GALVmed, the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines, is pleased to announce that Dr Shadrack Moephuli has become chair of the board. Dr Moephuli is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Agriculture Research Council (ARC) of South Africa, where he has worked to elevate the organisation to be a world-class leader in agricultural research and development of animal vaccines.
Dr Moephuli commented:
"I am taking over as chair of GALVmed at an exciting time. We have a new and ambitious business plan which will see us move from proof-of-concept of the GALVmed model to delivery at scale. GALVmed and our partners form a strong team which will make a sustainable difference to poor farmers in resource poor environments by ensuring solutions are available which tackle a range of neglected livestock and poultry diseases.
"As a scientist I am excited by the range of cutting-edge solutions which are being generated specifically to meet the need of poor livestock keepers in Developing Countries. Donor investment is yielding low-cost, appropriate technologies, which can be delivered at scale and with solutions that are smarter, more innovative, and better able to respond to the needs of the small scale poor livestock producers in developing countries, particularly in Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia."
Chief Executive of GALVmed, Steve Sloan, said:
"We could not ask for a better person to lead the board at this time. Dr Moephuli has a clear vision of what GALVmed needs to achieve. His background and experience of working in an African policy and advocacy environment will help us to align our work with national governments and the regional groupings which are becoming increasingly important. This will ensure the relevance of the work we do and the way we communicate it to inform policy and practice in the field."
