Our
team
La
Pierre Angulaire, a health
and counseling NGO is an outstanding framework for medical
and engineering sciences and educational research. Its
mission, through the experience and skills of its members
is to offer high quality services to the communities
for the promotion of good health. The knowledge of La
Pierre Angulaire team procures comparative
advantages to communities and health structures for
an effective fight against health problems.
The team of La Pierre Angulaire is
composed of:
- Madeleine
Sassan-Morokro, MD, MPH, Principal member
- Dieudonné
Auguste Kadio, MD, Ph.D, Scientific adviser
- Jean-Paul
Abissi Tuho, MS, Special adviser
- Virginie
Traoré-Ettiegne, MD, MPH, Associate member
- Laurence
Ebah-Aka, MD, Associate member
- Joseph
Stanislas Ezoua, MD, Associate member
- Yvonne
Kamelan-Tano, MD, MPH, Associate member
- Alain
Claude Kouadio, MD, Associate member
- Pegalo
Clément Aime Honorat Tuho, MS, Associate member
- Etienne
Kadjo-Wognin, JD, Technical adviser in charge of
finances
- Yambé
Benjamin Niambé, Ph.D, Technical adviser for data
processing
Docteur
Madeleine Sassan-Morokro, Founder & Principal
member
Dr.
Sassan-Morokro graduated from the School of Medicine
of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire and holds a
Post-doctoral Master’s degree in Biomedical
and Tropical Sciences obtained from the Institute
of Tropical Medicine of Antwerp, Belgium.
Dr. Sassan-Morokro moreover, followed intensive courses
of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Ethics and Humans
rights on AIDS research for developing countries,
at The school of Public Health of John Hopkins University,
in Baltimore, USA, and at ERASME, UCL in Brussels,
Belgium.
Dr.
Sassan-Morokro has worked with Project RETRO-CI, a
joint project between the Ivorian government and the
Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) of
Atlanta, USA, for over a decade.
She has respectively assumed the roles of Head of
the HIV/Tuberculosis section, Head of the clinical,
monitoring and vaccine section, and lastly Deputy
Director of Project RETRO-CI. Dr. Sassan-Morokro expressed
a strong leadership skill working as Project RETRO-CI’s
Director during the crisis which happened in Côte
d'Ivoire. She was thus in charge of the HIV vaccine
preparedness activities in Côte d'Ivoire, the
HIV/AIDS surveillance and the supervision and evaluation
of clinical studies on HIV/AIDS.
During her career within Project RETRO-CI, Dr. Sassan-Morokro
developed protocols and conducted data analysis for
studies.
As
the Head of the HIV/Tuberculosis section at Project
RETRO-CI, Dr. Sassan-Morokro was the co-principal
investigator of the Cotrimoxazole clinical trials
in prevention of morbidity and mortality due to the
non-tuberculous opportunistic infections with PLHIV
in Côte d’Ivoire. She has played a major
role in the development of the international recommendations
of WHO/UNAIDS for the opportunistic infections prophylaxis
implementation for PLHIV.
Dr.
Sassan-Morokro has also worked for the National Program
against AIDS at the Ministry of Public Health, where
she was in charge of Epidemiology and surveillance
of HIV/AIDS, STIs and Tuberculosis.
Besides,
she has also been the chairperson of the Steering
Committee for the workshop to reinforce the HIV/AIDS
surveillance in Cote d’Ivoire. She was responsible
for training in epidemiology of the health personnel
involved in the population-based survey. She is an
advisor and a member of the African surveillance network
for HIV/AIDS. Dealing with the annual and national
HIV/AIDS serosurveillance which she led on behalf
of the Ministry of Public Health and in charge of
AIDS prevention in Côte d'Ivoire, she took an
important part in the development of the plea for
the national strategic and operational plan to establish
a suitable response to the pandemic of the HIV/AIDS
in Côte d’Ivoire.
Côte
d’Ivoire is indeed a country which carries a
heavy burden with HIV/AIDS. It was selected as a pilot
site by the WHO/UNAIDS initiative to evaluate access
to ARVs treatments for PLHIV in countries with limited
resources. Dr. Sassan-Morokro has contributed to the
implementation of this program through the clinical
and laboratory monitoring ensured by Projet RETRO-CI.
In
connexion with the HIV vaccine preparedness activities
in Côte d’Ivoire, Dr. Sassan-Morokro was
in charge of the mobilization of the national political
authorities’will to participate in the initiative
of development, selection and evaluation of HIV vaccine
candidates. She was thus co-coordinating the organization
of the first International Conference on HIV/AIDS
Vaccine Research in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
For a better involvement of the national communities
to the vaccine activities, she initiated community
interventions through the organization of a national
workshop on HIV vaccine research development in Cote
d’Ivoire.
