Alumni

Tanzania

Mathias Abuya is the Country Director of the Jesse Rohde Foundation in Tanzania and a pediatrics complex manager at Shirati Hospital in the Mara region of Tanzania. He has worked as a clinical instructor at the department of Pediatric Health and HIV/AIDS counseling and has acquired 3 years of professional experience in HIV/AIDS and TB case management. He has also worked in community health education with Touro University, where he provided technical assistance, strategic planning on hospital development, and monitoring & evaluation for medical and nursing students as well as medical doctors’ education programs as interns or exchange program students from the United States. He holds a Master’s of Public Health from the International Medical and Technological University (2011), a Bachelor of Science in Medicine from Hubert Kairuki Memorial University (2009), and a Diploma in Clinical Medicine from Mvumi College of Clinical Medicine Dodoma (2002).

Kenya

Dr. Amos Ayunga graduated from the University of Nairobi (UoN) with an undergraduate degree in medicine in 2002 and completed a postgraduate degree in internal medicine in 2009. Currently, he is a consultant physician at Garissa Hospital in Kenya. Since his matriculation from UoN he has shown exemplary dedication to clinical work, teaching, research and mentoring of medical students. He has also served as a part-time lecturer at the College of Health Sciences at Mount Kenya University. Dr. Ayunga is currently pursuing a PhD in clinical research. His work involves an investigation of the prevalence of insulin resistance in overweight and obese persons in Kenya and incorporation of diabetes prevention into primary care settings. His career aspiration is to become a professor of medicine at an African University.

Uganda

Joel Bazira is a Clinical Microbiologist and Senior Lecturer in the department of Microbiology and School of Medicine at Mbarara University of Science and Technology. He holds an MBChB and PhD in Molecular Epidemiology of Tuberculosis, which he earned from Mbarara University of Science and Technology. Additionally, he earned a Master of Medicine in Microbiology & Immunology from University of Dar es Salaam. Dr. Bazira was a recipient of a German Academic Exchange Scholarship (DAAD) in 2006; a World Health Organization Tropical Disease Training grant, which funded his PhD study, in 2007; and an HIV Research Trust Fellowship in 2008, which supported his study of methods to improve diagnosis of tuberculosis among HIV infected individuals.

Kenya

Angeline Chepchirchir is a lecturer at the University of Nairobi School of Nursing Sciences. She completed her undergraduate degree (BScN) in 2000 and a Master’s degree in Medical Microbiology in 2007, both from the University of Nairobi. She is a nurse practitioner, trainer and researcher. Angeline has great expertise in research methods and has been involved in teaching and mentoring students for the last 7 years. She has completed research in the fields of mycology (superficial fungal infections), intimate partner violence, nursing informatics, and community awareness of vesicovaginal fistula, a crucial public health issue. During her time as an Afya Bora Fellow, she hopes to build on her existing scientific research skills and to undertake quality research to improve health outcomes and shape public health policy.

Uganda

Peter Elyanu is a pediatrician with 11 years of clinical experience and 5 years experience planning, implementing and monitoring Paediatric HIV/AIDS programs at the health facility, district, and national levels. He received his MBChB and  Master’s of Medicine (Pediatrics and Child Health) from Makerere University in Kampala. Currently, Dr. Elyanu provides strategic and technical leadership for strengthening systems to scale-up paediatric HIV/AIDS care and treatment through his work at the Ugandan Ministry of Health. He is also highly experienced in direction of health initiatives and training and mentorship of health care workers. 

USA

Jaclyn Hagon received her Master's degree from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in 2012. As part of the Advanced Practice Public Health Nurse Specialty, Jaclyn honed her expertise in infectious disease through her academic minor, clinical residency in HIV/AIDS care, and malaria research in Zanzibar, Tanzania. As a Master's student she assisted in the development of a community-based HIV medication adherence program. She has also spent time working globally in Guatemala, Haiti and Tanzania. These experiences have shaped her specific interests in global health, which include program development and evaluation addressing infectious diseases. In addition to academics, Jaclyn has worked for the last four years as a clinical nurse in emergency medicine.

