PhD STUDENTS

Rhulani Beji-Chauke

Understanding substance use among young people in Harare: A mixed methods study

2024-

I am a global mental health researcher with training in Psychology. I also hold an MPhil in Public Mental Health from the University of Cape Town and over 8 years’ experience in youth mental health both within research and programming. I was awarded a CREATE PhD fellowship in 2024 and I am registered with King's College London (KCL). My PhD is mixed methods and will focus on understanding substance use among young people in Harare. I hope to provide an in-depth understanding of the substance use landscape in Harare and come up with guidelines on how to improve care and support for young people using substances.

Martha Chipinduro

Ludwig Maximillian University of Munich

International health and Medical research

2023-

I am a medical laboratory scientist pursuing a PhD with the University of Munich (LMU). My research work is embedded within the ERASE-TB study where I will describe the molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, transmission linkages and tne prevalence of isoniazid resistance among people affected with tuberculosis. The overall aim is to provide data that will guide the prevention, management and control of tuberculosis.I am keen on TB research particularly focussed on genomics, diagnostics and implementation science. I was recently awarded a PETRA small research grant to pilot the implementation of a digital adherence application for people on tuberculosis treatment in Harare, Zimbabwe. I believe that innovative approaches to ensure tuberculosis treatment adherence and compliance are critical in the fight against tuberculosis.

Lydia Davidson

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

To investigate how a participatory approach may improve care and ensure sustainability of infection prevention and control in low-resource neonatal units.

2023-

I am a paediatric nurse with experience in leading nursing and quality improvement teams in paediatric and neonatal care in the UK, Afghanistan and Myanmar. I completed my nursing training at King’s College, London and hold an MSc in Public Health for Development from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. My aim is to contribute towards reducing neonatal mortality by utilising a nursing perspective of the key issues impacting neonatal mortality and morbidity, including neonatal sepsis. I am a PhD student under the CREATE program, registered at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. My research will work closely with staff and families to investigate how a participatory approach may improve care and ensure sustainability of infection prevention and control in low-resource neonatal units.

Flora Tarisai Dangwa

Kings College London

Co-design and piloting of a novel model of compassionate communities that applies the Ubuntu philosophy to support better end-of-life for patients and their families in rural and urban Zimbabwe

2024-

I am a Registered Nurse and CREATE PhD Fellow at King’s College London (KCL), with a special interest in palliative and end‑of‑life care informed by the Ubuntu philosophy. I have over twenty years of senior nursing experience across several National Health Service hospitals in London, UK. I completed my general nursing qualification in Birmingham and hold an MSc in Advanced Cancer Practice (KCL) and an MSc in Health Professions Education from University College London (UCL). I am currently based at THRU Zim in Zimbabwe for my PhD.

I am co‑designing a “compassionate communities” intervention that brings people together to form supportive networks, take active roles, and care for one another during serious life‑limiting illness, with the aim of improving quality of life at the end of life. The model draws on African traditional values of Ubuntu, expressed in Shona as “Hunhu” and “munhu munhu muvanhu,” which emphasise communal connection, shared traditions, kindness, and caring for others above self. My study, Co‑design of a Novel Model of Compassionate Communities that applies the UbunTu philosophy to better Support people with serious illness and their families in rural and urban ZimbAbwe (MUTSA Study), seeks to create a culturally grounded framework for strengthening community support and improve end‑of‑life experiences.

Nyasha Dzavakwa

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Treatment adherence in adolescents living with HIV using electronic monitoring devices in Harare, Zimbabwe

2021-

I am a medical doctor working as the clinical lead for the VITALITY clinical trial. . I hold an MBChB degree from the University of Zimbabwe and I am a WHO-TDR alumni from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa where I obtained an MSc Epidemiology-Implementation Science. I have enrolled for a PhD with LSHTM. My PhD is focused on treatment adherence in young people living with HIV using an electronic pill monitoring device. I will be using an electronic pill dispenser called the Wisepill RT2000 dispenser, as an intervention to try and improve antiretroviral therapy adherence in young people aged 16-24 years living with HIV with high viral load >1000 copies/ml.

Fiona Gambanga

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Understanding of the role of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy in subsequent
development of chronic hypertension among young adults in Zimbabwe

2024-

I am a global public health researcher with over nine years of experience in intervention design, stakeholder engagement, program monitoring and evaluation, and implementation research. I have supported digital health and climate and health initiatives in Rwanda, and previously worked on pediatric health workforce planning and diagnostics research across multiple African countries. My published work spans HIV, COVID-19, and antimicrobial resistance. I hold a Bachelor’s in Biology from Bryn Mawr College (cum laude) and an MPH in Epidemiology with an advanced certificate in Public Health Research Methods from Columbia University

Sam Gnanapragasam

King’s College London

The role of therapeutic alliance in depression symptom reduction: a mixed-methods study of adults receiving face-to-face and digitally delivered psychological therapy through the Friendship Bench in Zimbabwe.