Dr. Sassan-Morokro is a member of “The African
AIDS Vaccine Program” (AAVP), a decision-making
group for HIV vaccine strategies and supervision at
the WHO/UNAIDS office.
She
is currently an adviser to the Ivorian President on
the HIV/AIDS strategies and issues in Côte d'Ivoire.
Dr.
Sassan-Morokro has taken part in several conferences
and national and international scientific meetings
on HIV/AIDS and is the author of several scientific
communications and publications. She is also an instructor
for the courses of epidemiology on the HIV/AIDS organized
by Project RETRO-CI, USAID and the CDC of Atlanta.
Dr.
Sassan-Morokro is currently the President and founder
of the NGO La Pierre Angulaire
Professeur
Dieudonné Auguste Kadio, MD, Ph.D., Scientific adviser
Pr.
Kadio, scientific adviser of the NGO La Pierre Angulaire,
is a reference as far as infectious and tropical diseases
are concerned. He has over 20 years of experience
in this field in Africa as well as the world.
Pr.
Kadio is a Lecturer and Full professor at the School
of Medicine of Abidjan, called today Training and
Research Unit in Medical Sciences. From 1993 to 1998,
he was the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of Abidjan
where he currently assumes the task of honorary Senior.
He has been in charge of teaching Infectious and Tropical
diseases, the Head of the Department and the Director
of the Specialized Study Certificate courses for 20
years.
Clinician,
Pr. Kadio has been the head of Infectious and Tropical
Diseases Department of the Teaching Hospital of Treichville,
Abidjan since 1988, where the first case of AIDS in
Côte d’Ivoire was described.
Pr.
Kadio is a key person that cannot be overlooked in
HIV/AIDS field at national level. He was the President
of the 10th International Conference on AIDS and STIs,
held in Abidjan in 1997.
Pr. Kadio has been in charge of doctors training in
infectious pathology, AIDS and opportunistic infections,
and students basic training at the Medical School
in Abidjan for many years,
He
has also contributed to the post-doctoral training
and ensured the graduation of specialists doctors
in infectious and tropical diseases for West African
countries and French-speaking central-African countries.
Some of them are principal actors of the fight against
HIV/AIDS pandemic or hold high responsibilities in
their respective countries (Côte d'Ivoire, Chad,
Togo, RCA, Gabon, Niger, Mali).
Since
the advent of HIV/AIDS, Pr. Kadio has been supervising
the health staff training in Côte d'Ivoire and
Africa. He has led several seminars on PLHIV care
using ARVs for doctors in partnership with the international
institutions in various areas of the country.
Pr.
Kadio has greatly contributed to the health care against
AIDS in the private sector within the framework of
the multisector commitment.
The
expertise of Pr. Kadio has proven to be significant
for many African countries, namely Mali, the RCA,
Gabon, Guinea, Congo (Brazzaville), Niger, with regard
to health staff training, care management for PLHIV
especially within the framework of the program "
accelerating access to ARVs " in Gabon and in
Guinea, with the World Bank, UNAIDS and GSK.
Pr.
Kadio has contributed as Chairperson to the drafting
and the review of the algorithm of care for PLHIV.
He has also been the Chairperson of the editorial
board for projects submitted to the world funds against
HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for Côte
d'Ivoire. As such, he will chair the seminar of training
on follow-up and future evaluation at the beginning
of January 2004.
Pr.
Kadio has taken part in several scientific conferences
and other scientific meetings on HIV/AIDS for the
development of sustainable solutions such as the search
of a vaccine against HIV/AIDS in Côte d'Ivoire.
He has carried out several research activities on
theses and dissertations. He is also the author of
many publications and scientific papers.
Monsieur Jean-Paul
Tuho, Special Adviser
Mr.
J.P.Tuho graduated in management at the African Center
of Management and Proficiency of Executive managers
in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. He holds a
certificate in experimental Pedagogy of the University
of Liege, Belgium. He has earned a graduate degree
in mathematics and physics at the University of Abidjan,
Côte d’Ivoire and also studied theology
in Lyon, France.
Mr.
J.P.Tuho has been in charge of the Evaluation Unit
and quality control training with « Inades-formation
» in Abidjan since 2001. Before that, he was
the coordinator of the African network for Active
Communication Research for Development with «
Inades- formation », and the assistant to the
coordinator for the radios and rural reviews network
in West Africa. He is a co-founder of Gorée
Institute for West African countries stability improvement.
