Research Fellows

Ahmed is an Egyptian medical affairs professional and MSc candidate in Clinical Epidemiology whose work sits between creative storytelling, insights generation and digital transformation. His experience spans project management, health care communication, compliance and real-world evidence generation, but the recurring theme across his work has been making complex scientific information more practical, accessible and useful in real-world settings. This has gradually shaped his interest in how digital tools are changing healthcare communication, workflows and the skills health professionals need to work confidently in an AI-enabled future.

Kumo is an early-career sociologist and researcher from Cameroon with a Master’s degree in Sociology, specializing in Population and Development. His work focuses on digital systems, health equity, youth inclusion and socialinclusion, particularly among marginalized and displaced populations. Kumo hascontributed to research and innovation initiatives with organizations includingthe UNDP Accelerator Lab Cameroon and the Expanded Programme on Immunization (PEV). His interests include digital health, digital citizenship, and equitable access to health information and services. As a DTH-Lab Research Fellow, he explores how inclusive digital technologies can strengthen young people’s engagement with digital health systems.

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Dr Jahnoy St. Jacques is a Medical Officer with the Southeast Regional Health Authority (SERHA) in Kingston, Jamaica and is currently pursuing an MA in International Relations at Schiller International University. His work spans digital health, health policy and clinical research, with a particular interestin strengthening health systems through innovation and technology. He serves in leadership roles with both the Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association and the National Youth Advisory Council of Jamaica, contributing to policy development and youth engagement. As a DTH-Lab Research Fellow, he is mapping national digital health services for young people to identify opportunities for more equitable and responsive digitally enabled health systems. He holds a Bachelor of Medical Sciences (BMSc), Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), MBA and Master of Project Management alongside an American Heart Association Certified Professional in Telehealth (AHA-CPAHA) designation.

Victor is a medical student and global health researcher from Nigeria with a focus on digital health governance and young people’s well-being. He has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications, including in The Lancet, and has presented his work at international conferences across four continents. Victor previously served as Vice President of the Federation of African Medical Students’ Associations (FAMSA) and co-designed the Africa Youth in Digital Health Network with Africa CDC and GIZ. As a DTH-Lab Research Fellow, he is examining how countries with large youth populations govern digital well-being across health, technology, education and data protection sectors, with the aim of developing actionable recommendations for more youth-centred digital governance.

Gea is a Research Associate at the Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI), Jakarta, where she supports research and policy advocacy to strengthen health governance. Her work focuses on translating evidence into policy, with experience spanning digital health, health systems and universal health coverage. She has collaborated with WHO Indonesia on digital tools for tobacco cessation and led research on life-course approaches to health monitoring systems. Gea’s current interests include the relationship between digital environments and young people’s health and well-being. She holds an M.Sc. in Health Sciences from Kobe University, Japan, supported by a full scholarship from the Indonesian government. Gea holds an M.Sc. in Health Sciences from Kobe University, Japan, supported by a full scholarship from the Indonesian government.

Alicia is a Peruvian medical doctor, with an MSc in Global Health Policy at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. She has been the Peruvian Youth Delegate to the UN and former climate negotiator at UNFCCC COP27. She has been an advocate for health, climate and debt justice for several years. She has been a research assistant at Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt in Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia.

Lilian is a global health researcher and knowledge management consultant working at the intersection of health, gender and data science to explore how evidence can better shape policy, practice and social change. Her work spans research, digital health, policy analysis and science communication, with a growing focus on the social and political dimensions of health inequities in Africa. She has worked with local and international organizations, including the Population Council and John Snow Inc, and is passionate about mentorship, public engagement and building spaces that support emerging African researchers. Lilian is currently pursuing a master's degree in Reproductive Health Rights and Policy at Amref International University.

Adaeze is a Nigerian medical doctor and AI governance researcher with experience governing three AI-enabled health products in Nigeria, including a cervical cancer screening tool. She has contributed to policy development and youth engagement through leadership roles in the International Junior Doctors Association and the Federation of African Medical Students’ Associations, including drafting policy statements for the WHO Regional Committee for Africa. Her interests include responsible AI, digital health governance and health workforce development, development and she recently launched Clinician In The Loop, a YouTube channel exploring AI governance in healthcare. She holds an MBBS from Enugu State University of Science and Technology and is currently pursuing MSc degrees in Public Health and Data Science.

