Professor Lukoye Atwoli, son of COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli, has been appointed to an international leadership role. Lukoye Atwoli, who is the Dean of Aga Khan University (AKU) Medical College, East Africa, has been named International President for the 2026 World Health Summit (WHS) Regional Meeting.
This is the first time the WHS International Presidency will move to Africa, with the announcement made at the 2026 summit in Berlin.
The baton passes from NIMS University in New Delhi, India, to Aga Khan University in Nairobi, Kenya.
Lukoye Atwoli Named President of World Health Summit
During the handover ceremony, which celebrated collaboration, equity, and shared vision among global health institutions and partners, Professor Atwoli reaffirmed AKU’s commitment to advancing transformative health systems and evidence-based solutions for Africa’s key health challenges.
“As the WHS Regional Meeting baton moves from New Delhi to Nairobi, we at Aga Khan University are honoured to convene leaders, innovators, and partners to address Africa’s health priorities. This transition highlights global recognition of Africa’s role in shaping a healthier, more equitable future for all,” said Lukoye Atwoli.
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The World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2026 will take place from April 27–29, 2026, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, hosted by the the Aga Khan University under the theme, “Reimagining Africa’s Health Systems: Innovation, Integration, and Interdependence.”
The conference is expected to attract over 2,000 global health leaders, policymakers, innovators, and researchers from across Africa and the world. Key focus areas will include:
- African-led health innovations
- Strengthening health systems
- Tackling non-communicable and chronic diseases
- Emerging infectious diseases
- Sustainable health financing
- Digital health, artificial intelligence, and other technologies
Profile of the Aga Khan University Professor
Prof Atwoli is a Professor in Psychiatry with extensive leadership, teaching, and academic research experience. He is the former Dean of the Moi University School of Medicine, where he excelled at building collaborations and partnerships between the School of Medicine and academic medical centres in Africa, Europe, and the US.
He has a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from Moi University. His residency (Master of Medicine) in Psychiatry was undertaken at the University of Nairobi.
The Dean of Aga Khan University (AKU) Medical College has a PhD from the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.
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He is a Visiting Scientist at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and an Honorary Associate Professor at the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town. He is an international Faculty member at the Global Health Institute, Duke University and an external examiner for multiple universities.
Prof Atwoli leads and participates in mental health research locally and globally. He is a member of the WHO World Mental Health Surveys Consortium, which is the leading collaborative project in psychiatric epidemiology globally.
He was also the Global Technical Director for the citiesRISE initiative (www.cities-rise.org), whose goal is to help make five cities mental health friendly (Nairobi, Chennai, Bogota, as well as Seattle and Sacramento)
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