Mr.
J.P.Tuho has several years of experience in Côte
d’Ivoire and in West African Region in training
management and evaluation. Mr. J.P.Tuho has developed
rural projects including designing strategies, organizational
analysis, and has been teaching the concept of an
audit and elaborating strategic planning for NGOs.
Mr.
J.P.Tuho has carried out the audits for the national
office of Inades-formation in Togo and Congo-Brazzaville.
Before joining Inades-formation, Mr. J.P.Tuho acquired
his managerial skills for NGOs, having been Director
of a Rural Animation NGO in Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire.
During this period, he was a consultant for several
projects to assist farmers in organizing theselves
and obtaining support. He has taken an active part
on the development of guidelines and directives to
steer NGOs as well as other groups.
Previously,
Mr. J.P.Tuho was a Maths teacher in a secondary school
called College Notre Dame du Plateau. He is a member
of the board of Directors of an international association
called CESAO A.I. He is also a member of the African
Euro-Association for Anthropology, APAD, and finaly,
he is the author of several publications.
Mr.
J.P.Tuho has contributed to the designing and administrative
support of the NGO La Pierre Angulaire
for which he has accepted to assist as a special adviser
and an active member of potential ad hoc committees.
Docteur
Virginie Ettiègne-Traoré, MD, MPH,
Associate member
Dr.
Ettiègne-Traoré graduated from the School
of Medicine of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
and holds a Post-doctoral Master’s degree in
Science of the Institute of Tropical Medicine of Antwerp,
in Belgium. She has also taken part in epidemiology
programs, in follow-up and evaluation of the activities
organized by USAID, Family Health and AIDS Prevention
(SFPS), University of Tulane in the USA, CDC and FORGATY
.
She
has been working with Project RETRO-CI, an agency
of CDC of Atlanta in Abidjan where she is the head
of the steering program to scale-up the Global AIDS
Programme (GAP) for the vulnerable populations. She
has experience in diseases prevention and especially
STIs and HIV/AIDS.
Dr. Ettiègne-Traoré has set-up programs
in Abidjan and San-Pédro two main habour zones
with great movement of the populations in Côte
d’Ivoire. The HIV and other STI prevention include
the mobilization of communities. She has worked on
structure capacities reinforcement at a community
level with the NGOs of which she established a framework
of suitable collaboration.
Dr.
Ettiègne-Traoré has experience in vulnerable
population management, having worked with the private
and confidential clinic of Koumassi in Abidjan. This
program demonstrated a collaborative commitment between
Project RETRO-CI and the Institute of Tropical Medicine
of Antwerp, Belgium, and offered diverse services
to the vulnerable populations including HIV/AIDS and
other STIs prevention. Services provided by the clinic
personnel comprise STIs treatment, condoms use promotion,
and other methods mainly manageable by women. She
conducted peer-educators and other partners training
on HIV and STIs prevention. She has carried out epidemiological
studies whose results made it possible to implement
programs in favor of vulnerable populations.
Dr.
Ettiègne-Traoré has taken part in several
international conferences on HIV/AIDS and STIs, and
is the author of several publications.
Docteur Laurence
Ebah-Aka, Associate member
Graduated
from the University of Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire,
Dr. Ebah-Aka obtained a Doctorate in Medicine with
a specialized post-doctoral degree in Venerology.
Dr.
Ebah-Aka is currently working with Project RETRO-CI,
as a medical research assistant. She has contributed
to the development of the HIV vaccine program in Côte
d'Ivoire.
She has supervised the clinical surveillance and vaccine
section of Project RETRO-CI. She has experience in
HIV/AIDS surveillance activities dealing with HIV
and syphilis sentinel survey among pregnant women,
and AIDS cases notification. She was a member of the
team which brought a technical assistance to the biological
evaluation follow-up of the ARV-patients within the
framework of the pilot and joint initiative of access
to ARVs for PLHIV, carried out by UNAIDS, WHO and
Côte d'Ivoire.
As a medical research assistant, she also has an expertise
in research study protocol development as well as
in data analysis.
Dr.
Ebah-Aka began her career with Project RETRO-CI within
the STI section particularly with peer-educators training
for HIV and other STI control in vulnerable populations.
She has also taken part in HIV voluntary, counseling
and testing activities.
Docteur
Joseph Stanislas Ezoua, Associate member
Dr.
Ezoua graduated from the Training and Research Unit
in Medical Sciences of the University of Abidjan,
Côte d'Ivoire. He has also followed courses
in applied epidemiology, organized by the Rollins
and CDC Public health School in Atlanta, USA.
