Austin Demby

Austin Demby
Minister of Health and Sanitation
Personal details
Nationality	Sierra Leone
Occupation	Politician

Austin Demby is a Sierra Leonean politician. He is the current Minister of Health and Sanitation. ^{[1] [2]}

Early life and career

Demby began his career in public health in 1980 as a research scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). ^[3] From 1987 to 1989, he served as the country director of the CDC field station in Sierra Leone, focusing on viral hemorrhagic fevers, including Lassa fever. ^[4] He later held research positions at institutions such as the Virus Reference Laboratory in the UK and the Center for Applied Microbiology and Research. ^[5]

Demby was a founding member of the CDC’s Global AIDS Program (GAP) and contributed to establishing GAP offices in several African countries. He directed the CDC Malawi program from 2006 to 2011, overseeing HIV/AIDS programs, and later served as Director and Deputy Principal of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) from 2011 to 2016. ^[6]

References

1. "Health Minister Dr Demby Co-host Child Survival Action Meeting". Permanent Mission Of Sierra Leone. 2024-10-10. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
2. Shutti, Alex (2024-03-13). "Mercy Ships' partnership 'instrumental'". Mercy Ships. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
3. "The Global Financing Facility Welcomes the Honorable Khumbize Chiponda, Minister of Health for Malawi, as Co-Chair of the Investors Group | Global Financing Facility". www.globalfinancingfacility.org. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
4. Kargbo, Lamin (2021-02-11). "Who is Dr. Austin Demby Sierra Leone's New Health Minister". SwitSalone. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
5. "The Minister – Ministry of Health and Sanitation" . Retrieved 2025-03-26.
6. "Funding the AIDS response and reforming health systems in western and central Africa | UNAIDS". www.unaids.org (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-03-26.