Antoine Okitandjate Dimandja

Dr. Antoine Okitandjate Dimandja is an internationally recognized epidemiologist, biostatistician, and public health expert with over two decades of experience in health emergency management, infectious disease control, and global health security. He currently serves as the Field Coordinator for Mpox and Epidemiologist for the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Sankuru Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In this capacity, he leads a multidisciplinary team of experts in prevention, epidemiological surveillance, case management, and logistical response.

Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Okitandjate Dimandja has provided high-level technical and strategic advisory services to global health agencies, including WHO/AFRO and Johns Hopkins University. As a Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Advisor for Johns Hopkins University, he drove strategic partnerships, managed multi-province project evaluations, and guided Ministry of Health teams. His extensive field experience features frontline leadership during major public health crises, where he served as a Lead Epidemiologist during multiple Ebola virus outbreaks (including in Likati, Bikoro, and Mangina), managed cholera epidemics, and coordinated COVID-19 container strategies and contact-tracing efforts across the DRC and the Union of Comores.

An expert in the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) and Joint External Evaluations (JEE), Dr. Okitandjate Dimandja has acted as an international evaluator and consultant, facilitating national health security action plans and multi-risk emergency response frameworks for nations such as Benin, Mali, and the Central African Republic. His early career includes foundational leadership as a Chief Medical Officer and Hospital Director in the Tanganyika health zone.

Dr. Okitandjate Dimandja holds a Doctor of Medicine (MD) from the University of Lubumbashi, a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the Universite Libre de Bruxelles, and a PhD in Public Health from the University of Lubumbashi. A prolific researcher, he is widely published on the socio-environmental determinants of cholera and Ebola. He is fluent in French, Swahili, and Lingala, with a professional working proficiency in English.