MRC Council member
Dr Precious Lunga is a member of the Medical Research Council (MRC) Council.
Dr Lunga is the CEO and Co-Founder of Baobab Circle, where she has spearheaded the development of Afya Pap, an award-winning health platform. The service revolutionises the management of chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension by delivering personalised care directly to mobile users across east Africa.
Prior to this venture, Dr Lunga was at Econet Wireless, where she established the Econet Health business unit delivering digital health products and services. During that time she was involved in mobilising the Africa business leaders response to the first west Africa Ebola outbreak.
Dr Lunga’s career has spanned biotechnology research, clinical trials, and policy implementation.
She was a postdoctoral scientist in Cambridge before transitioning to clinical research at the MRC Clinical trials unit.
She has served as an advisor to UNAIDS in Geneva and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, leveraging her expertise to influence global health strategies.
During the COVID-19 pandemic she advised Dr Nkengasong, then Director of Africa Centres for Disease Control.
A trained epidemiologist, Dr Lunga holds a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge.
She is a Yale World Fellow and former board member of both the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Malaria Consortium.
Last updated: 24 May 2024