Global Health Catalyst Summit
Speakers
Outstanding speakers at all levels all interested in collaborations
2026 GHC Summit at Harvard/MIT
Catalyzing Win-win Collaborations for global health and development
The Global Health Catalyst Summit brings together an extraordinary community of visionary leaders from academia, healthcare, government, industry, philanthropy, patient advocacy, faith-based organizations, diaspora, and global development who are committed to transforming health and human development. More than distinguished speakers, they are collaborators, innovators, and changemakers who will share bold ideas, and experiences, challenge conventional thinking, and help activate partnerships that continue long after the Summit through the AI-powered C4 platform.
Distinghuished 2026 Summit Speakers
Tentative/Regularly Updated
H.E Zita Oligui Nguema
H.E Mrs Fatima Maada Bio
H.E. Arya Ali
Honorable Edward John Markey
Olivier Legrain
Honorable Huguette Nyana Ekoume (épouse Awori Onanga)
Hon. Pr. Elsa Nkana Joséphine Ayo épouse Bivigou
Hon. Brigitte Onkanowa
Her Royal Highness Pricess Dina Mired
H.E. Robie Kakonge
H.E. Dr Elsie Kanza
Maria Adriana Sanford (Koeck), Dual LL.M., J.D.
Prof Cesaltina Lorenzoni
Prof Suzana (Manxhuka) Kerliu
Dr Aditi Hazra
Cupid Chan
Dr Gustavo Olivera
Dr Brylyne Chitsunge
Dr Sandra Carrillo
Jochen Kirsch
Professor Peter Mageto
Dr Gloria Ekpo,
Dr. Jackson Orem
Dr. Fleury A Nsole Biteghe
Dr Simon Manga
Prof Rock Mackie
Niek Schreuder
Some Past and Returning Speakers include
Full list of 2026 GHC summit speakers include
His Excellency Prof Muhammad Yunus
Head of Government of Bangladesh, Nobel laureate
Her Excellency Jeannette Kagame
First Lady of Rwanda
Her Excellency Rebecca Akufo-Addo
First Lady of Ghana
Prof Harold Varmus
Nobel Laureate. Former Director of the USA National Institutes of Health
Prof Laurie Glimcher
President of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Director of the Dana-Farber Harvard Cancer Center
His Excellency Dr. Hussein Mwinyi
President of Zanzibar
Prof Liz Jaffee
Chair of the U.S. President's cancer Panel. Deputy Director of the Johns Hopkins Cancer Center
H.E Ambassador Seleshi Bekele Awulachew
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of FDR Ethiopia to the USA.
Her Excellency Dr Elsie Kanza
Ambassador of Tanzania to the USA
Her Excellency Celina Leão
Governor, Ibaneis Rocha, Brasilia, Brazil
Delilah
Radio Host, Author
Calvin Johnson
NFL Hall of Famer
Prof Felicia Knaul
Health economist
Director of the Harvard Global Equity Initiative, and Author of Closing the Cancer Divide
Prof Hedvig (Hedi) Hricak
Chair, USA Cancer Moonshot 2.0 Lancet Oncology Commission, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Prof Monica Bertagnoli
President of American Association for Clinical Oncology, Professor, Harvard Medical School
Honorable Lia Tadesse Gebremedhin
Minister of Health of Ethiopia
Eric Holder
Former United States Attorney General
Honorable Audley Shaw
Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Jamaica
Dikembe Mutombo
NBA Legend and Hall of Famer
Congresswoman Karen Bass
Chair, USA House Sub-Committee for Global Health
H.E. Jessica Lapenn
USA. Ambassador to the African Union and the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
Bismack Biyombo
NBA Star
Dr. Rowland Illing
Chief Medical Officer and Director of Global Healthcare and Non-Profits for Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Congressman Brad Wenstrup
Doctor of podiatric medicine, Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve
Her Royal Highness Princess Dina Mired
President of the Union for International Cancer Control
Dr Kyu Rhee
Vice President and Chief Health Officer, IBM
H.E. Hilda-Suka-Mafudze
African Union Ambassador, USA
Prof William Nelson
Director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
Dr John Nkengasong
Director of the The United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and former Director of the Africa CDC
Dow Wilson
President and CEO of Varian Medical Systems
H.E. Carlos Dos Santos
Ambassador of Mozambique to USA
Shreya Patel
Young Global Health Catalyst
University of South Florida
Past Summit Speakers
