Dr. Ernest Tambo has been appointed as the  Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Specialist at the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE), reporting to the Vice Chancellor. Dr. Tambo has been a dedicated member of the UGHE team for the past year as Implementation research Scientist and brings a wealth of experience in Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL), to grow and thrive in advancing the UGHE vision and mission, while maximizing community benefits.

 In his new role, he will provide technical support to UGHE’s strategic initiatives, ensuring that our MERL systems, framework, policies and indicators,  tracking and monitoring PKIs activities, aligned with both our institutional strategic priorities and donor requirements. Dr. Ernest Tambo on his new appointment is instrumental to ensuring the institutionalization and implementation of robust MERL frameworks and policies, quality standards  and sustainability of MERL strategic plans, data quality and MERL culture, strengthening collaboration and reporting/feedback mechanisms  in upholding UGHE evidence-decisions making, research impact, adaptation and learning improvements. Harnessing partneships to support accountability and transparency, tracking and signposting  effective, inclusive and sustainable MERL collaboration, performance management systems and metrics, MERL capacity building, coaching and monitoring strategy for proactive decision-making and adaptative improvements. Fostering MERL programatic  strategic plans implementation across departments/units and partners based on set-objectives  versus targeted deliverables impacts measurements, milestones and success stories.

Dr. Tambo brings on board the leverages of expertise in MERL, multidisciplinary collaboration,   and evidence-based interventions advocacy and policy engagement, needs-based/problem-solving student learning experience, outcome/impact-based response and quality standards advocacy and promotion. These enable supportive, inclusive, resilience and technology-enhanced learning, comprehensive leadership and research competencies empowerment for students, peers staff and vulnerable communities deliveries, based on innovative and culturally responsive pedagogy ftameworks and methods (Integrated System Change, Theory of Change, and CLA frameworks).

 Prior, taking up the new role, Dr Tambo served as Implementation Research Scienist at the CENTER for Leadership in Global Health Equity from 2023-2024, where he succesfully completed the Exemplar project (U5M) in reducing under five mortality  in Guinea and Chad; through Advanced Global health Leadership Executive Education Training programs aiming at health systems strengthening and building resilience  capacities in promoting evidence-based decisions and actions.

Previously, Dr Tambo served as programmatic public health M&E consultant, with the OIG Unit, The GlobalFunds-GFMAT funded  Malaria, HIV/AIDS and TB programs in 2018-2023 (NEM2, NEM3, NFMIII) rounds  to evaluate progess and acheivements (process, programs performance, impact and policies, compliance, financial and organisational)  and expected results, spot implementation bottlenecks unintended effects of GFMAT investment plan a of GFMAT programs in Cote d’Ivoire. Integration of M&E  operational model as driven by a Theory of Change (ToC) to support to country-level data capacity, auditable and replicable data, based on defined indicators  used to monitor targets and milestones, outputs and outcomes.  Rooster list of Independent M&E consultant with WHO and UNDPF and other multi/bilatoral projects on malaria, NTDs and clinical trails in Tanzania, Zambia, Burkina Faso and Senegal. Also,  as National M&E consultant in NAPHS 2020-2024, he was rsponsible to define, establish and train national stakholders in Cameroon on post-JEE and 13 axes and  as Senior Policy Analyst and Public health consultant on advocacy and promotion of Emerging technologies and tools (genetic engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Drones and digitalization) in tackling health, social and food insecurity challenges at Africa Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), Nairobi, Kenya. He has also served as Molecular biology and Biochemistry laboratory manager and quality control specialist at public health pest Laboratory, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

 Dr. Tambo has worked as Vice-Dean and Director of Studies, and Assoc Prof. of Pharmacology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Houdegbe North America University, and served as Institutional Research and Capacity Strengthening Coordinator at Universite des Montagnes, Cameroon. He has robust field (implementation/community-based), clinical trials and laboratory research experiences. He enjoys evidence-based generation and synthesis to evidence translation for decisions making policies  and innovative management in implementation research science and health systems strengthening for more equitable, quality care delivery and wellbeing of the most vulnerable groups. Moreover, Tambo has substantial and practical know-how and skills in leadership resilience and equity capacity building, systems-thinking, policy analysis and impact evaluation (Formative, Design, Process, Outcome, Impact, Cost-effectiveness) and performance measurement (Milestones and Achievements) to lead, coordinate and support innovative approaches, emerging practices in human health and continuous ecosystem improvements.  

Dr Tambo has extensive skills and expertise in infectious diseases control/elimination and eradication strategies in over 47 resource-limited countries, outbreaks/pandemics (Ebola, Mpox, COVID-19, Dengue, Zika…) surveillance, preparedness and emergency response, digital global and public health consultancy, contributions in a wide range of educational and pedagogy curriculum initiatives and applied context- and innovative approaches in diverse African grassroots and global settings. Dr Ernest has published over 110 peer reviewed publications, books chapters and honorably served as Associate Professor of Pharmacology, Editorial board, academic Editor and Reviewer of several SCI journals including The Lancet Inf. Diseases, Frontiers, BMC series, PLoS NTD, BMJ among others. 

After his Doctorate Degree in Pharmacology (Public Health), he successfully completed two postdoctoral fellowships- The Distinguished Vice-Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Pretoria, South Africa, 2013-2014 and China CDC-Africa Postdoctoral fellowship, 2011-2013, Shanghai, China. He has a range of leadership, management and risk assessment competencies and skills, productivity and research capacity building. His current research interests include impact evaluation of public health programs, clinical trials and political economy, One health approach community of practice, and big data mining, global health, early warning and risk communication modelling systems, outbreaks preparedness and emergency response, climate and health resilience,  digitalization and Infodemics management, Pharmacology and experimental Toxicology.