Dr. Saeed Ahmed is a physician, public health leader and global health innovator who has spent the past two decades transforming HIV care and strengthening health systems in Southern Africa. He is an Associate Pprofessor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine.
Since 2006, Dr. Ahmed has lived and worked in Malawi, where he founded and leads the Tingathe Program, a groundbreaking, community-based program which has revolutionized HIV service delivery in resource-limited settings. When Dr. Ahmed arrived in Malawi as part of the inaugural Baylor Pediatric AIDS Corps, an estimated 40-60,000 infants acquired HIV annually through perinatal and breastfeeding transmission, with most dying before age five. Realizing that clinical advances alone were insufficient, he launched Tingathe in 2008 to address critical gaps in early diagnosis and treatment. Tingathe pioneered the use of Community Health Workers (CHWs) as frontline providers and treatment advocates – a first for Malawi. This innovative approach led to major gains in pediatric treatment and a reduction in mother-to-child transmission rates from over 30% to under 2%.
Under Dr. Ahmed’s leadership, Tingathe has evolved from a $150,000 pilot into a $15 million annual program operating in 120 government facilities and employing over 1,000 staff. The program has provided more than 3.5 million individuals with HIV testing and counseling, initiated treatment for over 100,000 and provides ongoing care to approximately 250,000 people living with HIV. Its success has informed national policy and catalyzed regional scale-up, including a $69 million USAID award to replicate best practices in nine countries. Total funding for Tingathe now exceeds $200 million.
Beyond service delivery, Tingathe has become a platform for research, training and policy innovation. After earning a Master of Science in clinical investigation from the Baylor College of Medicine Clinical Scientist Training Program, Dr. Ahmed launched an ambitious implementation science research initiative that has produced over 65 peer-reviewed publications and underpinned numerous NIH-funded grants, with Dr. Ahmed serving as principal investigator on major awards, including RO1 and UG1 grants. He has also contributed significantly to global HIV policy, playing a key role in the development and dissemination of simplified pediatric treatment guidelines, the Teen Club Model for adolescent care, task shifting with community health workers and global strategies, such as Option B+ and Test and Treat.
Dr. Ahmed’s work exemplifies the power of community-driven, scalable solutions grounded in frontline experience. Through system-building, mentorship, and innovation, he continues to shape the future of global health, standing as a model of excellence in service, scholarship and leadership.
