Dr Roch Christian Johnson has been co-opted by the ILEP Board onto the ILEP Technical Commission until the end of their current mandate in 2011.

Photo: Dr Christian Johnson
Credit: FRF

Dr Johnson was the Co-ordinator of the National Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Programme in Benin from 2003 up to the end of March 2010, having been fully involved in detecting, treating and following up people affected by leprosy in this programme from 1998 onwards, as well as in assisting with management issues, such as supervising, and monitoring anti-leprosy activities and training staff. 

Between 1998 and 2003 Dr Johnson was in charge of creating and setting up a detection and treatment centre for Buruli ulcer in Lalo, which serves the two departments of Couffo and Mono.

Since 2005, Dr Johnson has been a member of the World Health Organization’s special consultative group on Buruli ulcer. He is leading the Burilico project for Benin, a European Union research project involving experts from three countries in Europe and three countries in Africa.    

In addition to this wide-ranging experience, Dr Johnson has also provided community medicine to deprived populations.

Dr Johnson has a doctorate in medicine and a PhD in environment and health from the University of Abomey-Calvi in Benin. He has written papers for inclusion in various scientific journals such as the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Bulletin des Léprologues de Langue Française.

ILEP Member the Fondation Raoul Follereau recently appointed Dr Johnson as their Medical Consultant. Dr Johnson is based in Cotonou and will visit the various African countries where the Fondation Raoul Follereau is working. Dr Johnson worked very closely with Dr Augustin Guédénon, who died following a traffic accident in January this year. “With his expert knowledge of health policy and field programmes in Africa, leprosy and Buruli ulcer, Dr Johnson fills the critical gap left on the ILEP Technical Commission by Dr Guédénon”, says Professor Cairns Smith, Chair of the ILEP Technical Commission.

E-mail: drjohnson@raoul-follereau.org 

 

Categories: Africa, Benin, News and Notes, Technical information