Our Team

Global Thought Leadership

Advisory Board

We pride ourselves in our global scientific advisers, infectious disease through leadership. The advisory board consist of world-class Medical Doctors, Investigators and Scientist. The board advises the company on multinational, multi-therapeutic and clinical trial development to respond and prepare for emerging pathogen outbreaks.

Jonathan Mark Zenilman, M.D.

Chief, Division of Infection Diseases, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center

Dr. Jonathan M. Zenilman is a professor of medicine, dermatology and obstetrics and gynecology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He also has as joint appointments in population family and reproductive health, international health and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Prof. Colin PILLAI

Clinical Pharmacologist

Colin Pillai is the founder and CEO of CP+ Associates, a social venture that develops scientific capability in low and middle income countries (LMIC), focusing on healthcare via the drug discovery and development sciences. Colin is a clinical pharmacologist who undertook his training in Durban, South Africa. He has previously worked at the corporate headquarters of Novartis and Roche in Switzerland and has a specialist interest in the application of non-linear mixed effects models to pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic data across a wide range of therapeutic areas. He has undertaken various leadership roles within the pharmaceutical industry (Pharma) which have in turn contributed both to the internal and external acceptance of applying mathematical models to decision-making in drug development. His most recent Pharma role involved establishing programmes enabling the sharing of scientific expertise and infrastructure with researchers and institutions in low- and middle income countries (LMIC). Colin has held teaching, research and management positions at the Universities of Durban-Westville and Witwatersrand. He acquired his clinical and research experience in hospital and community pharmacy and as a consultant with the SA Medical Research Council’s Tuberculosis Research programme, where he ran a unit conducting Phase 1 clinical trials. Pillai continues to maintain active academic links with numerous institutions in Africa, including via honorary professorships and board member status. He has been a senior advisor on capacity development and training programmes for global health to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation since November 2017.

Executive Leadership

Our Executive Leadership has more than 20 years cumulative clinical trial experience in Africa. The leadership will generate ideas and build capabilities, reduce costs, manage risk, and accelerate project productivity

Jacob Apollo

Chief Executive Officer

Jacob Odika Apollo is a Co-founder, Director and chief executive officer of The Africa Clinical Research management, Ltd (ACE Research). With over 19 years’ experience in the Clinical Research industry, Jacob oversees the strategic direction of the Kisumu-based CRO providing strategic leadership, develops, refines, and implements a commercial business plan that results in annual commercial sales as defined by the corporate blueprint. With over 42 employees across Africa since inception in 2014 and in more than 16 countries, ACE Research now prides as the fastest growing CRO in the region. Until August 2016, Jacob served as chief operating officer of then ClinicalRM-Africa, where he supported the company’s business operations focusing on specific growth enablers, including important global relationships, leadership initiatives, development program performance and led the company through its re-branding process to now ACE Research.

Before that, Jacob served as Program Manager for multiple projects in Sub Saharan Africa for the Ohio-based ClinicalRM Inc, previously as Regional Monitor for the Seattle based University of Washington ICRC, and consultant for various other CRO’s ranging from commercial, Academic Research institutions and for-profit businesses.

Jacob spent the first 9 years of his career in the Western Kenya region where he held several Clinical Research management and Regulatory positions in support of both site and CRO’s. He leads the effort to transform ACE Research’s government and commercial services to a mature organization, capable of delivering on its long-term vision. His expertise is in Health Administration and Public Health.

Amos Ndhere, MD, MS

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Ndhere is a physician investigator with more than 15 years of experience in clinical research and public health practice in Africa. Dr. Ndhere completed his medical degree training at Moi University School of Medicine in Kenya and an advanced degree in Clinical Investigation at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL. Dr. Ndhere has conducted HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis clinical studies and public health programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. He successfully collaborated with investigators at the Center for Global Health at Northwestern and the University of Michigan on a number of NIH funded research projects. His current research is evaluating the Outcome of Early Initiation of Antiretroviral Therapy in HIV – related Cryptococcal meningitis in Rural Kenya. He studied vaccination programs in Kenya, specifically the Challenges to Effective Immunization Coverage.

Dr. Ndhere is a member of American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), ASTMH Committee on Global Health (ACGH) and The Network: Community Partnerships for Health through Innovative Education, Service and Research.

Berhards Ogutu, MD, PhD

Chief Scientific Advisor

Dr Bernhards Ogutu is currently the Chief Research Officer with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and Senior Clinical Trialist with the Malaria Clinical Trials Alliance of the INDEPTH-Network. Ogutu is also Director for the Centre for Research in Therapeutic Sciences (CREATES) at Strathmore University in Nairobi.

