Dr. Jeremiah Ngondi has over 25 years’ experience in tropical diseases control, elimination, and eradication. Presently, Jeremiah is a trachoma focal point providing technical assistance to the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Act to End NTDs | East program implemented by RTI International. At Act | East, Dr. Ngondi provides: technical support for implementation of the SAFE strategy for trachoma elimination; epidemiological support for trachoma baseline, impact and surveillance surveys implemented through the Tropical Data System; and technical support to ministries of health to develop trachoma elimination dossiers. Previously, Jeremiah worked for the USAIDs ENVISION project that supported 15 trachoma-endemic countries toward elimination of trachoma as a public health problem. Under ENVISION, Dr. Ngondi’s support enabled Ministries of Health in Laos, Cambodia and Nepal to prepare trachoma elimination dossiers and successfully attain validation of elimination of trachoma by the WHO. He also played an active role in the global effort to close the trachoma mapping gap by 2015, serving as a member of the Global Trachoma Mapping Project (2012-2015) Advisory Committee and leading trachoma mapping surveys.

Dr. Ngondi joined RTI International in 2013 as the senior epidemiologist for the Tanzania Vector Control Scale-Up project (TVCSP) funded by the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative. At TVCSP, Dr. Ngondi was instrumental in implementation of cased-based malaria surveillance through the Coconut system in Zanzibar and streamlining analysis and use of malaria surveillance data for programmatic action, especially epidemic preparedness and response and focal indoor residual spraying. Dr. Ngondi also led on strengthening of malaria surveillance in mainland Tanzania, including implementation of electronic reporting of weekly malaria data through mobile phones and developing malaria surveillance guidelines.

Dr. Ngondi started his public health career working for The Carter Center in Southern Sudan, where he headed data management for the Sudan Guinea Worm Eradication Program (SGWEP). He also spearheaded large population-based surveys to establish baseline prevalence for trachoma and helped to guide implementation of the SAFE strategy for trachoma control in Southern Sudan during the civil war from 2001–2003. Jeremiah also supported the Malaria and Trachoma (MALTRA) project in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia where he led on trachoma surveys and malaria indicator surveys.

Dr. Ngondi holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and has over 90 peer-reviewed publications in leading scientific journals. Jeremiah speaks English and Kiswahili and has worked in the following countries: Kenya; Sudan; Republic of South Sudan; Ethiopia; Tanzania; Cameroon; Uganda; Mozambique; Democratic Republic of Congo; Nepal; Laos PDR; Cambodia; Vietnam; Myanmar; Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Republic of Iraq; and the United Kingdom.