2024-

I am an academic psychiatry registrar with an interest in global mental health. I hope to contribute to improving mental health and wellbeing through clinical work, academia, health policy and advocacy. I gained experience during a Global Health BSc, clinical/public health placements in Sierra Leone, India, USA and UK, Academic Foundation Program and Academic Clinical Fellowship. Recently, I was NHS England’s National Medical Director’s Clinical Fellow and coordinator of the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health. Through the CREATE fellow, I am excited to work with and learn from service users, colleagues and stakeholders to improve depression care in Zimbabwe. I am happy to be contacted and welcome the opportunity to connect.

Jayjay Karumazondo

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Exploring the meanings and experiences of wellbeing or ‘feeling good’ among adolescents in Zimbabwe. An ethnographic study.

2025-

I am a qualitative researcher and academic with extensive experience in research coordination, qualitative and quantitative data collection, and data analysis. My work focuses on generating evidence that informs policy and improves programming in areas such as adolescent wellbeing, sexual and reproductive health, community development, and health policy.

I have led and contributed to multiple multidisciplinary research projects with institutions including OPHID, ECOZI, UNFPA, and World Vision, playing key roles in study design, fieldwork oversight, stakeholder engagement, analysis, and report writing.

Through initiatives like the EMPOWA‑Zim programme, I engage directly with policymakers, civil society, and communities to ensure that high‑quality research translates into meaningful policy and practice.

Rumbidzai Gumbie

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London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Developing, implementing and evaluating clinic based integrated sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents and young people living with HIV in Zimbabwe

2022-

I am a Registered Nurse and current global health clinical fellow and pioneer of the CREATE PhD program. I studied my BSc Nursing at Kingston University and St George’s Medical school in London and later my MSc in Reproductive and Sexual Health Research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. I have vast experience working in primary care settings in the Middle east and UK and rural communities in East Africa coordinating and providing SRH services.

My PhD will be investigating integrated HIV and SRH services for adolescents and young people living with HIV, working with health providers in rural and urban settings in Zimbabwe.

Akanksha Mimi Malhotra

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Investigating the impact of tuberculosis (TB) on the lung health of silica-exposed artisanal and small scale miners in Zimbabwe

2024-

I am an academic Respiratory registrar with an interest in mycobacterial disease, health inequities, and integrated health policy. I hold an MSc in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and have experience working at The Health Foundation – a large UK based health policy think-tank.

My research is focussed on the lung health of artisanal and small-scale miners. Through my PhD I will investigate the role of Computer Aided Detection in diagnosis, evaluate TB treatment outcomes, and begin to explore how post-TB lung disease impacts this marginalised group exposed to silica-dust.

Kate Mattick

Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Co-developing community rehabilitation services to promote functional ability and quality of life of older people: a mixed methods study in Zimbabwe.

2024-

I am physiotherapist with specialist interest in healthy ageing and frailty and a CREATE PhD fellow starting in January 2024 My PhD is registered through the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) and I will be based in Zimbabwe with the THRU ZIM team for part of my 3-year programme. My research is centered on co-developing community rehabilitation services to promote functional ability and quality of life of older people. More widely, I am interested in the holistic experience of ageing, and how access to knowledge, rehabilitation, assistive devices and peer-support can influence outcomes and quality of life.

Grant Murewanhema

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Assessing the acceptability and utility of an AI-integrated ultrasound technique for detecting fetal growth restriction in resource-limited setting (provisional title).

2025-

I am an Obstetrician-Gynaecologist and a Global Health Researcher. I hold MB.ChB. and
Master of Medicine (Obstetrics and Gynaecology) degrees from the University of Zimbabwe
as well a Master of Public Health Degree from the University of Glasgow. I have worked both
in the public and private health sectors and in clinical trials in Zimbabwe.
My research will be investigating the acceptability and utility of an artificial-intelligence
integrated ultrasound scan technique for assessment of fetal growth restriction in a resource-
limited setting.

Tinashe Mwaturura

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Improving the workflow of positive blood cultures from neonates admitted in a tertiary hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe

2024-

I am an infectious disease epidemiologist with experience in leading infectious disease diagnosis research. My aim is to contribute to the development of policies and services addressing the unmet burden of infections and to improve diagnostic practices which ultimately improve health outcomes of people in Zimbabwe and other low- and middle-income countries. My research under the CREATE PhD Fellowship aims to improve the diagnosis and management of patients with sepsis at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe. Through this project, I hope to develop strategies that will improve the surveillance and containment of antimicrobial resistance in Zimbabwe.

