Professor Tim Stinear is a molecular microbiologist and research-teaching academic, leading a team of scientists focused on understanding how bacteria spread and cause disease. He is the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Mycobacterium ulcerans. Tim leads a major project to understand how M. ulcerans is spread and to indentify effective ways to intervene and reduce infections caused by this bacterium. Antibiotic resistant superbugs are also a focus of his research.

Dr. Kingsley Asiedu is a Medical Officer at the World Health Organisation in the Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases. He received his medical degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi, Ghana. After completing his rotations in paediatrics, obstetrics and genecology and surgery at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, he started his career in public health in 1993 in the remote rural district of Amansie West, one of the country’s most deprived areas. As the district medical officer, as well as the medical officer in-charge of the district hospital, he managed both public health activities and curative services. He earned his Master of Public Health degree from the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, USA. He joined WHO in 1998. His areas of interests include Buruli ulcer, yaws and other skin-NTDs, district health systems, role of community health workers in service delivery, and operational research.

Rachel Simmonds is Professor of Immunopathogenesis, Head of the Department of Microbial Sciences at the University of Surrey and Chair of the WHO skin NTDs sub-working group “Basic Research”. Her Buruli ulcer research group primarily focusses on the mechanism of action of mycolactone, and in 2014 identified its mechanism of action as an inhibitor of the Sec61 translocon. As well as continuing to advance our understanding of how this molecular mechanism drives BU pathogenesis, the group is also involved in inter-disciplinary research for BU, and basic cell and molecular biology of Sec61 inhibition by mycolactone and other compounds.

A/Prof. Lydia Mosi is a lecturer at the Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Ghana, Legon. The Mosi lab exploits multidisciplinary approaches, insilico genomics and functional laboratory studies to investigate gaps in transmission to identify the niche of MU and other mycobacteria in the natural environment; and the development of rapid diagnostic and intervention strategies for Buruli ulcer disease. Lydia also charactirsies secondary microbial infections in Buruli ulcer lesions and the determination of antimicrobial resitancce in microbes from patient and environmental samples.

Dr. Heather Jordan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Mississippi State University, and co-chair of the WHO skin NTDs sub-working group "Transmission". Her research focuses on field studies to understand the ecology of Mycobacterium ulcerans and other mycolactone producing mycobacteria in natural, aquatic environments, and lab studies to measure microbe-microbe interactions between M. ulcerans, mycolactone, and other skin pathogens. Host-microbe interactions and forensically relevant bacteria are also lab foci.

Caroline is a senior scientist at the Mycobacterium Reference Laboratory at the Royal Melbourne Hospital's Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL). She has a particular interest in the laboratory diagnosis of Buruli ulcer and she was co-chair of the WHO BU Laboratory Network Working Group.

Dr. Yaw A. Amoako is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Medicine and Dentistry of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), a Consultant Infectious Diseases Physician and Research Scientist at KCCR. Yaw has extensive clinical experience with Buruli ulcer working in the laboratory of Richard Phillips as the lead clinician for the KCCR network of clinics that provides care for the management of Buruli ulcer disease and other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in central Ghana.

Dr Andrew Buultjens is a microbial bioinformatician who applies innovative data science approaches to tackle complex public health challenges. His PhD focused on investigating the genomic epidemiology of Mycobacterium ulcerans in Australia and his current postdoctoral work applies machine learning to elucidate the transmission dynamics of M. ulcerans and other environmental pathogens, including Legionella and Enterococcus. Andrew leads key aspects of a NHMRC-funded project that uses genomics to pinpoint the environmental reservoirs and vectors of M. ulcerans.

Associate Professor Deborah Friedman is the Director of VICNISS (Victorian Healthcare Associated Infection Surveillance System), appointed in 2023. She is an infectious diseases specialist at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, a clinical researcher at the Doherty Institute and an Honorary Associate Professor at The University of Melbourne. Her experience with and publications on medical therapy for Buruli ulcer in conjunction with Barwon Health colleagues has been internationally important in improving patient outcomes and in reducing toxicity.

Professor Paul Johnson is an Infectious Diseases Physician who for 30 years has led and co-led Buruli research teams in Victoria. Paul also has extensive clinical experience with Buruli ulcer and developed the first Australian Buruli Consensus treatment guidelines in 2007 which have since been updated with my colleague A/Prof Dan O’Brien in 2014. Paul has been a member of the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Buruli ulcer since 1998. Professor Johnson is also the director of the North Eastern Public Health Unit (NEPHU) and is the immediate past director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Mycobacterium ulcerans.

Maria is the Head of the Mycobacterium Reference Laboratory VIDRL (Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory), and the Deputy Head of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Mycobacterium ulcerans (Western Pacific region).

A/Prof O’Brien is an Infectious Diseases specialist physician, and currently the Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at The Geelong Hospital and the Deputy Director of the Barwon South-West Public Health Unit in Geelong, Australia, and is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Victorian Infectious Diseases Service and Department of Medicine (University of Melbourne) at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. He has extensive experience and expertise in the fields of mycobacteria (including M. ulcerans, M. tuberculosis and M. leprae), international and public health, HIV, immigrant and refugee health and Travel Medicine. He has published in all of these areas and through these has influenced the evolution in clinical care of M. ulcerans and HIV on a national and international level, as well as influencing public health policy and practice. He received his Doctorate of Medical Science from the University of Melbourne in 2016 based on his years of clinical research in M. ulcerans. He has been an author on more than 50 scientific papers on Buruli ulcer and is a member of the WHO technical working group for Buruli ulcer. He lead the development of the WHO guidelines on BU/HIV treatment. He is a member of the Victorian Department of Health Tuberculosis Advisory Committee. He has worked in more than 30 resource-limited countries world-wide and been involved in public health programming, training and research across these settings.

Dr Stephen (Steve) Muhi (he/him) is an Infectious Diseases Physician at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, with an appointment in the travel and tropical medicine clinic, which now sees more patients with Buruli ulcer than ever. He is also a graduate researcher in the Stinear Laboratory at the Doherty Institute. Steve has many interests, particularly Buruli ulcer and other neglected tropical diseases, and travel medicine. Steve’s PhD research focuses on the establishment of a controlled human infection model of Buruli ulcer to accelerate our understanding of the disease and to rapidly evaluate preventative and treatment strategies.