Tanzania

Jairy Ndax Khanga serves as the Medical Officer in-charge of the city hospital for the Mbeya City Council. Dr. Khanga has over 10 years of experience in health management systems and service delivery. His expertise includes human resource management, financial management, health planning and coordination, monitoring and evaluation, program management and training. He has worked with a variety of government and non-government organizations in various management aspects, including Reproductive and Child Health, family planning, OVC programs, and Comprehensive care for HIV/AIDS. Dr. Khanga holds a Master of Public Health degree from Tumaini University’s Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College and a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the International Medical and Technological University in Dar es Salaam. He also earned a certificate in Family Planning Service Provision from Exeter University in the United Kingdom and studied Leadership Skills in Tanzania.

Kenya

Harun Kimani is a lecturer at the Kenyatta University School of Public Health where he teaches Community Health and Biostatistics to medical students. He is also pursuing graduate studies in the Institute of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases (ITROMID) at Kenyatta University. His PhD thesis is entitled ‘Determinants of delivery by skilled birth attendants: A cohort study of pregnant women in Mbooni district’. Kimani earned his MBChB from the University of Nairobi in 1992 and received his Master’s in Public Health from Moi University in 2000. He has worked for many years in the Kenya Ministry of Health in Kenya, where he has risen to the level of District Medical Officer. Kimani’s research interests lie in maternal health, and he is particularly focused on designing cost-effective maternal health programmes in resource-poor settings.

Kenya

Dr. Koki Muli-Kinagwi is a medical doctor with over 11 years experience in health care. She studied Public Health at the University of and currently works with the African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF), the largest non-governmental health organization based in Africa. She serves as AMREF’s HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria Programme Manager for Kenya. Prior to working with AMREF she was the Project Manager for the CDC-funded Kibera HIV prevention, Care and Treatment Project, which was based in the Kibera slums of Nairobi. She also previously worked as the director of AfriAfya, a Kenyan health knowledge management organization. Koki has experience in project management and leadership as well as knowledge management and documentation. Her interests are in programme management and health systems strengthening.

USA

Jason Madrano holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from the University of Washington. He is a community health nurse specializing in cross-cultural and global health, and his interests lie at the intersection of health, technology, and policy. Jason worked with the Seattle and King County Health Department on text messaging (SMS) programs for public health. As an integral member of an interdisciplinary team, Jason helped plan, implement, and evaluate a number of SMS programs, including vaccination reminders, employee communications, emergency messages for the Deaf community, and adherence and appointment reminders for the county TB clinic. The latter was the focus of Jason’s doctoral capstone project, entitled “SMS 4 LTBI: Text message reminders to increase appointment attendance and improve treatment adherence among patients with latent tuberculosis infection.” Dr. Madrano has also managed a database that tracks patients for a community primary care clinic serving uninsured individuals. He used the database to create clinical treatment reminders, as well as monitoring and evaluation of health, disease, and treatment measures at the patient and clinic levels. Jason is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, the Nurse’s Honor Society. In his spare time, Jason is an avid tinkerer, outdoorsman and foodie.

Botswana

Mabel Magowe is a lecturer at the University of Botswana (UB) and is the coordinator for the integration of HIV and AIDS into the curricula of the School of Nursing. She conducts workshops to increase technical understanding of HIV/AIDS and promote curriculum integration, which enables lecturers to integrate and teach relevant HIV/AIDS content in their respective programmes. Dr. Magowe obtained a Diploma in General Nursing (1979) and Midwifery (1980), a Bachelor of Nursing Education (1986), Master of Nursing Science with specialty in Midwifery (1992), and a PhD in Nursing (2008) with research focus on HIV prevention and behavior change. Her dissertation focused on development and psychometric evaluation of instruments on safer sex communication for young Botswana women and their male sexual partners. She is currently involved in a risk reduction and HIV/STI and unwanted pregnancy prevention intervention for adolescents in Botswana, which replicates the “Being a Responsible Teen” (BART) intervention that was highly successful among adolescents in the US.

Kenya

Dennis Magu received his Bachelor Degree in Nursing from Aga Khan University in 2003, his Master’s in Public Health in 2008 and a PhD in Epidemiology from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya in 2012. Dr. Magu is a trained researcher and senior lecturer in epidemiology at Kenyatta University and Kenya Medical Research Institute. As a trainer he has imparted HIV/AIDS knowledge in epidemiology to the health care workers and students for the last 8 years. Dr. Magu has conducted surveys such as Kenya National Micronutrient Survey and substance abuse among the youth in Kenya. He has collaborated with many HIV/AIDS research organizations and presented the results of his funded research in both national and international settings. His findings have been disseminated in various global health journals and have informed policies and interventions throughout Kenya.

