Benoit Dembélé is Senior Program Officer for the Mectizan Donation Program. He is a medical doctor and public health specialist with over 20 years’ experience in malaria as well as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including lymphatic filariasis and river blindness.
Dr. Dembélé assists MDP Director Dr. Yao Sodahlon in facilitating access to Mectizan for the elimination of river blindness and lymphatic filariasis. In his role, he reviews applications, monitors the supply chain, and works with partners to promote the best practices for safe and effective implementation of mass drug administration. He also works closely with partners to establish and implement strategies leading to the elimination of the diseases.
Prior to joining MDP, Dr. Dembélé held different roles focusing on NTDs at Helen Keller International. Most recently he served as Regional Technical Advisor supporting NTD programs in nine African countries, collaborating on quality improvement plans, mass drug administration implementation, and disease-specific assessments.
He is also the author of the book Passage à l’échelle de l’utilisation des agents de santé communautaire au Mali (Scaling Up the Use of Community Health Workers in Mali).
Dr. Dembélé earned his M.D. from the University of Bamako, Mali, and Master of Sciences in Public Health from the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.