Berlin, August 10 – The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced today the official welcome of the fifth cohort of the GOARN Berlin Fellowship Program during an opening ceremony held on June 23, 2026. This prestigious six-month program is a collaborative effort between the RKI, the WHO-Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) of the WHO. Its primary objective is to empower public health professionals from GOARN partner institutions by developing their competencies in crucial areas such as epidemic intelligence, surveillance, and emergency response.
Empowering Future Public Health Leaders
Since its inception, the GOARN Fellowship Program has been instrumental in enabling aspiring public health leaders from around the world to conceive and execute impactful projects. Participants benefit significantly from the exchange of knowledge and collaboration with experts from the WHO-Hub and the RKI.
Dr. Basel Karo, from the WHO Collaborating Centre for GOARN at the Robert Koch Institute, emphasized the program’s significance: “Through collaboration and practical learning, the GOARN Fellowship helps build a more interconnected global public health community capable of responding quickly and effectively to emerging health threats.”
Diverse Cohort and Impactful Projects
This year’s cohort comprises six fellows, with two participating in the Berlin Track and four in the Country Track. These complementary program tracks facilitate the development and implementation of projects tailored to specific institutional and national contexts. Fellows also benefit from professional exchange, mentorship, and collaboration with experts from the RKI, the WHO-Hub, and GOARN partners.
Meet the Fellows and Their Projects:
- Nining Puji Lestari (Indonesia): An epidemiologist from the Yogyakarta Provincial Health Office, Nining coordinates surveillance of emerging infectious diseases and manages early warning systems. With extensive experience in public health surveillance and outbreak investigation, her project will focus on reducing alert fatigue by developing an adaptive approach to prioritizing alerts for Indonesia’s national early warning and response system.
- Christian Ndekezi (Uganda): A molecular biologist at the Uganda Virus Research Institute, Christian’s work spans pathogen genomics, molecular epidemiology, zoonotic diseases, and One Health surveillance. His fellowship project will investigate how genomic data can be translated into intelligence indicators for earlier detection and better assessment of emerging health threats.
- Dr. Nik Mohd Hafiz Mohd Fuzi (Malaysia): A public health physician and epidemiologist at the Malaysian Ministry of Health, Dr. Fuzi specializes in communicable disease surveillance, epidemic intelligence, outbreak management, and health crisis management. His project aims to strengthen epidemic intelligence for influenza through integrated forecasting models, digital surveillance, and simulation-based One Health training.
- Ariadine Francisco (Brazil): As the Coordinator for Epidemic Intelligence at the Brazilian Ministry of Health, Ariadine brings expertise in public health surveillance, emergency preparedness, risk assessment, and operational coordination. She will focus on strengthening cross-border syndromic surveillance in the Amazon-Darién region to improve early detection of infectious disease outbreaks and enhance regional cooperation.
- Dr. Hadiza Temitope Ahmed (Nigeria): A Principal Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Officer and Field Epidemiologist at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Ahmed’s work centers on strengthening surveillance systems, supporting outbreak investigations, and improving evidence-based emergency responses. During her fellowship, she will develop a prototype dashboard to link surveillance and response data and monitor the deployment and performance of Rapid Response Teams.
- Dr. Besfort Hetem Kryeziu (Kosovo): A medical doctor, public health specialist, and epidemiologist at the National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo, Dr. Kryeziu is also a research associate and teaching assistant at the University of Prishtina. His fellowship project, EpiQ+, will develop digital tools to enhance outbreak investigations, field data collection, data analysis, reporting, and early detection of public health signals.
The program continues to foster a global network of skilled professionals dedicated to safeguarding public health against evolving threats, reinforcing the critical role of international collaboration in disease prevention and response.
Source: https://www.rki.de/DE/Institut/Das-RKI/Karriere/Ausbildungsprogramme/GOARN/2026_08_GOARN-Berlin-Fellowship_5-Eroeffnungsfeier.html?nn=16922072
