Dr. William N. Kisinza is a Medical Entomologist and Programmatic Vector Control Specialist. He is a PhD holder (Tropical Medicine – Epidemiology) with an MSc degree (Medical Entomology & Applied Parasitology) from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, University of Liverpool in UK. He is also a graduate of a BSc (Hons) degree in Applied Microbiology & Marine Sciences from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Dr. Kisinza has served to serval positions including Director of Amani Medical Research Centre, Acting Director General of the National Institute for Medical Research (September – October 20220, and currently he’s the Centre Manager, and Chief Research Scientist of the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Amani Research Centre. Dr Kisinza is also serving to the position of Honorary Research Professor at the Kampala International University, Tanzania. His interests encompass various aspects of mosquito vector ecology, population genetics and genomics, evolution and applied consequences of insecticide resistance, and the control of mosquito vectors of human disease, with a particular focus on malaria vectors.
Over 28 years, Dr. Kisinza has worked extensively in Health Systems Research and conducted several community- based Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) of major health interventions, especially in the application of innovative technologies for the control of disease vectors, and vector-borne diseases including Malaria, Filariasis, Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever, Emerging and Re-emerging diseases, including mosquito-borne Arboviral Infections.
To his credit, Dr. Kisinza has published over 150 papers in the international peer reviewed journals with high rated impact factors, including The Nature, The Lancet, PLoS ONE, and BMC Infectious Diseases. He is also a Chief Editor of the Tanzania Journal of Health Research, and is an independent reviewer of several international peer reviewed journals including the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Frontiers Cellular and Infection Microbiology, PLOS and PLoS ONE Journals. Dr Kisinza has been also participating significantly in PhD and MSc supervisions and examinations at local universities and abroad.
In the recognition of his outstanding research careers, Dr. Kisinza was awarded the National Health Discovery Award by the Vice-President of the United Republic of Tanzania on 22nd April 2014 for the Discovery of a New Borrelia parasite causing Tick Borne Relapsing Fever in Tanzania. He is also a recipient of other awards including the National Best Worker, and Certificate of Awards in recognition and appreciation of his patriotic contributions made in the field of scientific research in the country from the Researchers, Academicians, & Allied Workers Unions (RAAWU) in May
2004 and February 2023 respectively. He is also a recipient of the Campbell Memorial Award of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 1999 as a best MSc student in the recognition of his research careers in disciplines related to the diseases in the Tropics.
Dr. Kisinza has worked with several international organisations and consortia including the WHO, DANIDA, EU, PMI/USAID, IVCC, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and other consortia funded projects in Tanzania and elsewhere especially on Malaria Entomological Surveillance, Monitoring of Insecticide Resistance, randomized controlled field trials on the efficacy studies of insecticide treated fabric materials including wall liners, bed-nets and indoor residual spraying projects. He has worked as both a Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator of several research projects in Tanzania and elsewhere.
Dr. Kisinza has undertaken several consultancy assignments to a number of African countries providing technical support in malaria and control planning activities with substantial experiences working in the national and international environments. He is also a member of several national and international professional societies and consortia including the Tanzania Public Health Association, African Medical Entomological Association, WHO Roll Back Malaria Vector Control Working Group, Pan-African Malaria Research Consortium (PAMVEC), African Network for Vector Resistance (ANVR), Building out Vector-borne diseases in sub-Saharan Africa (BOVA) (www.bovanetwork.org/users/william-kisinza). Currently, Dr Kisinza is serving to the position of Co-Chair of the Vector Control Technical Working Group (VCTWG) of the Ministry of Health, Tanzania.
Dr. Kisinza has also other roles and responsibilities including the Test Facility Manager of the SANAS Accredited OECD GLP Test Facility of NIMR Amani Medical Research Centre in Tanzania. He is also a Coordinator for the Joint Malaria Programme (JMP) in Tanzania. JMP is a collaborative research programme among the five institutions: (1) Centre for Medical Parasitology (CMP), (2) University of Copenhagen, Denmark, (3) Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), Moshi, Tanzania, (4) London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), London, UK and (5) National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Tanzania.