
Sara Kaufman
Executive Assistant & Events Coordinator, Global Biological Policy and Programs
NTI’s “Young Voices” series highlights early-career professionals making their mark as part of the community of experts tackling today’s existential threats. This series reflects NTI’s commitment to uplift a range of voices and ideas, help break down stereotypes that contribute to generational divides on security and give a platform to young people to share creative ideas that address the evolving threats imperiling humanity.
Sara Kaufman, Executive Assistant and Events Coordinator for NTI’s Global Biological Policy and Programs team (NTI | bio) had the chance to speak with Thokozani Nyasulu-Liwewe, a medical doctor and global health professional with a remarkable career path dedicated to improving health outcomes and strengthening health systems. Currently, Thokozani serves as the Clinical Lead for the District Health Office under the Ministry of Health in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. She is also a 2024 Game Changers Fellow with the Brown University Pandemic Center and Pandemic Action Network. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What inspired you to pursue a career in health security?
My journey into health security was really shaped by witnessing firsthand how fragile health systems can be during emergencies. Over the years, I have held senior roles within Malawi’s Ministry of Health under the Lilongwe District Health Office, leading outbreak responses and driving strategies for pandemic preparedness and response specifically for COVID-19 and cholera.
In 2022 to 2023, Malawi experienced one of the worst cholera outbreaks, and I was leading that response at the time. Experiencing the devastating impact of both cholera and COVID-19, particularly on vulnerable populations, was quite challenging. There were a lot of lives lost. These firsthand experiences really inspired my passion for health security. I believe there’s a lot more that can be done in terms of strengthening the resilience of health systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
In your career so far, what is the biggest lesson that you have learned about managing health emergencies?
I have learned quite a lot! One of the biggest lessons is the need for transparency and trust with communities. Community engagement cannot be an afterthought; it must be woven into preparedness and response efforts from the very beginning. Policy discussions and strategic planning at the national and global levels are important, but their effectiveness really relies on the level of community involvement.
Obviously, during the global COVID-19 pandemic, there was a lot of misinformation and disinformation. And if we’re going to address issues of misinformation, disinformation, and vaccine hesitancy, early engagement is critical. The community should be involved from the beginning stages of planning to the execution of outbreak responses. And civil society organizations can be really key in bridging that gap with communities.
The 2025 World Health Assembly just concluded last week. Is there anything you’re hoping to see coming out of this meeting that could really move the needle on health security?
I am hopeful that the assembly will translate into tangible action across critical categories such as sustainable financing, regional manufacturing, and equity issues. Sustainable financing is an important one given the current geopolitical landscape that we are in and even years after the COVID-19 pandemic, medical countermeasures and vaccination inequities remain an issue. So sustainable financing and regional manufacturing are really foundational to strengthening global health security, ensuring that no region is left behind when the next pandemic emerges.
The Pandemic Agreement is a significant milestone that has come out of the 2025 World Health Assembly and has the potential to address some of these issues. There is a lot being said about some of its gaps and much work remains to ensure effective implementation, but the agreement has the potential to reshape how the world prepares for future pandemics. And, of course, the Pandemic Agreement will need continued political will, transparent collaboration, and accountability in order to be successful. Without political will, it might just be another agreement.
In what ways do you think recent global events and policy decisions are shaping the future of global health security?
One major policy decision is the change in official development assistance. From a financing perspective, particularly for low- and middle-income countries which experience a high burden of diseases, there’s conversation about moving from traditional donor models to more diversified and resilient financing strategies. There are conversations on domestic resource mobilization and on regional health financing. Recently, Africa CDC has been advocating for the Africa Epidemics Fund.
We know the implications of the current policy changes on, for example, HIV care and maternal neonatal health. But what this funding shift means for the future is that we can really reflect on how to embed pandemic preparedness and response into national development agendas, not as a donor-driven requirement but as a strategic imperative. I am not saying that we should move away from international collaboration – it is very essential – but that collaboration should evolve from a dependent relationship to a collaborative partnership.
In other words, the shift is a challenge. But it’s really an opportunity to build more sustainable and responsive global health security measures and architecture.
Talking more about international collaboration, what role do you see it playing in public health threat detection and response?
International collaboration is valuable and essential, from data sharing and joint research to equitable distribution of vaccines and therapeutics. No single country can tackle public health threats by themselves. It requires a whole of society approach, and that involves bringing together not just governments, but also the private sector, civil society, academia, and communities. And we also must ensure that these partnerships are inclusive and centered on co-creation, making sure that all voices are heard, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
What advice would you give young professionals entering the health security field?
Stay curious and keep learning. I’m still learning, but I’ve taken the initiative to really find opportunities to grow and find mentorship within this field.
The other main thing is to network as much as possible. Networking is not always looking at people who are more accomplished than you, but also your peers. Who else is doing work in your field? Interact with them. And it will allow you to grow so much.
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