Uganda

Christine Mugasha is a paediatrician in the Outreach Department at the Infectious Disease Institute at Makerere University. Her department houses projects focusing on health systems strengthening and capacity building for local governments and community-based organizations. She supports grant writing, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Her technical expertise includes both paediatric care and treatment and PMTCT.

Kenya

Winfred Mwangi is an obstetrician and gynaecologist at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya. Dr. Mwangi graduated from Moi University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine and Surgery and completed a  Master’s in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Nairobi in 2011. She presented her thesis entitled “Utility of surrogate markers for CD4 Count among HIV infected pregnant women in western Kenya” at the Infectious Diseases Society of America conference in 2011. Currently, Dr. Mwangi is involved in offering clinical care, including ART for pregnant women and cervical cancer screening and treatment for HIV positive women. She is an honorary Lecturer at the Moi University School of Medicine. Her research interests include infectious disease, especially HIV and STIs, and Global Health research ethics.

Botswana

Ludo K. Nkhwalume is the Head of Department for the General Nursing Program in the Institute of Health Sciences Francistown in Botswana. She holds a Master of Philosophy in International Community Health from the University of Oslo and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Howard University in Washington, D.C. Ludo worked as a Registered Nurse and Midwife at Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital from 1987 until 1999; thereafter, she joined the Institute of Health Sciences—Francistown, where she currently serves as a Lecturer. As Head of Department, her responsibilities include programme management, planning, implementation, and evaluation, as she works to ensure that the department is in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s policies and goals outlined within the National Development Plan.

Uganda

Charles Peter Osingada is a nurse and Lecturer at Makerere University Department of Nursing in Uganda. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Nursing from Makerere University; his Master’s in Bioethics from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, USA, and his Master’s of Public Health from Makerere University. Prior to joining the Department of Nursing, Charles worked as a Nurse/Midwife in a district hospital in Uganda. Mr. Osingada has served as the Acting Head of Department of Nursing at Makerere University where he provided leadership and managerial oversight to the department staff and faculty. Currently, Charles is an active member of the Uganda Bioethics Working Group.

Tanzania

Dr. Ramadhani is a Medical doctor and a Public Health specialist at Tanzania’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. She possess more than 15 years of experience in the health sector, including 10 years in the area of HIV/AIDS and Reproductive and Child Health. She has served as the Tanzania’s first National Coordinator for Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) and, most recently, as the manager of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) where she guided the nation’s health sector response to HIV/AIDS.

Botswana

Vincent Setlhare joined the University of Botswana School of Medicine in 2010, and he is currently the Acting Head of the Department of Family Medicine. He received his MD from the University of Dar es Salaam and afterwards completed an internship at the Princess Marina Hospital in Botswana. Following his internship, Dr. Setlhare set up a private practice in rural Botswana providing primary health care. He received his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Botswana and later enrolled as a Family Medicine resident at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. During this time, HIV/AIDS reached epidemic proportions in Botswana, inspiring Dr. Setlhare to choose the research topic “The experiences of people living with HIV/AIDS” for his Master’s thesis. 

Tanzania

Hellen Neema Siril is a Public Health Evaluations Coordinator in the Management and Development for Health (MDH) organization in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Dr. Siril completed her Bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery at Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Uganda in 2004 and is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Muhimbili in Tanzania. She also holds a Master’s degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. She has worked as a physician, health care quality improvement manager, and a researcher for the last 8 years. Currently, Dr. Siril trains supervisors and heath worker teams involved in implementation of MDH-supported health programs, conducts evaluations, and disseminate the findings of MDH-sponsored research. Her personal mission is to improve public health systems and health care service delivery.

Botswana

Neo Tamuhla is from Botswana, and is a nurse by profession with a Bachelor in General Nursing and Midwifery and a Master’s of Public Health. She currently works for Botswana-UPenn Partnership as a Programme Research Coordinator for Bisson Studies, and was recently promoted to BUP Research Compliance Officer.

