Mexan Mapouka, MD

Sponsoring Rotary District: 5390
Worked in: Central African Republic, United States of America
Degree: Medical Doctor- University of Bangui, Central African Republic
Future goals: "I want to work in public health with governmental and non-governmental organizations to strengthen their capacities in surveillance, prevention, and response to the global public health threats that affect humanity. Additionally, I hope to work globally to respond to the public health emergencies caused by conflict or natural disaster. I will work in different areas of applied epidemiology to reduce health disparities in communities. For instance, I will fight against infectious and non-infectious diseases such as COVID-19, HIV, TB, Malaria, Ebola, Poliomyelitis, Diabetes, Guinea worm etc."

Dr. Mexan Mapouka was born in Bossembele, a little town in the Central African Republic (C.A.R). He graduated as a Medical Doctor and Primary Care Physician from the University of Bangui, C.A.R in 2017.

Before his graduation, Dr. Mapouka worked as a Physician Specialist of HIV/TB with Belgium Doctors Without Borders based in the Community Hospital of Bangui and treated internal refugees fleeing armed conflict. From 2017 to 2019, he joined the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in C.A.R. and provided health care to wounded patients during the civil war which has been ongoing since 2012.

In 2019, he was selected as a Hubert Humphrey Fellow through the Fulbright Program and studied at Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

During his Humphrey Fellowship, he worked as a research assistant with the Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the Division of Global Health HIV TB in Atlanta, Georgia. He worked with his colleagues on the Population-based HIV Impact Assessment project (PHIA) funded by PEPFAR. He focused on francophone countries of Africa.

Dr. Mapouka is currently working on clinical trials for Pfizer vaccines against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.