The internationally renowned infectious disease specialist Prof Jean B Nachega has been appointed Full Professor of Infectious Diseases and part-time Director of the Biomedical Research Institute (BMRI) at Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS).

Nachega previously served as the founding director of the Faculty’s Centre for Infectious Diseases from 2008 to 2018. He also holds tenured and adjunct appointments as Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh and Adjunct Associate Professor of Epidemiology and International Health at Johns Hopkins University in the United States (US).

Jean B. Nachega, MD, PhD, MPH, tenured associate professor of infectious diseases and microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, has been formally inducted into the Académie Congolaise des Sciences (ACCOS), the Congolese Academy of Sciences.

Nachega was nominated by Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum, director and professor of virology at the National Institute of Biomedical Research in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), co-discoverer of the Ebola virus in 1976, and current president of ACCOS.

A native of the DRC, Nachega is also a member-elect of the Academy of Science of South Africa and of the African Academy of Sciences.

“I am deeply honored to be inducted into ACCOS,” said Nachega. “This recognition from my home country and esteemed Congolese colleagues is especially meaningful, as it affirms my lifelong commitment to advancing science and public health in Africa and globally, and to mentoring the next generation of scientists. I am also grateful to the University of Pittsburgh for its support and to colleagues worldwide for their continued collaboration in addressing pressing health challenges.”

The induction ceremony was held on September 12 at the University of Lubumbashi in the DRC.

AFREhealth is excited to announce a new partnership with ScholarRx aimed at transforming medical education across Africa. Through this collaboration, both organizations will co-develop and promote open-access Rx Bricks—high-quality, customizable learning modules tailored to the needs of African health professions students and educators.

The partnership will also feature joint faculty development webinars and resource-sharing initiatives to support accessible, context-relevant medical education across the continent.

This marks a key milestone in our mission to build stronger, more inclusive health education systems in Africa.

Stay tuned for upcoming activities and resources from this collaboration.

National Institutes of Health (NIH): Program update

AFREhealth has provided specialized training to 45 faculty members from 8 countries across Africa, enabling them to improve teaching, research, and education scholarships in higher learning institutions. This was done through its Pedagogical Course for Health Professions Educators.