Sarah Bett is a Nursing Officer at Kenyatta National Hospital in Kenya. She worked as a staff nurse at various hospitals, including Aga Khan University Hospital and Nairobi Hospital, before completing her Master’s in Public health at the University of Nairobi. In addition, she completed a Master’s of Science in Nursing (Pediatric) in 2009 at the University of Nairobi. She currently works as a Nursing Officer at the Kenyatta National Hospital where she is responsible for clinical teaching of the students, unit management, and coordinating continuous medical education, research, and clinical audit in the paediatric department. Sarah’s primary research interests are paediatrics, public health and epidemiology.

Lisa Gatti is a doctoral student in Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, where she previously completed her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing and a Master’s of Science in Nursing. Her academic studies have focused on the intersection between nursing and health leadership, with a focus on women’s health. She has been trained in both quantitative and qualitative methods and has conducted a variety of funded research projects, mostly involving maternal and infant nutrition. Since 2008, Ms. Gatti has spent the majority of her time in rural Guatemala conducting community-based research and working for a private hospital, Hospitalito Atitlán, as the development manager. From 2006-2008 she held a T32 doctoral fellowship at the Center for Health Disparities Research at the University of Pennsylvania. She was also the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship (2010) and the Advanced Trainee Scholarship in Nursing (2005). Prior to working in Guatemala, Ms. Gatti trained nurses in Mexico; performed health systems research in Thailand, and studied language in France. Ms. Gatti’s primary career and research interest is international health care development.

James Gitau graduated from Moi University in December 2001 with a degree in Medicine and Surgery (MBChB). He was posted to Nakuru Provincial Hospital in the same year to fulfill the statutory one-year internship required before full registration by the Medical Board in Kenya. In 2002, he was posted to Lodwar District Hospital in Northern Kenya as a Medical Officer where he stayed until 2004. Subsequently, he joined the University of Nairobi to pursue studies leading toward a Masters of Medicine in Paediatrics, which he completed in 2008. He was thereafter posted to Garissa Provincial Hospital in North Eastern Kenya as a paediatrician, a post where he continues to work. He has a major interest in research and is firm in his belief that evidence-based medicine is the key to providing quality health care to humanity. 

SoSon Jong completed her Master’s in Advanced Community Health and International Nursing and received her Master’s in Global Health Science at the University of California, San Francisco from 2006-2009. Korean by birth, SoSon received her BS in Nursing at Seoul National University. She spent two years as a volunteer nurse at Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa, where she became fluent in Amharic. Since 2007, she has worked on the HIV/Oncology unit in San Francisco General Hospital as a registered nurse. Her broad global health interest is in community health and access to care.

Lucy Kabare is a Consultant Obstetrician & Gynecologist at the University of Nairobi. She was educated at the University of Nairobi where she received both MBChB and MMed in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Kabare also earned a postgraduate Diploma in STIs at the University of Nairobi. She has worked as a Medical Officer in various hospitals for the last 6 years. Dr. Kabare is also an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Nairobi and is currently undertaking a PhD in Public Health at Jomo Kenyatta University. Her scholarly interest is reproductive health.

Eddah Karijo has worked as a Nursing Officer at Kenyatta National Hospital since 2006. At the Nairobi Hospital, she had served as a Clinical Trainer to nursing students and a preceptor to newly employed nurses in Maia Cabbery Floor. Previously, Eddah also worked at Consolata Mission Hospital where she managed both the medical and maternity wards. She initially earned her diploma as a Kenya registered community health nurse at St. Luke’s School of Nursing and a Higher Diploma in HIV/AIDS management and control at Kenyatta University. Eddah later received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Aga Khan University and subsequently enrolled in a Masters of Public Health (MPH) program (Monitoring and Evaluation) at Kenyatta University. Eddah has conducted a research in PMTCT and has been involved in a Baseline survey of maternal newborn child health (MNCH) with AMREF and implement a PMTCT project with the Catholic Medical Mission Board at Consolata Mission Hospital. Her current MPH thesis is titled “Data quality from the health management information system”. Eddah’s scholarly interests include HIV/AIDS and health information systems.

