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Biography
An Associate Professor of Community Health and Development, I hold PhD and Master’s Degrees in Community Health and Development from Great Lakes University of Kisumu (GLUK). For the last 20 years I have worked with the University rising in rank from departmental head to directorship positions both for the Tropical Institute of Community Health and Development (TICH) and Programs Director to the current position of Dean – School of Community Health and Development at GLUK.
I specialize in health systems capacity building, research and community development. I have vast experience in engaging with health systems program development, capacity building and research activities for over 20 years within Kenya and beyond focusing on improving performance of health system through evidence-based decision making, planning and action including networking, lobby and advocacy and resource mobilization. This, I have undertaken at international, regional, national and county levels. A key element has been the development of community-based information system as a diagnostic tool for identification of health problems to guide timely decisions and actions.
As part of community development work, I participated in developing and testing a number of models for facilitating achievement of universal access to Essential Elements of Dignified Livelihoods with over 30 publications.
I have led and participated in several researches in the area of community health and development and Health Systems Development in Kenya and outside. I have extensive experience in qualitative and quantitative community health and development research with particular focus on Community Based Health Service Provision Strategies. I have special interest in the area of community-based health and development with special focus on disadvantaged groups, health systems, health economics and health care financing. Some previous and on-going research related works are summarised below:
i. Testing effectiveness of a community-based intervention programme in Kisumu (Kenya) to improve child neurodevelopment and caregiver mental health, collaborative research between Great Lakes University of Kisumu (GLUK), East African Center for Child Neurodevelopment (EACCN), Caribbean Center for Child Neurodevelopment (CCCN) and Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation (WINDREF) [2024 – 2025].
ii. Strengthening capacity for epidemic preparedness and response in sub-Saharan Africa — SCEPRESSA, a multi country collaboration between Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), University of Malawi - College of Medicine, The Tropical Institute of Community Health and Development (TICH), and Ministry of Health - Kenya (MOH); (funded by the European Union Funding for Research and Innovation, under the Second European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership Programme (EDCTP2)) [2021 – 2025]
iii. Improvement of County-level institutions in Busia to have strengthened processes and systems for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) and responsive evidence-based planning, budgeting, implementation for accountable service delivery [2020 – 2021]
iv. Enhancing women’s agency in navigating changing food environments to improve child nutrition in African drylands (NaviNut) (2020 – 2023, funded by: ptBLE in German through the German Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture DITSL)
v. County Integrated Covid-19 Response Leveraging the Community Health Strategy, Technology and Youth to Improve Community Containment and Health System Critical Care Capacity (2020 – 2021)
vi. Effectiveness of partnerships in the integration of innovative strategies for Youth Friendly Health Service provision (2016 – 2020, funded by Simavi)
vii. Effectiveness of Community Health Agents in improving immunization Coverage in Hard to reach Nomadic Populations in Kenya (2015 to 2019, funded by 3ie)
viii. Effectiveness of Parent - Adolescent Communication Methods on Adolescent Sexual Behavior Change, Kakamega County, Kenya, (2016 - February 2017), funded by Amplify Change network grant.
ix. Enhancing capacity for Sub County Health System and Health Facility governance structures on Budget Monitoring (2014 – 2018), funded by WEMOS, Netherlands.
x. Testing effectiveness of meaningful youth participation in District Health Care System management to improve access to SRHR information and services among young people [10-24years], (2013 - 2015), funded by RutgersWPF, Netherlands.
xi. A quasi-experimental assessment of the cost-effectiveness of the Community Health Strategy on health outcomes in in Rural Agrarian, Urban Slums and Nomadic Communities in Kenya, (2007 - 2014), funded by DFID, MRC and Wellcome Trust as well as Global Health Research Initiative
xii. Effectiveness of Community Based Nutrition Support System for Vulnerable Children in Rural and Peri-Urban areas in Kenya. Funder: Academy for Education and Development, USAID (2003-2007)
Activities
Employment (2)
Education and qualifications (12)
Professional activities (4)
Funding (20)
CSA2020E-3129 SCEPRESSA CSA2020E