Professor Wen Kilama

Biography

Born 22 May 1940 in Tanzania, Wen Kilama studied biological sciences in the USA, earning his PhD in 1970.His thesis was on genetics of malaria vector competence.

From 1970 he taught medical parasitology, medical entomology and public health at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Dar es Salaam.He was promoted to full Professor in 1977.

From 1980 to the end of 1997 he was the founding Director-General, National Institute for Medical Research, Tanzania.He retired from active teaching and research in Tanzania in 2000. (His teaching and research focused on epidemilogy and control of parasitic and vector-borne diseases, including intervention trials.) His current teaching interest is on health research ethics in Africa.

In 1995 Professor Kilama founded and was Chairman/Coordinator of the African Malaria Vaccine Testing Network. Since 2002 he has been Managing Trustee of the African Malaria Network Trust. He was a member of the European Malaria Vaccine Initiative, Immediate Past Chairman of the Malaria Foundation International and Past President of the World Federation of Public Health Associations. Professor Kilama is Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, a member of the WHO global Advisory Panel on Health Research and Education Officer of the PanAfrican Bioethics Initiative.