Dr. Kestelyn is a clinical trialist with over 20 years of experience designing, overseeing, and executing clinical trials in LMICs. Her work spans diverse geographies, including sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, covering a range of diseases including HIV, COVID-19, tuberculosis, and malaria. Her expertise encompasses early-phase and late-phase trials, particularly in vaccines and therapeutics, with a focus on locally led and context-appropriate research. She has a proven track record leading multi-country collaborations, establishing trial infrastructure, building multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-impact research in low-resource settings.

In addition to her operational expertise, Dr. Kestelyn has contributed to the development of global clinical trial guidance, including as a collaborator with the Good Clinical Trials Collaborative. She currently leads the World Health Organisation’s work on a global CTU maturity framework. She has co-authored over 90 scientific publications and plays a key role in shaping national strategies, including Vietnam’s “Roadmap to the Future of Clinical Trials.”

Committed to capacity building and mentoring, Dr. Kestelyn has supported emerging investigators and diverse research training programs. She is a strong advocate for equitable partnerships and sustainable South-South collaboration, exemplified through her involvement in the “Switching the Poles Clinical Research Strategic Network” at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp.