January virtual meeting
28 January 2026

Building Africa's healthcare future together.

On January 28, we launched something meaningful — AHA’s first monthly virtual meeting of 2026. This month’s theme, Building Africa’s Healthcare Future Together, set the tone for a year of collaboration, learning, and bold action.

Here is what we shared, what we set out to build, and the personal story behind why.

1
Host
2026
Kickoff
6
Topics ahead
5
Career truths

Meet the host.

Alima Tchafa
Building Africa's healthcare future together.
Dr. Alima Tchafa

Naming the gaps.

01 · PROVIDERS
Providers without the latest knowledge

Frontline clinicians who are actively delivering care but do not have consistent access to the newest guidance, research, or clinical training.

02 · COMMUNITIES
Communities navigating misinformation

Patients and families making high-stakes decisions in an information environment that is often noisy, contradictory, and hard to trust.

03 · PROFESSIONALS
Talented professionals without global exposure

African clinicians and researchers doing world-class work who are underrepresented at the tables where global standards get set.

04 · SYSTEMS
Health systems that need more collaboration, not less

Institutions and regions still working in isolation on problems that would move faster if solved together.

THE 2026 ROADMAP

Six themes shaping the year ahead.

01 · CLIMATE
Malaria and climate change

How a warming climate is reshaping malaria transmission across Africa — and what public-health systems are learning as they respond.

02 · MENTAL HEALTH
Mental health

Bringing mental health into the same room as physical health, and expanding the workforce trained to hold both.

03 · ONCOLOGY
Cancer care

The state of cancer care in 2026 — practice-changing studies and honest questions about equitable access.

04 · CLINICAL DEV
Clinical development

What great clinical development looks like when it takes low- and middle-income settings seriously from day one.

05 · PARTNERSHIPS
Global partnerships

Building durable partnerships between African institutions and global collaborators, without repeating old patterns.

06 · CAREERS
Career pathways in healthcare and pharma

Real career paths across science, industry, and policy — and how to navigate them intentionally.

CAREER TIPS

Five career truths from Dr. Alima.

01

You own your career

No one is coming to hand you a blueprint. If they do, question it — their advice is built on their own drive, values, and needs. You are the architect.

02

Long-term strategy is essential

Planning is not optional. Apply the same rigor to your career that you apply to your work — map the next move, and the one after.

03

Confidence is a skill

You bring value. Speak up. Share your wins. Confidence is not innate; it is developed. Integrity and self-worth are professional assets, not just personal virtues.

04

Celebrate the small wins

Every milestone matters. That skill you mastered, the meeting you led, the idea you pitched — they are all part of the larger journey. Do not wait for the promotion to feel proud.

05

Fail forward

Mistakes are inevitable, but repeating them can be optional. Learn from setbacks, make new mistakes, and keep moving.

LOOKING AHEAD
Something meaningful began this month. And we are just getting started.

Next up: Malaria and climate change with Dr. Henriette Balinda, our February featured session.

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