(Kenya)

Dr. Patrick W. Okanya is a lecturer of Biochemistry at the Technical University of Kenya and an adjunct Faculty at the School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, USIU- Africa (Kenya). Dr. Okanya obtained his PhD. in 2012 from the University of Saarlands, Germany.

His project was on isolation and characterization of compounds with antibacterial activities from myxobacteria. He is the Secretary General of the Biorisk Management Association of Kenya (BMAK), a member association of the International Federation of Biosafety Associations (IFBA). In addition, Dr. Okanya is also the team leader of the Technical Working Group of the biorisk module of the Biotechnology Research Programme at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI). As Secretary General of BMAK, Dr. Okanya initiated the development of the associations’ website www.bmak.or.ke and has offered a number of biosafety and biosecurity trainings to both public and private institutions including presentations at the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) annual conferences for the last three years.  He has participated as a stakeholder in the development of a Master of Science curriculum in Biorisk Management for the University of Nairobi and in review of the Kenya National Laboratory Biosafety and Biosecurity Training curriculum for the Ministry of Health. In July 2016, Dr. Okanya co-ordinated a successful Biorisk Management Training workshop and IFBA certification examination for thirty one East African regional participants in Kenya. Currently, he is the team leader in coordinating a collaborative project by the IFBA and Global Affairs Canada to develop a long-term sustainable biosafety and biosecurity strategy for the East African Region.