Kenya
A seasoned public health leader with 15 years of experience advancing research, program management, and health systems strengthening across East Africa. I have a proven track record in managing USAID- and Wellcome Trust-funded projects, successfully leading cross-functional teams, and securing multimillion-dollar grants. My expertise spans monitoring and evaluation, stakeholder engagement, research and capacity building. As a published researcher, I have contributed to the fields of cervical cancer, neglected tropical diseases, nutrition, and mental health. I am deeply committed to evidence-based solutions and community-driven health innovations. I currently serve as Research and Learning Manager at www.lwala.org, where I oversee a diverse portfolio of scientific research projects and leads the Wellcome Trust funded on community-engaged research. In addition, I am the administrative editor of the forthcoming Lwala Household Survey journal supplement, which will feature 15 research papers. Beyond my professional role, I contribute to strategic leadership as Board Chair – Advisory & Strategy for a Ugandan non-profit organization. I welcome opportunities to lead transformative global health initiatives that drive sustainable developement.
-I oversee a portfolio of 10 scientific research studies. -I serve as Project Lead for the Wellcome Trust–funded initiative, Advancing Community Research in Rural Communities, focused on knowledge sharing. -I am the Administrative Editor of the Lwala Household Survey journal supplement, coordinating the writing and peer review of 15 research papers slated for publication in BMC Public Health.
• Contributing to the design and analysis of 12 research studies that answer key strategic research questions to inform communities served, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders at local, national, and global levels in community health. • Supporting creation of objectives and key results, work plans, and budgets for department's research portfolio, aligned with long-term strategic objectives. • Supporting teams of study investigators and data managers to ensure quality and alignment across entire research portfolio. • Tracking progress of research team to achieve their goals and priorities, adjusting plans and budgets as needed to achieve overall strategy. • Supporting growth of research team through mentoring, supervision, feedback, identification, and promotion of professional development opportunities for team members. • Coordinating implementation, sampling, tool development, data collection, and quality assurance of research studies, at different sites. • Contributing to research data analysis, interpretation of results, and drafting of manuscripts. • Identifying and participating in opportunities for disseminating research results to local, national, and global audiences at conferences and meetings of academics, practitioners, or policymakers. • Helping development team identify, write and reports on specific research grant applications. • Working closely with other departments to integrate research priorities and findings into organizational practices, technical assistance, and advocacy. • Fostering relationships with external research collaborators, including technology developers, government partners, data analysts, and academics, thereby ensuring constructive consultation and accountability.
BMC Public Health is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on the epidemiology of disease and the understanding of all aspects of public health. The journal has a special focus on the social determinants of health, the environmental, behavioral, and occupational correlates of health and disease, and the impact of health policies, practices and interventions on the community.
Conducted a Baseline Assessment to review the state of the neglected tropical disease- Visceral Leishminiasis programming in the 5 Eastern Africa countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda). Study took a mixed methods data collection approach. I also assisted in qualitative data analysis and final report writing as well participate in a future stakeholder dissemination activitiy. Qualitative approach Qualitative inquiries were used to collect information on the state of Visceral Leishminiasis programs using questionnaires and check lists. We consulted with key VL stakeholders, such as program managers/focal point persons, implementing partners, frontline workers, and researchers. The key informants were program officials from the Ministry of Health (MOH), partners involved in Visceral Leishminaisis work, community health workers and public health researchers. Informants were identified through a snowballing method where known contacts were asked to provide contacts of others knowledgeable on the question of interest. Secondary/service/campaign data analysis Relevant data was identified, and data requested for analysis. #neglectedtropicaldiseases #qualtativeresearch #Quantitativeresearch #NTDs
Worked in the Equity Measure in Neglected Tropical Diseases programming in sub- Saharan Africa project. The goal of this research was to provide evidence on how equity is defined, applied and reflected in Neglected Tropical Diseases, programming, and reporting and to identify and recommend areas for improvement. I Conducted key informant interviews and performed document reviews on Neglected Tropical Diseases. Achievements Obtained in-depth knowledge on Neglected Tropical Diseases Programming Interacted with and built rapport with key contacts in Neglected Tropical Diseases Programming #NeglectedTropicalDiseases #NTDS #Research #qualitativeresearch
• Supervised 6 fulltime staff. • Directed, developed, managed and implemented activities in health programming around cervical cancer prevention and control • Provided technical assistance to government, community groups and other stakeholders on cervical cancer issues. • Oversaw research, monitoring and evaluation. • In charge of grant and contract management, communications, marketing & resource mobilization. • Development and launched the Cervical Cancer Advocacy guide for Kenya. • Successful coordination of the STOP Cervical Cancer Initiative technical working group housed at Ministry of Health National Cancer Control Program. • Provided oversight of the HPV Vaccine acceptability research project. • Identified program obstacles and communicated possible impacts to team. • Coached team members on productivity strategies to accomplish challenging goals. • Addressed and resolved technical, financial, and operational concerns by working with team members and directors. • Met with project stakeholders on regular basis to assess progress and adjust. • Managed multiple strategic projects with numerous sub-projects or workstreams. • Engaged and worked alongside cross-functional stakeholders to manage strategic initiatives. • Facilitated workshops and conducted one-on-one training to educate team members. • Demonstrated strong writing and presentation skills to develop briefs, memorandums and analytical reports for clients. Key Achievements 1. Development and launch of the Cervical Cancer Advocacy guide in Kenya-January 2020. 2. Development of social media toolkits for the launch of the HPV Vaccine in Kenya in October 2019 and the Kenya National Cervical Cancer Awareness Week in Jan. 2020.