Dr. Yenew Kebede (MD, MPH, MSc) is Head of Division, Laboratory Systems and acting head for Division of Surveillance and Disease Intelligence at Africa CDC, African Union (AU) leading Africa CDC’s continental effort of strengthening laboratory and surveillance systems. Particular focus is strengthening laboratory leadership capacity, infrastructure improvement, access to diagnostics including local manufacturing , pathogen genomics surveillance networks and supporting early warning system and strengthening event based-surveillance at community level. He also leads continental effort of strengthening biosafety and biosecurity, one health approach to control AMR and laboratory and surveillance data integration through promotion of connected diagnostics.  He is a Medical Microbiologist and public health expert with over 20 years of clinical, teaching,  science, research, capacity building, and program design and management experience. Before joining Africa CDC, he worked for more than 13 years as technical officer and later as Branch Chief for Laboratory at United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ethiopia (CDC-Ethiopia) where he provided strategic leadership for one of the most successful laboratory systems development program by CDC through the support of President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Before joining CDC-Ethiopia, Dr. Yenew worked as assistant lecturer, lecturer and later as assistant professor at Gondar College of Medical Science, University of Gondar. He served as head of Department and hospital laboratory and member of academic commission of the College. He has written lecture notes on microbiology, immunology and parasitology and authored and co-authored more than 50 articles in peer reviewed journals.  He has Medical Doctorate degree from Gondar College of Medical Sciences, masters in Medical Microbiology from Addis Ababa University and Masters in Public Health from University of Gondar.