Rupal is a sustainable development practitioner, particularly working at the intersection of environment and health. She has worked extensively on global health policies, with particular attention to differential vulnerability and behavioural health. She has previously worked as a researcher at the Indian Council of Medical Research. Rupal holds a master's degree in sustainable development practice from TERI School of Advanced Studies, India. She has also been involved with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network-youth (UN-SDSNy), where she led initiatives aimed at disseminating knowledge about sustainable development goals.

Racheal is a public health professional dedicated to advancing SDG 3 and promoting universal health coverage. With a master’s degree in public health, she has extensive experience in research, including country-level research for the Lancet commission on cancer and health systems. She also serves as a public health analyst at a leading health tech firm in Nigeria. Racheal is passionate about digital health solutions and their role in improving global health outcomes. She is committed to leveraging her expertise to drive transformative change in public health through innovative technology and leadership.

Preetika is an incoming PhD student in Health Economics and Outcomes Research at the University of Washington. She holds an MSPH from Johns Hopkins and a BE in Biotechnology from PES Institute of Technology. Her research interests include preventative interventions, disease modeling and health equity. As a Research Fellow at the DTH-Lab, she is working on longitudinal data to assess the impact of digital health interventions on young people's well-being. Preetika is passionate about leveraging digital technologies to improve health outcomes and is dedicated to using evidence-based approaches to strengthen health systems and enhance the well-being of young individuals.

Leila is an experienced research data analyst based in Nairobi, Kenya. She has over 3.5 years specializing in digital transformation across emerging markets. She excels in sourcing, analysing and visualizing data to meet client needs effectively, driving impactful research outcomes and managing complex projects.

A research analyst specializing in healthcare and demographic research and public healthcare monitoring and evaluation (M&E), Jyoti has an established track record of collaborating with the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, providing M&E consultancy, assessing major government health initiatives under the National Health Mission, and managing large-scale projects like the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India. She has also served as an external monitor for the monitoring and evaluation of the Mission Indradhanush, commissioned by UNICEF. Her research expertise lies in addressing contemporary healthcare issues, studying the Indian public healthcare system, and performing policy analysis with data-driven insights.

Helen is a seasoned public health researcher and health economist with over a decade of experience in conducting impactful studies. Driven by her passion for improving population health through evidence-based research and policy development, she specializes in leveraging health economics to optimize resource allocation in healthcare systems. Recognising the transformative potential of digital technologies in healthcare, Helen is at the forefront of exploring how these innovations can enhance healthcare access and delivery. Her current work aims to provide evidence-based insights on the integration of digital health solutions to improve youth health outcomes. Helen holds dual master's degrees in Public Health and Health Economics.

Esther is invested in adding value to lives and spaces through health technology, research and civic engagement. As a digital health product manager, she leverages her biomedical science background and AI-powered technology to optimize healthcare delivery in Africa’s underserved settings. She is a One HealthTech fellow, President of the African Digital Health Professionals Network, Graduate Fellow of the West African Institute of Public Health, and an ambassador for Africa Digital Epidemiology and Innovation Network. Esther’s commitment to digitally-enabled healthcare transformation has earned some recognition, including from Junior Chamber International, 16 Emerging Women Leaders and Digital Health Africa.

Erza is a researcher and consultant in the health and social domain. She studied digital health systems in the UK and is currently doing her PhD studies in Germany with a focus on digital and robotic interventions in health. She is engaged in several international projects in health research and development. Her research interests revolve around the health and social science fields, digital technologies that improve health/social well-being, social prescribing and user-centred design. She has co-authored several publications in peer review journals.

Anyesha is a seasoned social impact professional with over seven years of experience in monitoring, learning and evaluation (MLE), policy advocacy, and project management within various public health domains. In her previous roles, she has contributed to MLE initiatives for child immunization programmes in India on behalf of John Snow India Pvt. Ltd. Additionally, she possesses extensive experience in policy advocacy and government relations, supporting international medical device and pharmaceutical companies in formulating their advocacy strategies to enhance market access. Anyesha is a strong advocate for leveraging technology to develop straightforward yet effective solutions for addressing complex developmental challenges, which has sparked her interest in digital health.

