Speakers

Prof Leon Mutesa

Professor of Human Genetics, Director of Center for Human Genetics

College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Rwanda

Professor Leon Mutesa is an MD, PhD and full professor of human genetics, currently serving as the Director of the Center for Human Genetics at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda—a center he established in 2006. He obtained his MD from University of Rwanda in 2003 and subsequently earned his PhD in 2009 from the University of Liege, Belgium, where he also completed his post-doctoral in 2011. His illustrious career has been marked by substantial involvement in clinical services, academia, research, capacity building, and health sector management. Prof. Mutesa has held several prestigious positions, including Director of the Department of Clinical Laboratory at Kigali University Teaching Hospital, the largest referral hospital in Rwanda. He also served as the Director General of the Medical Research Center at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre under the Ministry of Health, where he orchestrated health-related research activities across national medical institutions. A pioneering figure in the field of genetics, Prof. Mutesa has spearheaded the development and implementation of Rwanda’s reference center for medical genetics, the only facility of its kind in East Africa. His advocacy has successfully led to the inclusion of genetic testing in health insurance coverage in Rwanda, enabling patients to access genetic and genomic diagnostics. He has supervised and mentored over 90 MSc, MMed, PhD, and post-doctoral fellows from Rwanda and international universities. With over 180 peer-reviewed publications to his name, Prof. Mutesa is a prolific contributor to scientific research field. He is a member of various expert committees and has led numerous regional and international research consortia and fora. Over the past 15 years, he has participated in multiple international research and training collaborations. Currently, he serves as dual Principal Investigator/Program Director for an NIH grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for the U54 HIV/HPV Cancer Prevention, Treatment, and Pathogenesis project: Rwanda/Einstein (1U54CA190163), aimed at screening for HPV and cervical cancer in a large cohort of HIV-positive women. Additionally, he is the Principal Investigator for an NIH/H3Africa grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) on the Transgenerational Epigenomics of Trauma and PTSD in Rwanda (U01MH115485), focusing on the transgenerational transmission of the epigenomic impact of genocide exposure and PTSD in women survivors of the Rwandan genocide and their offspring (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-022-01028-9). During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Mutesa and his research team implemented various projects to enhance SARS-CoV-2 laboratory diagnostics and management. Their innovative pooling testing strategy, which optimizes limited testing resources, was published in Nature (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2885-5). He is also the principal investigator of a national prospective cohort study evaluating the immune response to COVID-19 vaccines in the Rwandan population. Prof. Mutesa leads multiple research groups focused on infectious diseases (HIV, malaria, NTDs), genomics, genetics, and epigenetics. His outstanding contributions to human genetics have been recognized with the prestigious HUGO African Prize 2024 (https://www.hugo-international.org/hugo-african-prize/). He also serves as a board member of the International Vaccine Institute (https://www.ivi.int/international-vaccine-institute-appoints-two-members-to-its-board-of-trustees-representing-ecuador-and-rwanda/). Prof. Mutesa’s extensive expertise, leadership, and groundbreaking research continue to advance the field of human genetics and improve healthcare outcomes in Rwanda and beyond.