management, risk management, operations
    26 Emmanuelle Espié Infectious diseases epidemiology, outbreak investigation and response, epidemic preparedness, vaccinology, vaccine effectiveness and safety, capacities building in LMIC
    27 Tene-Alima Essoh Vaccine clinical development and advocacy for market access,HSS, new vaccine introduction, strategies addressing vaccine hesitancies and pharmacovigilance.
    28 Peter Fonkwo Health programme design and management, routine &mass campaigns vaccination, HSS, EPI M&E
    29 Kate Gallagher Infectious disease epidemiology and vaccine delivery
    30 Eleonora Genovese Health specialist, HSS expert in conflict countries, hard-to-reach communities, epidemics
    31 Djordie Gikic HSS, proposal development, immunisation systems evaluation, service delivery, health policies
    32 Melita Gordon Gastroenterology, disease surveillance, typhoid, vaccine trials
    33 John Grundy Health policy, campaign delivery, HSS, programme evaluation
    34 Eusèbe Hounsokou Emergency programmes, refugee health/conflict settings, ebola, equity
    35 Natasha Howard Health policy, social epidemiology, immunisation service delivery, fragile setting, strong academic background
    36 Yilchini Ishaku Cold chain and vaccine logistics management, routine immunization, new vaccine introduction, EVM, HSS
    37 Hector Izurieta Immunisation campaign management, public health, measles control, epidemiology, policy making
    38 Philippe Jaillard Health system strengthening, health and immunization supply chain management, new vaccine introduction, training and educational engineering
    39 Barbara Johnson Public health laboratory assessments, diagnostic laboratory training, development differential diagnostic testing algorithms, improving diagnostic assays
    40 Jean Rostand Kamga Financial & budget analysis, management and governance, audits, financial investigations
    41 Toagoe Karzon Project funding, financial reporting and budget control, conducting audits
    42 Henry Stanley Katamba Infectious and non-communicable diseases epidemiology incl. malaria, M&E of health programmes; strategic partnerships, health research and advisory
    43 Tcha Landry Kaucley Cold Chain, vaccine logistics, EPI monitoring & evaluation, public health management
    44 Wassim Khrouf Financial & budget analysis, audits, project assessment
    45 Joses Kirigia HSS efficiency and productivity analysis; costing and economic evaluation of public health programmes;  analysis of economic burden of disease
    46 Per Kronslev Pharmaceutical supply chains serving public health
    47 Stefano Lazzari Outbreak, epidemic and emergency response, HSS, monitoring and evaluation, grant management
    48 Dominique Legros Epidemiology of infectious diseases (incl. cholera), surveillance, vaccinology, operational research, management of outbreaks and of complex emergencies
    49 Rose Leke Immunology of parasitic infections, particularly malaria. Global Health, HSS, training of the next generation of scientists
    50 Dafrossa Lyimo Immunisation campaign management, public health, health systems management, health policies, disease control
    51 Tippi Mak Vaccinology and scientific reviews for immunisation policy, safety and regulation. Late-phase vaccine development, epidemiologic research and primary care
    52 Viviana Mangiaterra Child health, epidemiology, HSS, immunisation programmes
    53 Osman Mansoor Immunisation programmes, epidemiology & monitoring, measles control, cold chain & logistics
    54 Florian Marks Public health, vaccinology and policy making, outbreak responses, campaign evaluations
    55 Jean-Pierre Matwanga Budgeting, financial management, procurement, portfolio/project management, grant management
    56 Anne McArthur-Lloyd NVS introduction; immunization system strengthening and assessment; training and community engagement
    57 Mark Miller Epidemiology, vaccine research, public health, outbreak investigations, disease control
    58 Abdul-Aziz Mohammed Immunization Supply Chain with expertise in vaccine Management; cold chain planning and supply chain strengthening; vaccine management and cold chain assessment
    59 Nkengafac Villyen Motaze Vaccinology, infectious disease epidemiology, clinical epidemiology, systematic reviews, evidence-based practice and pharmaco-epidemiology
    60 Sandra Mounier-Jack Immunisation programmes, health systems strengthening, HPV vaccine, measles elimination, health policy and health financing
    61 Kondwani Msampha Financial & budget analysis, HSS, global health and integrated service delivery
    62 Pierre Corneille Namahoro Cold-chain logistics, health and pharmaceutical  supply chain, HSS, project design and management, M&E and financial management
    63 Alex Nartey Health financing, public financial management, project management, funds and grants management
    64 Sophie Newland Health technology evaluation and introduction; cold chain equipment inventory and maintenance data management; and healthcare waste management systems
    65 Benjamin Nkowane Vaccine preventable disease programmes, implementation of mass vaccination campaigns, technical support for field operations in security risk areas, epidemiology and reproductive/sexual health
