Dr. Basiliana Emidi is a Principal Research Officer in Medical Entomology working with the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) in Tanzania. She holds a Ph.D. in Medical Entomology, a Master of Science (MSc.) in Medical Entomology, and a BSc (Hons) in Zoology, Wildlife Science, and Conservation. She has over 20 years of research experience and specializes in mosquito vector behaviours, having completed her Post-doctoral research in the same area. Dr. Basiliana is the Centre Manager at NIMR Dodoma Centre, Tanzania. She has held several leadership positions such as Head of the Parasitic Diseases Research Program and Head of the Department of Innovation Commercialization and Technology Transfer. She is a member of the Africa Integrated Vector Management (IVM) Advisory Panel of Experts of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), focusing on emerging technology in vector control. She has been a Vector Control Specialist, providing technical support to Tanzania’s NMCP- Ministry of Health and research institutions on the National Entomological Surveillance. She is a reviewer of several local and international journals and the National Health Research Ethics Committee (NATHREC) of Tanzania. She has been a member of the NATHREC secretariat where she developed the NaTHREC Client Service Charter.
Dr. Basiliana is the East Africa Global Fellow Representative for Womenlift Health, serving Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Southern Sudan and Ethiopia. She is the Country Coordinator for women in vector control in the Pan-African Mosquito Control Association (PAMCA) Tanzania chapter, she champions women’s involvement in the field. She is among the inaugural cohort (Cohort 1) of the WHO Mwele Malecela Mentorship (MMM) Programme for Women in Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). She was among the “WomenLift Health 2023 East Africa Leadership Journey cohort”, designed to empower women leaders in global health. Dr. Basiliana is a mentor under the PAMCA Lifther2 mentorship program and the WomenLift Health. Her research interests encompass entomological surveillance, and mosquito vector ecology, resulting in over 30 scientific publications. She has received numerous accolades, including the “Mid-career Women in Vector Control Excellence Award” for outstanding contributions in the fight against vector-borne diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa, the “First Young Women Scientist Award”, the “Mount Kilimanjaro Scientific Award” and the “Ngorongoro Conservation Prize”. She actively engaged in national and regional professional associations, driven by her dedication to mosquito vector control and NTDs elimination. Email: basiliana.emidi@nimr.or.tz