Speakers from all walks of Life
Ulrika Årehed Kågström
H.E. Judith Suminwa
Prof Cesaltina Ferreira Lorenzoni
Prof. Dr. Lebwaze Massamba Bienvenu
Director/ National Cancer Control Center (CNLC), Democratic Republic of Congo
Prof Hedi Hricak
Dr Catharine Young
Dr Beatrice Wiafe Addai
Dr Yan Susu
Prof Stephen Avery
Prof Timothy R Rebbeck
Simar Bajaj
Prof Victor Mbarika
Founder of ICT University
Jennifer Dent
Dr Joseph Weygand
Dr A F M Kamal uddin
Prof Ahmed Elzawawy
Prof Bishesh Poudyal
Cupid Chan
Isabel Mestres
Dr Brylyne Chitsunge
Dr Sandra Carrillo
Prof Javier Viera
Dr Gloria Ekpo,
H.E. Robie Kakonge
Prof Richard Levenson
Prof. Jared Auclair
Prof Dr Suzana Manxhuka-Kerliu
Dr. Jackson Orem
Prof Thomas Bortfeld
Rebkha Atnafou
Deacon Jasmine J. Moore
Linord R. Moudou
Mahmudul Hasan
Moin Chowdhury
Dr Katy Graef
Dr Sasa Mutic
Prof Rock Mackie
Niek Schreuder
Peter Kapitein
Dr. Mostafa Aziz Sumon
Prof Patricia LoRusso
Qiang “Al” Zhang
Tisha Boatman
Honorable Dr. Monica Musenero Masanza
Dr Fidelis Ngoh
Honorable Dr Manaouda Malachie
Hon Aden Duale
Dr Timothy Olweny
Philip Nyaswa
Deputy Vice Chancellor, Uzima University
Dr Elias Melly
The Right Revd Martin Reakes-Williams
Dr Gustavo Olivera
Professor Erno Sajo
Dr Sayeda Yasmin Karim
Dr William Swanson
GHC Summit Speaker/Participation Formats
Catalyst Lightning Rounds (abstracts)
3–5 minute bold or breakthrough ideas with one key insight and one invitation to collaborate. These includes emerging leaders, Young Catalysts and Fellows from the CaREER and AMPERE programs at Johns Hopkins and Universities of Pennsylvania/Pittsburgh. Please submit an abstract to participate. Eligible for awards.
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Join us at the next GHC summit
24 days to the eventFri, Sep 18Location Harvard/MITSeptember 18-21, 2026 at Harvard/MIT
Multidisciplinary/Bipartisan/Diverse Voices at the GHC summits all united against cancer
From Presidents, to Nobel Laureates, to Leaders in Congress, to global cancer leaders to students, to everyday people, overyone is needed to collaborate in advancing global health and development.
Below are a sample of these people:
Ambassadors, USA government expert, and Chairs of Lancet Oncology Commission for sub-Saharan Africa meet the press during the 2022 Global Health Catalyst summit at Johns Hopkins
Some previous distinguished Global Health Catalyst Award Winners
SInce 2015
Ed Benz
President of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute @ Harvard Medical School
Karen Bass
Chair of the USA Government House sub-committee for Global Health
Felica Knaul
Professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Harvard Global Equity Initiative
H.E. Jeannette Kagame
First Lady of Rwanda
Funmi Olapade
Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine, University of Chicago
Twalib Ngoma
Professor and Founding Director of the Ocean Road Cancer Institute
Harold Varmus
Nobel Laureate, Former Director of NIH and NCI
Kwanele Asante
Lawyer, Chairperson, Ministerial Advisory Committee on Cancer Prevention and Control, South Africa
David Kerr
Professor of Cancer Medicine, Oxford University
Ahmed Elzawawy
Professor and President of ICEDOC Experts, Chair of the win-win initiative
Eduardo Cazap
Founder and first President of the Latin American & Caribbean Society of Medical Oncology (SLACOM). Former President of UICC
Dikembe Mutombo
NBA Hall of Famer. Founder and President of the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation
Sulma Mohammed
Professor Purdue University
Rose Anorlu
President of African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer
Anthony Zietman
Editor-in-chief Red Jorunal, Professor Harvard Medical School
Dow Wilson
CEO Varian Medical Systems
Beatrice Addai
President of Breast Cancer International
H.E Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu
Philanthropist, and the First lady of Ondo State in Nigeria
H.E Dorothy Nyong'o
Kisumu County First Lady, Kenya
Nicholas Abinya
Professor, University of Nairobi, Kenya
Calvin Johnson
NFL Hall of Famer
Prof Rose Anorlu
President of AORTIC
Prof Otis Brawley
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins
Barbara Goodman
President of Cures Within Reach