Nerry Kittur is currently a Nursing Officer coordinating infection prevention and control activities at Kenyatta National Hospital. She previously served in the Department of Surgery as a training coordinator between 2004 and 2009. Nerry holds a Master’s in Public Health from the Kenyatta University and a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from University of Eastern Africa, Baraton. She also holds a postgraduate diploma in Healthcare Management (2005) from Kenya Institute of Management (KIM). Since 2004, she has participated in research and coordinated continuous professional development among nurses at Kenyatta National Hospital. Nerry is interested in disease control and epidemiology, specifically in the field of HIV/AIDS.

Onalenna Lemo is employed by the Nurse’s Association of Botswana as Project Coordinator for the Care for Carers Program, which is funded by the CDC’s BOTUSA collaboration. The program coordinates and trains healthcare workers through the formation of support groups to promote and enhance their knowledge and wellbeing. She holds an MSc in Community Health Nursing from Wayne State University, USA, where, in addition to her studies, she worked as a volunteer for the Junior League of Detroit at the Detroit AIDS Consortium. In 2009 she completed a MPA in Human Resources from the University of Botswana. Previously, she taught at the National Health Institute for 17 years where she mentored many of Botswana’s current generation of nurses. She was eventually selected to head of the Health Manpower Recruitment, Deployment and Utilisation Unit of the Ministry of Health (MoH) where she has served for 5 years. Thereafter, she moved to the Performance Improvement Unit of the MoH as Deputy Performance Improvement Coordinator, where she implemented and monitored systems for national health care delivery in the Republic of Botswana. Onalenna’s scholarly interests are in strategic management and leadership, health policy, and primary health care.

Mucho Mizinduko is a Research Clinician at the Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit in Tanzania. He graduated from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in 2007 with a Doctor of Medicine degree. In 2007, Dr. Mizinduko attended a diploma course in Global Health in Tampere University, Finland and subsequently completed his post-medical school internship at Mbeya Consultant Hospital, wuere he provided general clinical care to patients. In October 2008, Dr. Mizinduko began his employment as research clinician with Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit. In this position, Mucho has also served as a Research Team/Site Leader. As part of the capacity building program within Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, he received a grant to attend a short course on Epidemiology and Medical Statistics at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 2010. As a result of these studies, Mucho has become even more deeply motivated to conduct public health research.

Hildah Molate is a Senior Nursing Officer in Princess Marina Hospital (Botswana Government-Ministry of Health) and has been a nurse for the past 18 years, specializing in Community Mental Health Nursing. Hildah earned a Master’s of Public Health at Curtin University of Technology, Australia, a Bachelor’s of Nursing Science, and a post-graduate Diploma in Community Mental Health and a Diploma in General Nursing, both from the University of Botswana. Hildah currently heads the Psychiatric Unit in Princess Marina Hospital and is a member of the Performance Improvement Committee, which oversees the overall performance in the hospital. She is currently spearheading the accreditation process of Princess Marina Hospital with the Council of Health Services Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA). Hildah’s scholarly interests lie in international health.

Aliza Monroe-Wise is a second year medical resident at the University of Washington (UW). She graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in African-American studies in 2002. She spent a year conducting HIV prevention research in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa after completing her undergraduate studies. In 2005 she completed a Master’s of Public Health in Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University. Her thesis was entitled “Married, Monogamous Women at Risk: The Sexual Relationships and Behaviors of Married Men in Chennai, India.” Afterwards, Dr. Monroe-Wise entered Stanford School of Medicine in 2005. As a medical student she worked on an HIV counseling and testing study in Uganda and an HIV chemoprophylaxis study in Brazil. She started her residency in Internal Medicine at UW after graduating from medical school in 2009 and was thereafter accepted into the UW Global Health Program. Dr. Monroe-Wise is also the Western Region representative to the American College of Physicians’ National Council of Associates. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and playing capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art.

Richard Muhindo received his Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at Makerere University in 2004. Therafter, he worked with Masaka Regional Referral Hospital as an intern Nurse. Richard then served as a branch coordinator and service provider for Reproductive Health Uganda, an affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation. In 2008 he taught as a Clinical Instructor with Mulago School of Nursing & Midwifery, and in 2010 he received his Master’s in Public Health degree from Maastricht University in Holland. Currently, he is working as a Volunteer Lecturer in the College of Health Sciences, at Makerere University. Richard is particularly interested in reproductive health, family planning, and adolescent reproductive health.

