Lois K. Cohen, PhD serves as a consultant & Paul G. Rogers Ambassador for Global Health Research since her retirement from U.S. government service in 2006. She is a sociologist whose research and health science administration career included service as the Director of Extramural Research, Associate Director for International Health and Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Dental, Oral & Craniofacial Research and Training, National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health. Having authored more than 150 articles in peer-reviewed journals and edited four books on the social sciences and dentistry, she co-directed the WHO International Collaborative Studies of Oral Health Systems. Having served on several journal boards among them the Journal of the American Dental Association, she co-chairs the Friends of the Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention, and serves on the boards of the Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders, the Edw. Shils Entrepreneurial Fund, Fit for School Ltd, the Humble Smile Foundation, the Global Advisory Council of the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society, and the Caplin Family Charities. She provides consultation to the NIH, the World Health Organization and its regional offices in Africa and the Americas, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, various universities and professional associations including the American Dental Association, the FDI World Dental Federation, the American Dental Education Association and others in the area of global health through oral health. Lectures and awards in her honor are presented annually at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, PA and Harvard University’s School of Dental Medicine in Boston, MA and at the International Association of Dental Research’s Behavioral, Epidemiological and Health Services Research Group.
Gunnar G Dahlén, is professor emeritus at University of Gothenburg Sweden since 2011. He got a Bachelor degree in science (Chemistry) in 1970 and received his dental degree from the Faculty of Odontology at the University of Gothenburg in 1972, the PhD degree (Odont. Dr) in 1980 and became associate professor (docent) in oral microbiology in 1982 and full professor in 1988. Gunnar Dahlén was the head and chairman of the department of Oral Microbiology from 1986 until 2011. He worked as a dentist during 8 years in the public dental health system and as private dentist for a couple of years in the mid 80ties. He was Lasby Visiting professor at University of Minnesota during 1993 and has been visiting professor at the Dental Faculty, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand, annually from 1996 until present. Gunnar Dahlén has been the dean of the Dental affairs (1989-1997) and the dean from 1997 to 2004 at the Faculty of Odontology, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Gunnar Dahlen main research interest has been clinical and diagnostic oral microbiology in relation to periodontitis, caries, and endodontic and deep and mucosal oral infections. A great contribution has been to the oral microbiota in various population groups in international collaborations in Kenya, China, Japan, Thailand and Ghana. He is co-editor of one textbook, author of several textbook chapters and author/co-author of more then 250 scientific papers. Gunnar Dahlen has been supervisor or co-supervisor for twelve PhD candidates and been reviewer (opponent) of 21 for PhD degree.
Ole Blok Fejerskov, D.D.S., Ph. D, Dr. Odont, Odont. Dr h.c. (Univ. Göteborg, Sweden), Dr. Odont h.c. (Univ. Oslo, Norway), Odont. Dr. h.c. (Univ. Oulo, Finland), Doctor h.c. (de l’Université de Montpellier, France), Doctor h.c. (Univ. Chengdu, and Beijing Hospital, China). Trained in Oral and General Pathology, professor of Dental Pathology and Operative Dentistry for 20 years and Dean of the Royal Dental College, Aarhus for 8 years. Rector of the Danish Research Academy for 5 years, Director the Danish National Research Foundation for 8 years, Head of Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Health Aarhus University for 4 years and Director for the Sino-Danish Centre for Higher Education and Research, Chinese Academy of Science – UCAS, Beijing for 2 years. Emeritus professor, Institute of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health Aarhus University since 2014. Been editor-in-chief of Community Dent Oral Epidemiol and J Oral Rehabil and visiting professor in Japan, Singapore, Australia and France.
Newell Johnson is Professor Emeritus at King’s College London and at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia where he was Foundation Dean of the dental school. He holds honorary appointments in several other universities across the globe. He has been researching and teaching oral/head and neck cancer, periodontology, cariology and dental education for over half a century in all continents covering epidemiology, risk factors, diagnostics and treatment outcomes. He practices clinical oral medicine and histopathology. He has published over 500 refereed papers and numerous books and book chapters. He currently leads a team based in the Menzies Health Institute Queensland researching the above areas, with local collaborators, on projects in Australia, UK, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan, South Africa, and Colombia. Honours include Companion of St Michael and St George from HM Queen Elizabeth, Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (UK) and Distinguished Scientist Award from the International Association of Dental Research.
Firoze Manji, a Kenyan with more than 40 years’ experience in international development, public health and human rights, is currently the publisher of Daraja Press. He is Visiting Fellow at Kellogg College, University of Oxford, and is an Associate Fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies. He is the founder of the prize-winning pan African social justice newsletter and website Pambazuka News and publisher of Pambazuka Press. He was the founder and former executive director (1997-2010) of Fahamu – Networks for Social Justice, a pan African social justice organisation with bases in Kenya, Senegal, South Africa and the UK. He is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Centre for the Study of Global Media and Democracy, Goldsmiths College, University of London, member of the editorial board of AwaaZ Magazine, and member of the board of directors of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. He has previously worked as Africa Programme Director for Amnesty International, (1995-97) Chief Executive of the Aga Khan Foundation (UK) (1992-95), and Regional Representative for Health Sciences in Eastern and Southern Africa for the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC) (1989-92). His career in dentistry began in Newcastle-upon-Tyne where he qualified in 1975. After several years as a dental practitioner, including three years as a prison dentist in London, UK, he obtained an MSc in Dental Public Health, University of London, in 1981, and went on to teach Community Dentistry at the University of Nairobi (Kenya). In 1983 he established the Oral Health Research Unit at the Kenya Medical Research Institute which he headed until 1989, during which time he completed his PhD as an external student at the University of London (UK). His health research work has been in the fields of dental fluorosis, caries, periodontal disease, epidemiology, theoretical modelling of diseases, and public health. He served on the editorial board of Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology for a number of years. He has published widely on health, social policy, human rights and political sciences, and authored and edited a wide range of books on social justice in Africa, including on women’s rights, trade justice, on China’s role in Africa and on the recent uprisings in Africa. He is co-editor, with Sokari Ekine, of African Awakenings: The Emerging Revolutions and co-editor with Bill Fletcher Jr, of Claim No Easy Victories: The Legacy of Amilcar Cabral, and has contributions in chapters on African politics in several other books. He was a member of the editorial board of the journal Development in Practice; a founding member of the steering group on the campaign for the ratification of the protocol on the rights of women in Africa Solidarity for African Women’s Rights. He currently lives in Montréal, Canada. He can be contacted at fmanji@mac.com, Twitter: @firozem, and www.facebook/firoze.