Brenda Nherera

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Evaluating the effectiveness of immunisation with inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in protection against severe COVID-19 infection

2023-

I am a Medical Laboratory Scientist with a Master of Science degree in Clinical Biochemistry. I have 10 years work experience in a Clinical Biochemistry research lab and 2 years work experience as a lecturer in Chemical Pathology at the University of Zimbabwe. I am a PhD student registered with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases. My PhD work is embedded within the VAXEF study whose main aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of immunisation with inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in protection against severe COVID-19 infection. I am focusing on characterising the hybrid immunity that is generated by SARS-CoV-2 infection and inactivated vaccines in Zimbabweans with HIV and other comorbidities. My work is a collaboration between the Biomedical Research and Training Institute (BRTI), Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research and the University of Sheffield, UK.

Nonhlanhla Lindelwe Ndondo

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Kids with Kids: Knowledge translation, social norms and advocacy in the enactment of post‑conception public health and social support policies for pregnant children under 18 in Zimbabwe

2025-

I am a social scientist with experience in qualitative research, implementation research and project management. My PhD is embedded within the 'Kids with Kids' study, which is funded under the Gates Foundation Women in Leadership Training grant. I am also a CREATE fellow.

My research examines how social norms, gendered socialisation and institutional responses shape pregnancy among girls under 18 in Zimbabwe, reframing pregnant children as rights-bearing social actors and informing decolonial, contextually grounded reforms in adolescent sexual and reproductive health, child protection and post-conception care.

Farirayi Peter Nzvere

London School of Hygiene

& Tropical Medicine

Comprehensive school- and community-based health check-ups in adolescents living in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe: A hybrid

2022-

I am a physician and current Master of Public Health (MPH) student at the University of Edinburgh, where I am a member of the UNCOVER (Usher Network for COVid-19 Evidence Reviews) research group. My clinical experience, including working with refugee populations, has shaped my research interests which lie at the intersection of early adolescent interventions and the socioeconomic health determinants that play a significant role in chronic disease prevention and management. This passion led to the formation of a diabetes non-profit organization, Diversity in Diabetes, based in the United States.

In my current role, I oversee the Y-Check study, evaluating the effectiveness of health checkups in adolescents and the ICAROZ study, which involves screening healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 in

addition to common chronic conditions and the subsequent linkage to care process. Upon completing my MPH, I intend to pursue a PhD in adolescent health checkups and build on the foundations laid by the Y-Check study.

Chido Kelly Saruh Rusike

University of Bristol

Co-developing a women-centered public health intervention for healthcare professionals to support mid-life women during menopausal transition in Zimbabwe

2025-

I am PhD student registered at the University of Bristol, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). I am a Global Health Corps Alum, and have 8 years professional experience in sexual and reproductive health implementation across Eastern and Southern Africa, working within governments, private sector, civil society and UN agencies. I studied my BSc in Health Education and Health Promotion with the University of Zimbabwe and my MSc in Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy and Programming with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. My PhD research is centered on co-developing a health education and promotion intervention for healthcare professionals to improve support to women during menopausal transition in Zimbabwe. Specifically, I am especially interested in improved access to sexual health services prior and during menopause.

Francis M Simmonds

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Vertical transmission and other infant sequelae of maternal bacterial sexually transmitted infection during pregnancy

2026-

I am a multidisciplinary infectious disease researcher with training and experience across data science, epidemiology, statistics, and health economics. I am passionate about the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of infectious diseases and strengthening maternal and infant health outcomes through research and evidence-based programming. I have contributed to a multi-country project that introduced point-of-care technologies for early infant diagnosis of HIV in resource-limited settings, and I have also supported the development and introduction of new biomedical HIV prevention products for women. My PhD research, embedded within the PROMISE trial, investigates vertical transmission and other infant sequelae of maternal bacterial STIs during pregnancy, including neonatal conjunctivitis and congenital syphilis.

Michaela Takawira

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Health Economics

2022-

I hold a Master of Science from the University of Cape Town. I am a PhD student in health economics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. My main research interest is in the determinants and measurement of adolescent well-being. My PhD focuses on understanding the abstract concept that is adolescent well-being, from the perspective and experiences of adolescents living in Chitungwiza. The findings of this research will feed into the economic evaluation of a complex school- and community-based health intervention (Y-Check), which I am also working on. My supervisory team includes Dr Giulia Greco (LSHTM), Dr Aoife Doyle (LSHTM) and Professor John Jerrim (UCL).

Maureen Tshuma

Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Development, implementation and evaluation of a community-based assessment and management of cognitive and psychological ability for older people living in urban Zimbabwe.

2024-

I am a social scientist with extensive experience in public health research and clinical trials. My passion lies in producing research findings grounded in evidence to shape interventions and policies. I am eager to embark on research focused on promoting and maintaining the functional ability of older adults. My research under CREATE PhD Fellowship aims to develop a community-based health intervention with special focus on the cognitive and psychological ability of older adults. I hold a MSc Degree in Sociology and Social Anthropology and a BSc (Honours) Degree in Sociology from the University of Zimbabwe.