Dr Gnossike Piham

A dermato-venereologist by training, Dr GNOSSIKE became interested in NTDs, particularly leprosy and cutaneous leishmaniasis, in Mali at the National Centre for Disease Control while he was a medical intern. After obtaining his doctorate in 2008, he began a Specialised Diploma in Dermato-Venereology in Benin. But by 2010 he was already working part-time at the leprosy and Buruli ulcer screening and treatment centre in Pobè, Benin. It was here that his passion for NTDs, in particular leprosy, Buruli ulcer and wound care in general, was born.  A 2-year stay in France for the Diplôme de Formation Médicale Spécialisée (DFMS) enabled him to perfect his wound management skills at the Centre Territorial de Cicatrisation at Argenteuil hospital. He defended his Dermatology dissertation in 2013 on deep mycosis, particularly entomophtoromycosis. Before his appointment in September 2022 as National Coordinator of the NTD programme, he was based at the Dermatology Centre in Lomé, where he was a national expert and consultant on NTD projects. He is the author of several publications on dermatology and NTDs.