ITM Appoints Four New Governors to Strengthen Global Health Leadership

The new board members bring expertise in development finance, healthcare innovation, science communication and artificial intelligence.

The Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp, Belgium, has appointed four new members to its Board of Governors, strengthening its expertise in global development, healthcare innovation and emerging technologies.

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Announced on 14 October 2026, the appointments are Gargee Ghosh, Dr Beatrice Murage, Dr Sheila Obim and Dr Dino Rech. Their combined experience spans development finance, health systems, strategic communication and digital health.

“Persistent health inequities, evolving disease threats and new technologies require institutions like ITM to keep adapting while staying true to their mission,” said Prof Özge Tunçalp, ITM’s Executive Director. She said the new governors would help the institute focus its expertise where it could make the greatest difference to public health.

Gargee Ghosh brings extensive experience in global development policy, financing and philanthropy. A Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Mossavar-Rahmani Centre for Business & Government, she previously served as President of Global Policy & Advocacy at the Gates Foundation. Her earlier roles at McKinsey, Google.org and the Centre for Global Development add experience across business, philanthropy and public policy.

Dr Beatrice Murage combines medical training with international strategy and experience across public and private institutions. Her work focuses on healthcare access, innovation and sustainable growth, including advising governments and international organisations and supporting impact investment and digital health ventures.

Dr Sheila Obim has more than 25 years’ experience in global health, sustainable development, science communication and institutional leadership. She served as Head of Strategic Communications at Africa CDC during the COVID-19 pandemic and as Executive Director of the Alliance for Science. She has also held senior roles at the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme and UN-Habitat. Trained as a biochemist, she brings expertise in communicating scientific evidence and leading organisational change.

Dr Dino Rech brings experience in digital health and artificial intelligence. A physician and public-health leader based in Johannesburg, he is CEO of Audere and founder and CEO of Audere Africa, which develops AI-enabled digital health solutions across Southern Africa. His previous roles at the Gates Foundation and the Aurum Institute focused on HIV, tuberculosis and primary healthcare.

Together, the four governors bring complementary experience in financing, policy, communication and the practical delivery of healthcare.

ITM Board Chair Jo Bury said the appointments would broaden the perspectives informing the institute’s decisions.

“A strong Board needs more than expertise in individual fields. It needs people who can bring different perspectives to complex decisions, ask the right questions and help an institution look beyond the immediate horizon,” Bury said.

The appointments coincide with the departure of Ann Adriaensen, Roel Coutinho, Ajit Shetty and Stefaan Van der Borght, whose board mandates have ended.

ITM General Manager Ann Peters thanked the outgoing governors for their service, highlighting their contribution during the COVID-19 pandemic and a period of significant institutional change.

Jo Bury remains Chair, with Herwig Leirs as Vice-Chair. Other board members include Ann Aerts, Inge Basteleurs, Luc Broos, Ann Peters, Steven Serneels, Prof Özge Tunçalp and Chris Van Geet.

Founded in 1906, ITM is an independent centre of expertise in global health, tropical medicine and infectious diseases. Its work spans laboratory and clinical research, public health, specialist education and health policy, with a particular focus on underserved populations and low- and middle-income countries.

The institute also maintains a network of 29 partner institutions across 23 countries, supporting international research and knowledge exchange.

The four appointments broaden the expertise available to guide ITM’s work as health inequalities, infectious diseases and technological change continue to shape global health priorities. The focus now is to turn scientific knowledge and innovation into practical improvements in healthcare for the communities that need them most.