Ziadah is a Teaching Assistant at the Department of Nursing at the Makerere University College of Health Sciences. She has worked as a course coordinator and Clinical Instructor in Medical Nursing and Palliative Care since 2006. She also supervises undergraduate students’ research. She received both her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing and Master’s of Science in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Makerere University. Her primary interest is in Malaria treatment and prevention.

Joyce Nankumbi is a Teaching Assistant in the Department of Nursing at Makerere University College of Health Sciences. In 2010, Joyce also earned a Master’s in Applied Human Nutrition at Makerere University after receiving her Bachelor’s in Nursing there in 2005. Prior to returning to Makerere University, she briefly joined the Mulago Teaching and National Referral Hospital as a Clinical Nurse after completing her first degree.

Samuel W. Ndungu is an Obstetrician & Gynecologist at Mbagathi District Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. He leads the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and is involved in the training of medical officer interns and clinical officer interns. He was previously the Medical Superintendent of Kenya’s Maralal District Hospital. Samuel was educated at University of Nairobi School of Medicine, where he received a Bachelor Degree in Medicine & Surgery and a Master’s Degree in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Samuel has a major interest in HIV/AIDS research. He was one of the study doctors in the Kesho Bora (“better tomorrow”) PMTCT study, a multi-centre randomized controlled trial that compared various PMTCT regimes. 

Kenneth Ngure is a Study Coordinator for the UW collaborative Partners PrEP Study at the Thika Site, Kenya. Before joining the PrEP study team Kenneth worked as Study Coordinator for the UW HIV-HSV2 Transmission Clinical Trial. From 2004 to 2005, Kenneth worked as the Program Director for the Organization of African First Ladies Against AIDS (OAFLA) where he coordinated programs which focused on HIV prevention, treatment, care and support among women, as well as orphans and vulnerable children, in Kenya. He is currently completing his PhD in Public Health at the Kenyatta University and a Master’s in Clinical Trails from the University of London. Kenneth was recently awarded the African Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship. Kenneth received his Masters of Public Health and Bachelor’s of Nursing from the University of Nairobi and an Executive Master of Science in Organizational Development degree from the United States International University. He also received 2 postgraduate diplomas in HIV/STI Management and Clinical Trials from the University of Nairobi and University of London, respectively. Kenneth has authored abstracts in international conferences such presented his findings at local conferences, such as University of Nairobi Collaborative Group Meetings and Kenyatta National Hospital Scientific Conferences among others. In 2010, Kenneth became an International AIDS Research and Training Program Scholar at the University of Washington, where he studies Qualitative Research Methods and performed an analysis of data from a pilot study on barriers to couples HIV testing. Kenneth’s scholarly interests include fertility intentions and contraceptive use among HIV positive women and HIV serodiscordant couples.

Hawa A. Nyange is currently a clinician and Site Manager for MDH (Muhimbili University-Dar es Salaam City-Harvard University) HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment Clinic. Her main activities include supervising the clinic, monitoring and evaluation of HIV/AIDS care and treatment programs. From 2006 to late 2007, Dr. Hawa served as a doctor and Coordinator of the Health Officers Training Program at Edna Adan Charitable Hospital in Hargeisa, Somaliland, where she was responsible for coordination of programming for trainees, hospital administration, and clinical management of HIV/AIDS, malaria, diabetes, hypertension, diarrheal diseases and pneumonia. From 2005 to 2006 Dr. Hawa worked with the MUHAS-Harvard project as a physician, where she provided comprehensive care for persons living with HIV/AIDS. Dr. Hawa received her MD at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences. Dr. Hawa is a member of the Medical Women Association of Tanzania (MEWATA), Tanzania Medical Students Association (TAMSA), and Roots and Shoots. Her scholarly interest is in public health and disease prevention, program management, and monitoring and evaluation.