Shajoe is pursuing a PhD in global health law on a UKRI ESRC doctoral scholarship at the University of Warwick. His research sits at the intersection of critical political economy, aesthetics, international law and global health. He is currently a research assistant on a Wellcome Trust funded interdisciplinary research project on health apps in sub-Saharan Africa. He uses co-creation methods to analyze data protection frameworks and engages key stakeholders in sub-Saharan Africa, investigating how these frameworks protect health data, how health apps operate in practice, and whether current frameworks are adequately responding to potential problems. Previously, Shajoe was an international legal adviser at the Global Strategy Lab, providing counsel on addressing antimicrobial resistance through legal interventions. He was a research fellow at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, leading and supporting programmes in the Caribbean. Shajoe holds an LLB First Class from the University of the West Indies, an LLM from Georgetown University, where he received the Global Health Law Scholarship, and an MA in Social Science Research from the University of Warwick. Shajoe is a Bloomberg Philanthropies healthy food policy fellow.

Bintang is a development professional working across research, programme implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. She has worked with organizations such as Ashoka Indonesia and UN Women on issues related to gender equality, youth engagement and public policy. She is passionate about informing and designing inclusive programmes for women and youth and will be channelling this passion to DTH-Lab as she investigates how to measure meaningful youth engagement and impact. In her community, she founded Leadership Lens, a youth-led initiative promoting peace leadership among young people. Based in Jakarta, she currently works at Baker & York and holds a degree in International Relations from Tokyo International University.

Oluwapelumi is a medical student at Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, and a rising global health leader passionate about global neurology, healthy use of digital technologies and equitable brain health systems in low-resource settings. He aims to tackle complex neurological problems by becoming a translational multidisciplinary scientist with work spanning computational neuroscience, basic medical sciences, neuroimaging and precision medicine. Driven by the urgent need to address disparities in neurological care, he currently serves as lead investigator for many research projects addressing the gaps in quality neurosurgery delivery care and health systems strengthening in Africa at the Mission BRAIN Neurosurgery Research Fellowship. Oluwapelumi has a deep commitment to equity, cross disciplinary collaboration and open science, he hopes to inspire transformative change in the delivery of brain health across borders.

Hein Thu is a junior medical doctor and public health researcher from Myanmar with a Masters of Public Health degree from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and has contributed to healthcare research at the International Health Policy Program (IHPP) in Thailand, focusing on migrant health. He co-founded FOC Teleclinic, a humanitarian telemedicine initiative and led Burma Academy, a nonprofit Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) education platform for youth affected by conflict. His research focuses on digital health, AI and health equity – especially for vulnerable groups such as migrants. He is eager to learn how digital citizenship education can support health systems strengthening in vulnerable communities and crisis-prone areas.

Faith is a Kenyan medical doctor and health journalist passionate about the intersection of digital innovation and child health. With a strong foundation in medicine and a gift for storytelling, she translates complex health topics into accessible, impactful narratives that inform policy and empower communities. As a health writer at Digital Health Africa Faith crafts data-driven reports and insights that spotlight the evolving digital health landscape across the continent. She is particularly interested in how digital environments influence children's well-being – both as a research focus and a social advocacy issue. With over 70 published articles covering health equity, wellness and frontline healthcare worker experiences, Faith brings a unique perspective rooted in both clinical experience and communication expertise. Her contributions aim to bridge the gap between data, lived realities and action.

Clare is a software engineer passionate about integrating technology into health data and communication. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Health Informatics, focusing on translating complex research into actionable insights. Clare serves as a Health Communications Officer with the Centers for Antimicrobial Optimization Network (CAMO-Net) Uganda hub at the Infectious Diseases Institute. In this role, she simplifies and disseminates scientific findings to support evidence-based decision-making in public health. She is a trainee under the Health Data Science Capacity Building Grant for the African continent, hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Her current research focuses on predicting multi-drug resistance in people with bacterial infections at the point of care. Her interests lie at the intersection of health informatics, research and science communication. Clare values care and collaboration, and believes in the power of storytelling to harness data for meaningful change in health behaviours and outcomes.

André is a medical doctor and clinical investigator from Burkina Faso, driven by a passion for improving health outcomes and advancing equity through research. He leads clinical activities and research data management at the Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro, where he contributes to evidence generation for public health decision-making. Currently completing a Master’s in Human Nutrition, André brings expertise in epidemiology, digital health and health project management. As a DTH-Lab Fellow, he is exploring how digital determinants influence young people's nutrition.