Dr. Folake Olayinka is a prominent global health leader, strategist and expert in immunization. She brings over three decades of experience tackling health challenges such as immunization, polio eradication, maternal and child health, primary health care and infectious diseases. She currently serves as Director of Immunization at the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and previously worked as a consultant advising international organizations and philanthropies. Prior to that, Dr. Olayinka served as the Global Immunization Lead at United States Agency for International Development(USAID) in Washington DC. She is particularly recognized for her expertise in immunization strengthening, vaccine manufacturing, health system resilience, as well as pandemic prevention preparedness and response.
Dr. Olayinka has served at all levels of health systems and on multiple advisory groups, including WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE), Africa Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group(RITAG) IA2030 and Gavi related working groups.