Dr.
Ezoua is currently working with Project RETRO-CI/CDC
where he is the Vaccine Section Head Assistant. He
has taken part in HIV/AIDS vaccine development and
evaluation preparedness activities in Côte d'Ivoire.
Thus, he has also taken part in activities enabling
the mobilization of the political will. Dr. Ezoua
has played a role in research protocols designing
for the selection of vaccine candidates and the development
of strategies for a suitable involvement of the communities
to HIV vaccine research activities in Côte d'Ivoire.
Dr.
Ezoua has also played a key role in HIV and syphilis
sentinel survey activities among pregnant women and
in AIDS cases notification in Côte d’Ivoire.
He has contributed to the drafting of the annual HIV/AIDS
surveillance reports.
He has experience in PVHIV management through voluntary,
counseling and testing of HIV, informed consent getting,
results monitoring and medical and psychosocial support.
Dr. Ezoua has attended lot of workshops and conferences
within the framework of health personnel and other
actors capacity reinforcement on HIV/AIDS.
Docteur Yvonne
Kamelan-Tano, MD, MPH, Associate
member
Dr.
Tano-Kamelan graduated from the School of Medicine
of Abidjan and holds a Master’s degree in diseases
control at the Institute of Tropical Medicine of Antwerp,
Belgium. She also obtained a specialized post-doctoral
degree in Public and Community health in Côte
d'Ivoire.
Dr.
Tano-Kamelan has experience in the field of medical
and epidemiological research in Côte d'Ivoire
and is an expert in terms of mother to child HIV transmission
prevention (PMTCT).
She has been working with Project RETRO-CI/CDC, where
she is a coordinator for mother to child HIV transmission
prevention training program. This training program
targets health care providers and is about the knowledge
and attitudes improvement through supervision of activities,
drafting policy documents, technical procedure handbooks
and PMTCT national implementation plan.
Dr.
Tano-Kamelan is in charge of creating independent
groups of support for HIV positive women within the
framework of PMTCT.
Moreover, as an expert in the field of PMTCT she has
contributed to the development of the Global funds
document for Cote d’Ivoire to record HIV/AIDS
Tuberculosis and Malaria needs to be funded.
As
a result of the findings published by the team of
Dr. Tano-Kamelan on PMTCT by using a short regimen
of anti-retroviral therapy, international recommendations
of the PMTCT policies for the resource-limited countries
were initiated.
She was responsible for one of the research sites
which enrolled and followed-up a large number of HIV
positive women. Moreover, she has carried out a study
to assess how to improve the quality of water used
in feedind as a substitute for breast-feedind babies
born of HIV infected mothers.
She has contributed to the implementation of PMTCT
program funded by the international mutual and therapeutic
funds (FSTI) for pregnant women and their surrounding
families. Before joining Project RETRO-CI, Dr. Tano-Kamelan
carried out a survey to evaluate the overall rate
of immunization within the framework of the Vaccination
Program (PEV) in Côte d’Ivoire. She was
also a consultant having work for the French Co-operation
in Abidjan from 1993-1996.
Docteur Alain
Claude Kouadio, Associate member
Dr.
Kouadio graduated from the Training and Research Unit
in Medical Sciences of the University of Abidjan,
Côte d'Ivoire
He
was used for the Unit of outpatient Care and Counseling
(USAC/HDJ) of Treichville. He has carried out the
voluntary, counseling and testing of HIV, as well
as the clinical management of the PLHIV within the
USAC.
Dr.
Kouadio has worked for several Non Governmental Organizations
for AIDS. For many of them like the Information center
for the Prevention of AIDS (C.I.P.S) and HOPE-CI,
he has developed training sessions targeting the school
environment and organized workshops of HIV/AIDS and
sexually transmissible infections (STI) awareness.
Dr. Kouadio has experience in developing training
tools for peer-educators on STI and HIV/AIDS for people
residing in the neignborhood of Marcory in Abidjan.
As
a clinician, Dr. Kouadio was useful as a general practitioner
in Medicine for the private sector in Côte d'Ivoire.
He has experience in PLHIV management through voluntary,
counseling and testing of HIV, result, medical and
psychosocial support providing for PLHIV.
Dr. Kouadio took part in the design of La Pierre Angulaire.
He is also a member of the ONG’s Board of Directors.
He is in charge of the ONG’s day to day work
plan.
Monsieur
Pegalo Clément Aime Honorat Tuho, associate member
Mr.
Tuho Clément majored in Biology and Geology
and graduated from the Higher Teacher Training school
(E.N.S.) of University of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
He teaches Geology and Biology in a Secondary School
called Lycée Sainte Marie in Abidjan.
