Oumer Abdurahman

Join me on March 11 for "How to end a plague: smartphones, science, and partnerships" - http://schedule.sxsw.com/2017/events/PP61321

Oumer Abdurahman is currently a Foege Fellow at the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. He previously served as the Neglected Tropical Diseases Program Manager at the Ethiopia Federal Ministry of Health. In that role, Oumer led the country’s efforts to control and eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTD), including blinding trachoma. He led the national scale up of NTD treatments, including scaling up trachoma treatment from 15 million treated individuals to 26 million individuals.

A native of Ethiopia – the country most affected by trachoma worldwide – Oumer has seen firsthand the effects of blinding trachoma. As the Neglected Tropical Diseases Program Manager at the Ethiopia Federal Ministry of Health, he understands the challenges associated with implementing comprehensive disease elimination programs on the ground. Oumer also understands the incredible benefits associated with success. Six of the world’s fastest growing economies are in Africa, the fastest of which is Ethiopia. It is no coincidence that these countries have benefited from improved public health thanks to comprehensive global health programs.