He has authored more than 50 peer reviewed publications. His areas of research expertise includes clinical trials, disease pathogenesis, and clinical therapeutics with a bias in malaria and clinical trials capacity development.

Dr Ogutu received his MBChB, MMed and PhD from the University of Nairobi. Dr Ogutu is a board certified Medical Practitioner, Paediatrician and Clinical Pharmacologist.

Dr. Lucas Tina, MD MPH

Senior Scientific Advisor and Director

Dr. Tina completed his medical training at Moi University School of Medicine in Kenya and obtained his MSc. in Public Health in Developing Countries (PHDC) from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Dr. Tina is an ADVAC Fellow (Vaccinology) currently working with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Walter Reed Project collaboration as a Physician and Principal Investigator. He has more than 14 years of experience in clinical trials and has been a Principal Investigator and leader in several highly successful drug and vaccine trials in therapeutic areas including; Malaria, HIV, Tuberculosis, Pneumonia, Polio, Sickle Cell Disease, Diarrhea, and Malnutrition. The clinical trial for Artemether-Lumefantrine (Coartem) Paediatric Dispersible Tablet resulted in regulatory approval by the FDA, the EMA, Regulatory Authorities in Africa, and the world's first Malaria Vaccine (RTS,S/AS01) received a positive scientific opinion from the EMA through WHO article 58 and is currently undergoing WHO Pilot Implementation in Africa. Dr. Tina is an author of several peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals, has participated in several scientific meetings, workshops, and conferences including the pan African MIM Conference and the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) Conference. He is a member of ASTMH and a member of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP). Dr. Tina’s interest and focus is leadership in public health through research, policy, bio entrepreneurship, business management and advocacy aimed at the discovery, development and delivery of intervention tools such as vaccines and drugs against diseases of the developing world such as Malaria, HIV, Pneumonia, Polio, Tuberculosis, Diarrhea, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Malnutrition and Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Meet Our Team

IT Help-Desk support Technician

"ACE Research is an organisation where passionate and ambitious people are proud to develop, produce and exhibit their best skills. Since we operate across the African continent, it offers opportunities for growth, employee empowerment and working in a cross-functional team. What I like most about the ACE Research experience is that it connects my passion with technology".
Oliver Kipkemei,
IT Help-Desk support Technician

Corporate Accountant

“I joined ACE Research in March 2018 as Corporate Accountant and it’s been an incredible experience working to ensure implementation of a sound financial and accounting system. ACE has enhanced my ability to handle qualitative relationships that dominate our day-to-day financial decision making. I am happy to join a team of great minds whom integrity, professionalism, good hospitality, and passion is a way of life.
Sharon Achieng
Corporate Accountant

Senior Program Manager, West Africa Region

“I joined ACE Research over 2 years ago after working in Clinical Trials for 15 years with several multinational organizations supporting Clinical Trials in Africa. In retrospect, I see ACE Research as an affordable African solution to the Research Management gap in Sub-Sahara Africa. ACE is endowed with rich, unique and well blended hands-on experience that is clearly manifested in the ACE team. In my view, ACE is the African-tailored research management solution taking cognizant of project time lines and challenges unique to Sub Saharan Africa”. &nbsp
Dancan Otieno Apollo
Senior Program Manager, West Africa Region
Freetown - Sierra Leone

Head of Clinical Operations

I joined ACE Research 2 years ago and it’s been a tremendous experience working to ensure a better public health environment. I oversee clinical operations and support sites to ensure trials implemented maintain the highest ethical standards. I am a great advocate of our mission “To be the Africa leader in pharmaceutical development industry through consistent first class quality and execution, exceptional customer-centric service and constant innovation” &nbsp
Victorine A. Owira Head of Clinical Operations, ACE Research

Program Assistant – Legal/HR & Corporate compliance

"It is not news that all human dealings are intricately intertwined within the law, but working with ACE Research as a lawyer has introduced me to a whole new world of experience in working with a formidable team of experts with one goal geared towards making the world a better place for you and me through clinical research. The pendulums of sanity in Clinical research are monitored at that place where research meets the law and that place in the universe is the ACE Research Legal/HR & Corporate Compliance Department”. Nicholas M. Oloo, Program Assistant – Legal/HR & Corporate compliance at ACE Research

Site Training

We provide expert Quality management, GCP, GCLP and Human Research Subject trainers

Regulatory Experts

We maintain up-to-date knowledge database of Africa regulatory intelligence and provide regulatory QC review and submission services

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Phase I-IV Studies

Our scientific team of medical officers, Investigators and basic scientists are experienced in Phase I-IV clinical trials