News
2021 Director's nominations within the Pasteur Network
All Regions
New appointments took place between July and September 2021 within the Pasteur Network. Six directors where appointed in agreement with the local institute administrations and the Institut Pasteur for a period of at least two years.
These new directors will integrate the various bodies of the Pasteur Network located in the Network four regions : Africa, Americas, Asia-Pacific and Euro-Mediterranean.
CERMES
Sabou Haoua Seini has been appointed as General Director of CERMES and started her new position on August 11th 2021.
First and only woman Doctor in Biochemistry in Niger, second woman CAMES Full Professor of Niger, her journey through Niger, Africa and the 5 continents allowed her to also be Secretary General of the Ministry of Higher Education of Research and Innovation.
Sabou Haoua Seini succeeds Rabiou Labbo, replacement of Halima Boubacar as acting director since February 2019.
Institut Pasteur de Madagascar
Philippe Dussart has been appointed as General Director of the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar starting his new position on September 1st 2021.
Formed as biologist pharmacist and holder of a doctorate in microbiology, specialised in virology, Philippe Dussart has been working for the Pasteur Network for the 20 years in 3 different regions: Africa, Americas, Asia-Pacific. He has proven his expertise on the fields of arboviruses, respiratory viruses including seasonal influenza, avian influenza and SARS-CoV-2, as well as viral zoonoses.
Philippe Dussart succeeds André Spiegel.
Institut Pasteur de la Guyane
Christophe Peyrefitte has been appointed as Director of the Institut Pasteur de la Guyane and started his new position on September 1st 2021.
After a first part of his career dedicated to researching medical countermeasures against arboviruses, haemorrhagic fever viruses and orthopoxviruses within the Army Health Service followed by the Scientific Direction of the Institut Pasteur de Dakar.
Christophe Peyrefitte succeeds Mirdad Kazanji, who held this position for the last 7 years.
Institut Pasteur du Cambodge
André Spiegel has been appointed as Director of the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge on October 1st 2021.
Doctor of medicine and Associate Professor in epidemiology and public health of the Val-de-Grâce Hospital, he has held various responsibilities within the Pasteur Network, holding the position of Head of the Epidemiology Units of the Institut Malardé in French Polynesia (1989- 1991) and the Institut Pasteur de Dakar in (1996-2000) followed by directing positions in the Institut Pasteur de la Guyane (2007-2011), the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (2011-2015) and the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar (2016-2021).
André Spiegel succeeds Laurence Baril who held this position from 2019 to 2021.
Institut Pasteur Hellénique
Efstathios Gonos has been elected General Director of the Hellenic Pasteur Institute in 2021.
Efstathios Gonos graduated from the Department of Pharmacy, University of Athens, Greece in 1984, obtained his Ph.D. at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Glasgow, Britain in 1989 and a Docent in Biomedicine at the Orebro University, Medical School, Sweden in 2011. In addition to teaching and being a public speaker, Dr Gonos has been a “senior expert” of European Union (E. U.) in “Human development and the aging process” and Deputy National Representative of Greece in E.U. in “Genomics and Biotechnology for Health” as well as Editor-in-Chief of “Mechanisms of Ageing & Development” journal.
Centre Pasteur du Cameroun
Mirdad Kazanji has been appointed as General Director of the Pasteur Center in Cameroon and started his new position on October 1st 2021.
Mirdad Kazanji, virologist and Research Director at the Institut Pasteur, has also directed the Institut Pasteur de Bangui, Central African Republic from 2009 to 2014 and the Institut Pasteur de la Guyane since 2014, before joining the Pasteur Center in Cameroon in 2021. His scientific career is focused on the viruses natural history, their origins and transmission, as well as public health issues related to the surveillance and emergence of viral epidemics.
Mirdad Kazanji succeeds Elisabeth Carniel who held this position from 2017 to 2021.
To know more about the Pasteur Network members and its representatives, visit the Member’s section.
Original publication on November 17th 2021. Updated on September 27th, 2022.