    66 Mathieu Noirhomme Public health, HSS, health policy dialogue, health financing, design thinking & service design, universal health coverage
    67 Cornelius Oepen HSS, urban health, health security, mass vaccination/campaigns, evaluation of research programmes
    68 Abiola Ayodeji Ojumu Child health and immunisation programs,HSS, strategic planning and health policy development, supply chain management,NVS introduction planning and execution
    69 Jean Marc Olive Immunisation programmes, emergency strategies & disaster relief, measles elimination
    70 Walter Orenstein Assessment of vaccine effectiveness, vaccine hesitancy&enhance uptake, polio eradication and measles elimination
    71 Edward Ouko Auditing and public financial management, governance, monitoring and evaluation
    72 Bolanle Oyeledun Health systems strengthening, MNCH, immunisation, adolescent reproductive health & HPV, programme assessments and evaluations
    73 Femi Oyewole Role of laboratories in disease control at various levels of health care delivery. Designing, implementing and evaluating activities in the area of vaccine-preventable diseases
    74 Jean-Paul Paolo Supply chain management, cold chain logistics, vaccines management, EVMA, e-LMIS, waste management, supply chain costing
    75 Michael Park Programme management and evaluation, primary care, health systems and public health
    76 Elisabeth Paul Health systems and policies, health financing, universal health coverage, performance-based financing, aid effectiveness
    77 Obed Philip Procurement and supply chain management and governance, vaccines management and system design, public health logistics management
    78 Giorgi Pkhakadze Public health, HSS, project/program design, planning, M&E, control of communicable and non-communicable diseases, change management
    79 Robert Pond HSS, NVS, validation of immunization coverage estimates, assessment/reinforcement of countries’ approaches to data quality assurance
    80 Susan Rackstraw Health strategy, design, policy and program implementation in fragile and emergency settings, planning, budgeting and financial management, establishment and review of policy and governance mechanisms, HSS
    81 Bastiaan Remmelzwaal Cold chain and vaccine management, EVM assessments, Facility and Equipment Maintenance and Inventories and pharmaceutical supply chain management
    82 Chandrakant Ruparelia HSS, disease outbreak response, innovations to improve access to healthcare, and integration of health services, implementation of national guidelines, quality improvement
    83 Helen Saxenian Health financing, public financial management, costing, economic evaluation, public-private engagement in immunization, fiscal policies for health
    84 Soleine Scotney Health and immunisation systems strengthening, PHC (including infectious diseases, MCH), vaccine market dynamics, supply chain management, health programme implementation, policy development, budgeting, M&E
    85 Jim Setzer Health information systems, HSS, disease surveillance, programme and policy planning, M&E, strategic planning
    86 Mario Stassen Immunization supply chain logistics (iSCL) and Cold chain logistics, quality assurance incl. vaccines, health systems strengthening and management, bridging the gap between strategy and operations
    87 Simon (Sam) Sternin Global health generalist, HSS, disaster management, coverage and equity, CSOs
    88 Gavin Surgey Health economics and financing; HSS; health technology assessment
    89 Ousmane Amadou Sy Financial and grant management; technical assistance; public health policy; program design/planning and implementation; health and community systems strengthening
    90 Patricia Taylor Routine immunization, new vaccine introduction, MNBCH, community and urban health, health information systems, capacity development
    91 Joanne Thomson Public health, gender equality, disability and social inclusion, development of humanitarian good practice standards, programme design and evaluation
    92 Abdelmajid Tibouti Financial & budget analysis, health economics, health financing strategies, monitoring and evaluation
    93 Oyewale Tomori Laboratory systems and support for infectious disease prevention, diagnosis and control
    94 Vivien Tsu Epidemiology, new public health interventions, women's reproductive health, HPV, JE
    95 Beena Varghese Evaluation of health interventions including cost and cost-effectiveness analysis; design of research methods for health systems analyses; and health financing
    96 Margaret Watkins Immunisation campaign management, epidemiology, public health interventions, outbreaks, evaluations
    97 Erika Wichro Pandemic preparedness planning and outbreak response, HSS, re-emerging infectious diseases, risk assessment, ebola, polio, measles, malaria, public health, strategic crisis management, epidemiology
    98 Charles Shey Wiysonge Vaccinology, HSS, vaccine hesitancy, epidemiology, systematic reviews, programme management
    99 Aregai Woldegebriel Epidemiology, SIA, MNCH, outbreaks, monitoring and evaluation

     

    Consolidated IRC reports

    November 27, 2019

    IRC reports

    IRC reports
    Learn more
    Last updated: 3 Jul 2023

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