Global Health beyond the MDGs > Speakers & Facilitators > Prof. Ib Christian Byg...

Prof. Ib Christian Bygbjerg: 

ROUNDTABLE SESSION: Strengthening systems for research for health: How can we enhance local ownership and local priority setting in the South?

Ib Bygbjerg is a professor of International Health at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and senior external consultant, Dept. of Infectious Diseases, National University Hospital (Rigshospitalet), Copenhagen, Denmark. Prof. Bygbjerg is also chairman of the Danish Research Network for International Health (Enreca Health).

Prof. Bygbjerg has almost 40 years of experience in tropical medicine, infectious diseases and international health focusing on clinical work, research, research capacity building programs, curricular development and teaching in South Asia, Africa and Europe. Research focuses on international health as defined by the European Network for tropical medicine and international health e.g. major health problems in low- and middle income countries. Besides of communicable diseases, in particular malaria, HIV and aids, in recent years he has also been focusing on non-communicable diseases, diabetes type 2 in particular, which are becoming the major health problems, including in low-income countries and emerging economies, and on the double burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Thus, he is co-founder of the Collaborative Framework for Care and Control of TB and Diabetes, and board member of the World Diabetes Foundation.

Ib Bygbjerg has worked for international research organizations, universities, development NGOs and national research organizations. Major research projects include quality assurance of management of severely ill children in Tanzanian hospitals, supported by the EU, Interaction of antiretrovirals and antimalarials, supported by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and a series of research capacity building projects, mostly on malaria in Africa, supported by Danish and British development agencies and funds. In Denmark, he founded the Section of International Health, University of Copenhagen, and the Masters in International Health, and currently assist in building up the Centre for Ethnicity & Migration (MESU), and is heading a planned cross-faculty, pre-graduate masters in global health at the University of Copenhagen.