Mr. Clément Tuho received a post-graduate training
certificate for organizations, groups and NGOs. He
is a cooperative society and environment consultant
for schools and a key person for developing strategies
and methods to finance micro projects for rural communities.
He has experience in needs assessment for establishing
projects for groups or community in the breeding field.
Mr.
Clément Tuho has developed and led a cooperative
of environment at Lycée Sainte Marie in Abidjan.
This initiative aims at getting supplemental tools
in training young people of the educational area.
Mr. Clément Tuho has carried out several other
micro projects in the field of the breeding, agriculture
and trade in collaboration with the French and Belgian
cooperation. He has also worked with the communities
to promote joint activities and to improve access
to primary health care.
Mr.
Clément Tuho is responsible for a musical and
cultural education group. He thus assists several
young people in spiritual issues of generating income
activities.
Monsieur
Etienne Kadjo-Wognin, JD, Technical
adviser in charge of finances
Mr.
Kadjo-Wognin graduated from the University of Abidjan,
Côte d'Ivoire, where he obtained a Master’s
degree in private Law. He majored in business career.
He also graduated from the Technical Institute of
Banks (I.T.B), majored in banking, legal and tax of
the International Center of training of the Bank Professionals
(CIFPB), in France.
Mr.
Kadjo-Wognin has a lot of experience of economics
and banking systems in Côte d'Ivoire and Africa.
He has worked with the CITIBANK. NA, Côte d'Ivoire
where he has assumed significant responsibilities
especially as the Director of Restructuration and
Reimbursement of difficult debts Department. He has
also been Vice- Resident President of the CITIBANK.
NA Côte d'Ivoire and the Sales and Marketing
manager of the leasing Department
Previously,
Mr. Kadjo-Wognin was used for the International Bank
for West Africa (BIAO) in Côte d'Ivoire, where
he respectively held the positions of assistant, then
of head of the Foreigner offices, assistant to the
Director of AFRIBAIL.CI, an institution for credit
and leasing, a subsidiary company of the BIAO-CI.
Mr. Kadjo-Wognin has contributed to the improvement
of leasing in Africa regarding the challenges in the
world. He has also been Senior Banking Executive,
Deputy Director in charge of the operations.
Mr.
Kadjo-Wognin attended various conferences and meetings
during his career. He has developed strategies on
financial and banking systems as well as monetary
systems management progress in Africa. He has also
led training of trainers in banking structures management
in Côte d'Ivoire.
Mr.
Kadjo-Wognin has taken part in other group activities.
He is member of the Association of graduates of I.T.B
in Côte d’Ivoire. He is responsible for
finances for the National Catholic Executives Association
in Côte d'Ivoire.
As an expert in economics, finance and management
of banking structures, he shares his experience with
the national and regional structures through marketing,
development and finance projects.
He agrees to be the technical adviser in charge of
finances at the NGO La Pierre Angulaire
in order to share his experience in financial and
account management.
Docteur Yambé
Benjamin Niambé, Ph.D, Technical
adviser for Data processing
Dr.
Niambé holds a Ph.D. in French literature from
the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC
in the USA. He graduated from the University of Abidjan
and the National Teacher College (ENS) in Côte
d'Ivoire and started his career as a High School French
teacher in Côte d’Ivoire. He also taught
French literature and African studies at the Sidwell
Friends School, the Diplomatic Service of Language,
the University of District of Columbia, and Goucher
College in Maryland in the United States.
Dr.
Niambé is also a Database management specialist.
He holds many certificates in Oracle Database Development/Administration
and in Java Programming from the Graduate School US
at the Department of Agriculture in Washington, DC
and from dB-TRAINING in Fairfax in Virginia. He is
also a Data Modeler whose field of expertise includes
Relational Database Management. He is proficient in
SQL, PL/SQL, and Developer/2000 (Forms and Reports).
He has experience in creating, maintaining and organizing
training center database, as well as teaching computer
skills or French literature to graduate students.
Dr.
Niambé has practical experience in designing,
developing and maintaining data-processing software
and other tools of information management in production
environment. Dr. Niambé works with General
Dynamics, in the USA where he leads and develops projects
as a Senior Analyst programmer.
Dr. Niambé has worked with the Atlanta International
College in the USA as the Head of the French department
where he supervised teachers and taught French and
Francophone literature and Computer Literacy. He has
established cooperation between teachers and parents
and implemented French program in accordance with
the International Baccalaureate curriculum.
Dr.
Niambé will play the role of partner and adviser
in data processing.
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