Riziki O. Ponsiano is currently working as the Project Coordinator of Human Pappiloma Virus Vaccination Program in the Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit (MITU). The program aims to inform the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on the feasibility of introducing a school-based HPV vaccination program in Tanzania. Previously he worked as the Mkuranga District Medical Officer from and Medical Officer in-charge of the Mkuranga District Hospital. While he held these positions, he coordinated reponses to childhood illness, measles, acute paralysis, and lymphatic filariasis. Dr. Ponsiano was educated at the University of Dar es Salaam where he received his Medical Degree. He received his Master’s of Public Health in Social and Behavioral Health Sciences and a Postgraduate Certificate in Maternal and Child Health from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Dr. Ponsiano’s research focuses on theory-based analysis of social-behavioral factors leading to maternal and infant deaths in developing countries.

Ms. Rankopo is a Clinical Practice Officer at the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Botswana, Ministry of Health. She is a Nurse with extensive experience in clinical practice at primary health care and tertiary care levels in Botswana. She holds a Master of Nursing Degree and Bachelor of Nursing from Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia; Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery respectively from Institute of Health Sciences in Gaborone. Ms. Rankopo has worked in for 2 years in government health facilities and 6 years in the private sector. She worked in clinics and hospitals before joining the Training Institute as a Nurse Lecturer. In 2004, she worked as a Clinical Data Coordinator responsible for collecting, editing, retrieving, and analyzing clinical data in an HIV/AIDS clinic (Botswana Baylor Children’s Clinical Centre of Excellence). In 2008, she joined the Ministry of Health at the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Botswana as a clinical practice officer responsible for the establishment and enforcement of policies, procedures and standards for nursing and midwifery practice in Botswana.

Lillian Lemo Segwagwe works as Head of the Department for Family Nurse Practice Program at Kanye SDA College of Nursing, in Botswana. After completing her Diploma in General Nursing in 1986 she pursued a Diploma in Midwifery at Gaborone Institute of Health Sciences. Thereafter, Ms. Segwagwe worked as a Registered Nurse at Kanye SDA Hospital and as an Assistant Lecturer at Kanye SDA College of Nursing from 1988 to 1991. Subsequently she earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing with Minor in Education at Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia. She returned to Botswana in 1993 and joined Francistown Institute of Health as a Lecturer. In 1995 she returned to the US to pursue a Master’s in Nursing. Since then, Ms. Segwagwe practiced clinical nursing and worked in various leadership positions at Kanye SDA College of Nursing before being assigned to pioneer the Family Nurse Practice Program in 2005. Her dream is to pursue Doctorate in Management or Public Health.   

Alice K. Simwinga is currently the Site Manager and Assistant Medical Officer at the HIV Clinic of Sinza Hospital in Dar es Salaam. She coordinates HIV/AIDS care and treatment clinics in adults, pediatrics, PMTC, and TB/HIV. She has attended various short courses including HIV/Hepatitis in Abuja, Nigeria, and AIDS Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Her extensive experience includes HIV/AIDS leadership and supervision of new ARV prescription refill sites in the Kinondoni District. She headed a HIV testing project sponsored by Axios Foundation in 2003-2004 and served as the Secretary General of Doctors’ Membership Club at Tumbi Special Hospital. Academically, Dr. Simwinga completed an advanced Diploma in clinical medicine in 2002 at Mbeya Medical Training Centre, where she was named the best student in Surgery and Obstetrics and Gynecology. In 2009 she completed her postgraduate diploma in social work with a specialty in social development. She is interested in HIV/AIDS program/project management, monitoring and evaluation, and public health. Outside of work she enjoys playing table tennis.

Benson Tumwesigye Tuhwezeine is a Public Health specialist working with Uganda Ministry of Health. He is currently the National Coordinator for HIV Counseling and Testing in the STD/AIDS Control Program-Ministry of Health. His responsibilities include implementation of HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT) and review of national HCT policy. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine and Surgery from Mbarara University and a Masters Degree in Public health from Makerere University. He worked as a clinician and as Quality Improvement Technical Adviser/Technical Coordinator in the Quality of Care for HIV Program in the Ministry of Health in Uganda and University Research Co. LL (URC). During his time at URC, he trained and mentored several health workers in Quality improvement (QI). While at URC he also spearheaded the Technical Working Group that developed national QI indicators on HIV/AIDS care and Treatment. He also has experience training and mentoring master’s students and fellows in QI at Makerere University School of Public Health. His scholarly interest is in Health Policy and Programming with an emphasis in health systems strengthening.