Dr Fikreab Kebede (MD, MPH) is a Senior Technical Advisor for trachoma and neglected tropical diseases at the Ministry of Health-Ethiopia. Kebede has over 30 years of experience in public health and community development programs. He is exclusively dedicated to the control and elimination of neglected tropical diseases in Ethiopia for the last seven years of his professional career. He spearheaded the design and institutionalizing of nationwide school deworming program, ministerial fast track trichiasis surgery initiative to clear the backlog, development of the 2nd edition of the national NTD master plan, and currently the development of the 3rd edition that would guide policy and intervention for 2021-2025.  

Dr Kebede was instrumental in integrating filarial anatomical surgical trainer for  hydrocele surgery into the surgical residents training of universities in Ethiopia while  working for USAID-funded MMDP Project with Research Triangle Institute International (RTI) between 2015 and 2019.  

At present, Dr Kebede is leading a multi-million partnership initiative that aims at clearing over 310,000 trichiasis surgery backlog in Ethiopia to curbing avoidable  blindness from the very disadvantaged population residing throughout the country.  He is further playing a pivotal role in harmonizing the implementation of the SAFE  strategy to realizing the elimination of trachoma in the country.  

Dr Kebede graduated in medicine and holds MPH from Addis Ababa University. He  has extensive experience in baseline assessment, program evaluation, and research  and while authored and co-authored over seven publications in a peer-reviewed  journals and a handbook for mid-level health workers.