The research landscape of household air pollution, clean energy access, and health in Rwanda

Jeremiah Mushosho
Dr. Jeremiah Mushosho is a Climate Change, Environment, Renewable Energy, and Health Specialist with over 15 years of experience. He currently leads the Climate Change, Health, and Environment team at the WHO AFRO Regional Office spearheading initiatives that intersect climate change, health, and environmental issues across Africa.Dr. Mushosho is a Certified Expert in Climate and Renewable Energy Finance from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management in Germany. He holds a specialized MBA in Energy and Sustainability from the University of Cumbria in the United Kingdom, a Master of Science in Development Studies, and a Bachelor’s degree in Geography and Environmental Studies in Zimbabwe. Additionally, he earned a Ph.D. in Business and Management, focusing on Climate and Renewable Energy Financing from the University of Zambia.

Brian Chirombo
Dr. Brian Chirombo is the Head of Mission and Country Representative for Rwanda since October 2021. As representative of both the Global WHO Director General and the Regional Director of the WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO), he provides WHO strategic leadership in Rwanda in the policy, technical, political, diplomatic, advocacy and management areas. Dr Chirombo has more 30 years Public Health experience leading, managing and implementing development and cooperation programs at national, regional and international levels. He has extensive experience working with Governments, Academia, International NGOs and the UN in many countries.

Alphonsine Mukamunana

Theopista John Kabuteni

Thomas Clasen
Thomas Clasen, an environmental epidemiologist, is the Rose Salamone Gangarosa Professor of Environmental Health at the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University. His research includes randomized controlled field trials to assess the health impact of water, and sanitation interventions, systematic reviews of water quality and sanitation interventions to prevent diarrhoeal disease and enteric infection, cost effectiveness analyses and project evaluations.  Prof. Clasen holds an MSc (Control of Infectious Diseases) and PhD from the University of London; he also holds a JD (Law) from Georgetown University. 

Ajay ​Pillarisetti
Ajay Pillarisetti is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Health in the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley. He received a PhD in Environmental Health Sciences from Berkeley and an MPH in Global Environmental Health and BS in Biology from Emory University. Dr. Pillarisetti’s research focuses on measuring and modeling the health, climate, and economic impacts of air pollution, with a focus on household energy use and related behaviors in low- and middle-income countries. He has over fifteen years of experience working on global environmental health research, practice, and capacity building in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, with a recent focus on making science-backed, policy-relevant recommendations on the benefits of clean energy transitions at scale. His work has been funded by the US National Institutes of Health, World Health Organization, US EPA, the Clean Cooking Alliance, and a Fulbright student research grant, among others.

Daniel Pope
Daniel Pope is a Professor of Global Public Health and Epidemiology at the Department of Public Health, University of Liverpool. He has more than 20 years’ experience researching the health, gender, environment and climate impacts from reliance on polluting household energy in Africa, Latin America and Asia. He was helped steer WHO air quality guidelines for household fuel combustion and his current research focusses on prevention strategies through clean cooking technologies and fuels. He currently directs the NIHR CLEAN-Air(Africa) Global Health Research Unit. 

John Volckens
Dr. John Volckens is a professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Director of the Center for Energy Development and Health at Colorado State University (CSU). He holds affiliate appointments in Environmental Health, Biomedical Engineering, the Colorado School of Public Health, and the CSU Energy Institute. His research interests involve air quality, low-cost sensors, exposure science, and air pollution-related disease. He is a founding member of the CSU Partnership for Air Quality, Climate, and Health – an organization that seeks to develop practical, science-vetted solutions to intertwined problems of air quality, climate, and health that we face as a society.

Reverien Rutayisire

Emery Hezagira
He holds a Master’s degree in Public Health (Global Health). He is a Public Health professional with more than 14 years of experience in implementing and supporting community health programs in Rwanda. He is currently Director of Community Health Program at Rwanda Biomedical Center. He benefitted from different national and international courses in Community Health. He supported the Community Health program through various national and international workshops. He participated in several National Policy Dialogues organized by the Ministry of Health and partners. My interest areas remain in Community health interventions.

Heather Rohani-Adair
Heather Adair-Rohani currently leads the work on air quality, energy and health at the World Health Organization Headquarters. She has led the establishment of the Health and Energy Platform of Action, and the High-level Coalition on Health and Energy. She co-led the coordination and development of the WHO guidelines for indoor air quality: household fuel combustion and is currently overseeing the work to support countries in the implementation of these Guidelines through the Clean Household Energy Solutions Toolkit.  She also actively participates and represents WHO at various global initiatives focused on health, air pollution and energy like UN Energy, Sustainable Energy for All, Inter-Agency Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators, and the Global Strategy for Women, Children and Adolescent Health.