S3E4, Part Two Challenges and opportunities in TB: leveraging lessons from COVID-19 – the view from the frontlines

This episode is a two-part feature with Charles Yu who has been a TB researcher for over 30 years and Mohammed Yassin from Global Fund. In this important episode we hear how lessons from TB informed the COVID response and how COVID 19 learning is shaping the future of TB and lung health. In Part 1 our guests share: 

• The importance of public-provider partnerships in responding to lung health conditions 
• How TB experts in the Philippines were drafted in to run the covid-19 responses 
• How the global fund applied learning from TB when responding to Covid-19 

In part 2 we hear about: 

• How TB survivors filled gaps as community workers during Covid-19 
• How community engagement of the poor and vulnerable was essential to respond to Covid 19 
• The unsung Heroes and stories of people on the frontline who continued to serve the community during COVID-19 when TB facilities were closed

Dr Charles Y. Yu

Charles Y. Yu, MD, MSc, FACP, FPCP, FPCCP is an internationally recognized expert on TB particularly on public-private mix DOTS (PPMD) and has personally directly treated thousands of TB patients almost 30years of practice often without financial gain and indirectly influenced the TB practice of hundreds of other physicians through trainings, guidelines and advocacies . He has proven his leadership by being national Chairman of the Philippine Coalition against Tuberculosis (2002-2004) presiding over some of the most important years of its existence, president of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP), and president of the Philippine College of Chest Physicians (PCCP). He was a member of the Core Group of the WHO DOTS Expansion Committee, PPMD Subgroup, WHO consultant on TB-PPMD and past President of the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development Stakeholders Association,which helped develop new TB drugs that are aimed to be affordable,accessible and is a much sought-after authority by WHO and developmental agencies as well as the Philippine Department of Health. He was member of the International Standards for TB care core group.

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2016/08/17/dr-charles-y-yu-the-dlshsi-vice-chancellor-has-found-his-rightful-place-under-the-sun/

https://www.dlshsi.edu.ph/news/dr-charles-yu-pcp-exemplar-awardee-distinguished-researcher

Dr Mohammed Yassin

Dr Mohammed Yassin (MD, MSc, PhD) is a public health physician and Infectious Diseases Epidemiologist by profession. He works at the Global Fund, Geneva as a Senior TB Advisor where he provides technical leadership on TB/MDR-TB, TB/COVID-19 and advises Global Fund teams and countries to ensure resources are prioritized for key interventions and populations and to maximize impact. He started his career as physician and district medical officer treating TB patients in Ethiopia over 25 years ago, managed the regional programme for communicable diseases. Before joining the Global Fund in 2010, he has worked in Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK and designed, implemented, and managed several multi-country projects. He promotes innovation and partnership and has worked with national programmes in several countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Western Pacific. He collaborates with technical partners globally as member of several global task forces and contributes to policy development and accelerate implementation.