Dr. Esmael Habtamu is a public eye health academic and clinical trialist with research interests in trachoma elimination, primary eye care, and health systems strengthening in low-income settings. He is an assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), UK; co-founder and executive director of Eyu-Ethiopia, a national non-governmental organization engaged in eye health research, training, and service delivery; and an adjunct assistant professor at Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia.

Dr. Esmael completed his undergraduate training as an ophthalmic officer with great distinction at the University of Gondar in 2007. He subsequently undertook the MSc in Public Health for Eye Care at LSHTM, graduating top of his class in 2011 and receiving the Gordon Johnson Prize for outstanding academic performance. Between 2013 and 2016, he completed his PhD at LSHTM on the surgical management of trachomatous trichiasis and its impact on quality of life. His doctoral thesis was awarded the 2017 LSHTM Woodruff Medal for the most outstanding PhD thesis completed that year.

In 2019, Dr Esmael received the LSHTM Director’s Award for Early Career Researchers in recognition of his significant contributions to eye health research and his potential as a future academic leader. In 2021, he was awarded a prestigious Wellcome Trust International Intermediate Fellowship (2021–2026) to develop and evaluate sustainable, integrated Primary Eye Care (PEC) interventions within Primary Health Care (PHC) systems.

Dr. Esmael has led several large-scale research programs, including four clinical trials, cohort studies, and multiple implementation research projects. He has secured 11 competitive research grants, totalling approximately USD 4.5 million, and has published more than 50 peer-reviewed research articles. In 2019, he established Eyu-Ethiopia to generate evidence and implement innovative, community-oriented, and integrated eye health programs in Ethiopia.

Dr. Esmael serves on several national and international advisory bodies, including the Ethiopia Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Research Advisory Committee, the Ethiopia Trachoma Advisory Group (ETAG), the Amhara Regional Technical Eye Health Advisory Committee (Co-Chair), the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) Trachoma Expert Committee (TEC), and the Project Oversight Committee for the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation–funded Avoidable Blindness Grant. He has contributed to the development of international and national trachoma guidelines, including WHO-led initiatives. He also serves as an external reviewer for clinical trial protocols for Ethiopia’s National Research Ethics Review Committee and is an editor for the Neglected Tropical Diseases section of Frontiers in Tropical Diseases. He is a reviewing editor for Ophthalmic Epidemiology and regularly reviews for leading journals, including The Lancet Global Health, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, and the British Journal of Ophthalmology.