Dr Kelly Elimian

Dr. Elimian is an accomplished global health leader with over 15 years of experience in infectious disease epidemiology research and education and health systems and biosecurity strengthening spanning Africa, Europe, and North America. As Founder and Executive Director of GSOUTH, Dr Elimian spearheads strategic planning, programme development, and partnerships to advance equitable health education in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Elimian has held pivotal leadership roles, including Consultant Epidemiologist at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, where he led the COVID-19 Emergency Operations Centre Research Pillar, shaping Nigeria’s pandemic preparedness and response strategies. As a Postdoctoral Fellow at Karolinska Institute, he conducted groundbreaking research on cholera interventions and mentored future public health leaders. His international experience extends to consulting for the World Health Organization, Wellcome Trust, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, where he coordinated complex, cross-country projects and engaged policymakers on cholera epidemic control.

Dr Elimian is a Biosecurity Game Changers Ambassador at Brown University Pandemic Centre and Gavi, where he contributed to adult immunisation strategies for epidemic- and pandemic-prone diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. As a Senior Lecturer at the University of Benin, he coordinates the One Health Research Group and the West Africa Network for Epidemic Preparedness and Response, securing and managing international grants focused on infectious disease epidemiology and health systems resilience.

With a PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health from the University of Nottingham, alongside master’s degrees in Applied Epidemiology and Medical Microbiology, Dr Elimian brings unparalleled expertise to GSOUTH. His visionary leadership and commitment to systems thinking, policy advocacy, and capacity building drive GSOUTH’s mission to cultivate a new generation of health professionals poised to transform health outcomes across Africa.