Dr. Richard Marlink
MemberRichard Marlink is a medical oncologist, the founding director of Rutgers Global Health Institute, and the inaugural Henry Rutgers Professor of Global Health at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. He was trained in hematology/oncology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, and worked at Harvard with pioneering AIDS researcher Max Essex for more than two decades. He is one of the founding directors of the Botswana-Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership and a co-founder of the African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP), having served on the Board of Directors of ACHAP from its inception until 2019.
Marlink and Botswana colleagues from the Ministry of Health, from ACHAP, and from the Botswana Harvard Partnership, such as Tendani Gaolathe, created what would become Botswana’s national AIDS training program. He was also the principal investigator for southern Africa’s first large-scale HIV/AIDS treatment study. Following the launch of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003, he was Botswana’s country director for the Botswana-Harvard joint PEPFAR effort. Concurrently, he was principal investigator of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation’s Project HEART, a PEPFAR effort in five other African countries that provided HIV/AIDS care for over a million people.
At Rutgers, he established the Botswana-Rutgers Partnership for Health with the Government of Botswana and the University of Botswana. This partnership is focused on helping build Botswana’s national comprehensive cancer care and prevention program while contributing to pandemic preparedness and response in Botswana.
Dr. Edward Maganu
MemberDr. Edward Tlholwe Maganu is currently retired and has held high positions in the World Health Organization (WHO) as the WHO Representative in Zambia, Tanzania and Swaziland. He has also served as WHO Medical Officer for Tuberculosis, Inter Country Project in Pretoria, South Africa.
Before joining WHO, Dr. Maganu held various positions in the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Botswana; among others Permanent Secretary in MOH in Botswana, Deputy Permanent Secretary and Director of Health Services, Assistant Director of Health Services, Principal Medical Officer of Health, Senior Medical Officer, Epidemiologist, Co-Regional Medical Officer, North-West District, Medical Officer, mainly in Princess Marina Hospital and Scottish Livingstone Hospital.
Dr. Maganu has been a board member and chairman of the ACHAP Board of Directors. He has wide experience in managing health services and has published papers in different subject areas especially in the health arena.
Mrs. Irene Kwape
MemberMrs Irene Kwape is the Chairperson of National Council on Population and Development, and an Education and Governance specialist, as well as a gender, HIV and AIDS activist. She is an Independent consultant on Governance, HIV and AIDS, research methods, proposal writing and assessment. Mrs Kwape is a former member of Botswana Health Professional Council and former deputy chair and chairperson of Proposal Writing Subcommittee of BCCM. She is a former long-time National Coordinator of the Botswana Christian AIDS Intervention Programme (BOCAIP).
Mrs Kwape was previously a Chief Executive Officer at Botswana Educational Research Association at the University of Botswana where she coordinated the Research and Administrative work of Botswana Educational Research Association, (BERA). Prior to becoming an ACHAP Member, Mrs Kwape has been a member of the ACHAP Board of Directors where she chaired the Programmes committee of the board.
She has co-authored a number of publications such as “Policy brief on Monitoring and Evaluation for SADC” and “Community TB in BOCAIP” for the TB International journal. Her extraordinary work in HIV and AIDS is recognised and she has been awarded the University of Botswana 2016 Red Ribbon award titled “HIV and AIDS Community Engagement Champion”, FHI360 “Lifetime Award in HIV/AIDS” in 2015 and a certificate of Long Service by BOCAIP in the year of 2016. In 2019 she was nominated with eleven other Batswana as an HIV and AIDs legend.
She holds a Master of Education Degree in Research and Evaluation, University of Botswana and Diploma in Relationship Model of Governance, and Strategic planning with Governance Matters, Canada. a Bachelor of Science and Concurrent Diploma in Education from the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland majoring in Biology and Chemistry. She also holds a Diploma in Educational Planning and Administration from International Institute of Educational Planning in Paris.