| Dr. Katy Yao |
Dr. Yao is the director of the global SLMTA program, which is funded by The President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a US governmental initiative to address the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. The SLMTA program has been implemented in 1643 laboratories in 57 LMIC countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Oceania. As of July 2024, the program has helped 398 laboratories in 26 countries attain accreditation to international standards. Dr. Yao is a Public Health Educator at US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She has a PhD in education with a focus on instructional design and adult learning. |
| Mr. Ashaba Davis |
Mr. Davis is a Senior Laboratory Scientist at African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), a non-profit networking and service alliance of Field Epidemiology (and Laboratory) Training Programs (FELTPs), and other applied epidemiology with operations in over 31 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. AFENET is a Cooperative Agreement partner with the US CDC (grant no. NU2GGH002140) to create and implement the SLMTA 3 curriculum.
Mr. Davis manages the project at AFENET and has a Master’s Degree in Science in Public Health. |
| Ms. Anna Murphy |
Ms. Murphy is an independent consultant and sub-contractor of AFENET who created the original classroom-based SLMTA 3 curriculum. She was also instrumental in the development of the SLMTA 1 and SLMTA 2 curricula, both precursors of the SLMTA 3 curriculum. She is a SLMTA master trainer and has trained numerous laboratorians in the past decade. Anna is a certified Medical Laboratory Scientist (by ASCP). |
| Mr. Elde Mel Paladar |
Mr. Paladar led the redesign of the classroom-based SLMTA 3 curriculum for on-line delivery and will serve as an instructor and facilitator of the e-learning course. Based in Malawi, he is a Project Manager at Adventist Health International, as well as Assistant Professor at the Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, Loma Linda University.
Mr. Paladar has a Master of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He is a SLMTA master trainer and has trained numerous laboratorians in the past decade. |
| Ms. Beatrice van der Puije |
Ms. van der Puije helped redesign the classroom-based SLMTA 3 curriculum for on-line delivery and will serve as an instructor and facilitator of the e-learning course. Based in Ghana, Ms. van der Puije is a Public Health Program Manager at African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM), a pan-African organisation strengthening medical laboratory networks and systems in Africa.
Ms. van der Puije is a certified QMS Trainer, with a Master of Science Degree in Medical Immunology and Microbiology. She is a SLMTA master trainer and has trained numerous laboratorians in the past decade. |
| Ms. Janet Scholtz |
Ms. Scholtz helped redesign the classroom-based SLMTA 3 curriculum for on-line delivery and will serve as an instructor and facilitator of the e-learning course. Before retirement, Ms. Scholtz was a Quality Manager, Regional Western and Northern Cape, at National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS), South Africa. She is a certified auditor for The South African National Accreditation System (SANAS). Ms. Scholtz has a Medical diploma in Biomedical Technology. She is a SLMTA master trainer and has trained numerous laboratorians in the past decade.
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| Dr. Luciana Kohatsu |
Dr. Luciana Kohatsu is the Associate Director for Laboratory Sciences, South America Regional Office at the US CDC. She is a senior Laboratory Systems Strengthening and Scientific Advisor for innovative technology, and laboratory accreditation expert. Dr. Kohatsu served in several roles at CDC Atlanta, East Africa, the Americas and at the U.S. State Department PEPFAR central offices. She is a Cellular, Molecular, and Developmental Biologist, holds a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Pathology, and is a former CPEP-approved Clinical and Public Health Microbiology fellow from UCLA and the State of California. As a SLMTA Master Trainer, she trained the first cohort of Mozambican trainers, Latin American military trainers, and trainers and Master Trainers for the Americas. |
SLMTA 3 Scientific Committee