Dr. Getachew Tollera Eticha
Deputy Director General, Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI)
Dr. Getachew Tollera Eticha serves as the Deputy Director General of the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), where he provides strategic leadership for Ethiopia’s public health research, surveillance systems, and policy development. Since 2019, he has played a pivotal role in advancing evidence-based health initiatives that address critical public health challenges across the country.
With medical training from Addis Ababa University (MD, 2008) and a Master of Public Health from the University of Gondar (MPH, 2014), Dr. Getachew combines clinical expertise with public health leadership to drive innovation in disease surveillance, molecular epidemiology, and health system strengthening.
He established Ethiopia’s first Integrated Pathogen Genomic and Bioinformatics Center and leads multiple US-CDC-supported projects focused on HIV, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, antimicrobial resistance, and integrated disease surveillance. Under his guidance, EPHI has also led the national COVID-19 research response and initiated landmark health surveys, including the 2019 Mini-DHS and the 2021/22 Service Provision Assessment.
Dr. Getachew is actively involved in regional and international consortia enhancing epidemic preparedness (ENABLE), pathogen genomics (EpiGen), building research capacity (BRIDGE-Network), and antimicrobial resistance initiatives (TRiAD). Previously, as Director of Human Resource Development at the Ministry of Health, he developed Ethiopia’s first National Human Resources for Health Strategic Plan and reformed medical education and professional licensing.
Dr. Getachew is a prolific scholar with over 120 peer-reviewed publications addressing infectious diseases, health systems, and surveillance methodologies. His strategic vision and dedicated leadership continue to strengthen Ethiopia’s public health capacity and promote innovative, data-driven solutions that improve health outcomes nationally and across the African continent.