Sheila Tamara Shawa (Ph.D.) is Senior Partnerships Specialist at Uniting to Combat NTDs. She is currently seconded to the African Union as part of the Africa Union/Uniting to Combat NTDs Memorandum of Understanding to end NTDs across the Africa Union Member States by 2030. Specifically, she works on driving action through the Common African Position and Continental Framework.

Dr Shawa possesses expertise in diseases control programs with over 10 years extensive experience in public health, policy formulation and advocacy, and preparedness to epidemics. Dr Shawa was instrumental in the establishment of the Africa CDC as senior project officer where she was responsible for coordinating activities in the regional collaborating centres including in Central, Eastern and Southern Africa and technical activities at HQ. Dr Shawa coordinated the development of five year Strategic Plan of the Africa CDC.