Current Position
Minister of Health and Sanitation, Republic of Sierra Leone
Background
Dr. Austin H. Demby has served as Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health and Sanitation since his swearing-in on February 10, 2021. He is a seasoned global health expert who began his career in 1980 as a research scientist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Experience
He served as Country Director of the CDC’s Sierra Leone field station (1987–1989), where he worked on hemorrhagic fevers, including the Lassa virus. He was a founding member of CDC’s Global AIDS Program, directed CDC operations in Malawi (2006–2011), and served as Director and Deputy Principal for PEPFAR within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2011–2016).
Achievements
During the 2014–15 Ebola crisis, he was the first U.S. official to conduct a rapid assessment in Sierra Leone, deploying five times to assist with response efforts.
Education
He holds a doctorate in Clinical Microbiology from the University of London, a Master of Public Health in epidemiology/biostatistics from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Science with honors from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone.
Previous Roles
Prior to his ministerial role, he also served as Acting Director of the Office of Global Health at HRSA.
