POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW
Dr Justin Dixon
I am a medical anthropologist whose research combines social theory and a range of methods to understand global health challenges. After studying anthropology at the University of Cape Town, I completed my PhD research at Durham University focusing on the ethics of clinical trials in South Africa. I am the social science coordinator of the FCDO-funded FIEBRE study in Africa and Asia. I am co-investigator on a Wellcome-funded study examining the effects of mass typhoid vaccination on antimicrobial prescribing in Harare. As a recently-awarded Wellcome Trust Humanities and Social Science Fellowship I will be working with a wide range of disciplines and domains of expertise to develop an interdisciplinary framework for tackling the rising challenge of multimorbidity in the global south. I am a mentor for the Fleming Fund Fellowship scheme in Zimbabwe.
Dr Chido Dziva Chikwari
I am an Epidemiologist with a background in Biomedical Science with Business. My main research areas are evaluating strategies to improve the implementation of HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health interventions for adolescents and young people. I am currently a study coordinator for CHIEDZA trial and the STICH study which is nested within CHIEDZA. I am also part of the planning team for the Youth Researchers Academy (YRA) in Zimbabwe.
Dr Felicity Fitzgerald
I am a Wellcome Senior Clinical Research Fellow in paediatric infectious diseases based between Imperial College London and BRTI, Harare. I am working on a portfolio of studies investigating neonatal sepsis infection control and antibiotic resistance based in the neonatal unit at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital with my collaborators Dr Gwen Chimhini and Dr Simba Chimhuya. Working with Professor Michelle Heys at UCL and the wider Neotree team, we introduced tablet-based electronic medical records using the Neotree application at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital and Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital, and are hoping to extend Neotree to Primary Healthcare Clinics in the coming years. I have recently been awarded a Wellcome Trust Early Career Award and so plan to spend the next 5 years using Neotree data to develop an improved diagnostic tool for neonatal sepsis in Zimbabwe. Exciting times!
Dr Constance Mackworth-Young
I am a Medical Anthropologist, with a research focus on young people, sexual and reproductive health, and participatory qualitative methodologies. My research is based in Zimbabwe, with THRU Zim where I am the social science lead.
I was previously based at Zambart in Zambia, where I conducted studies with young people, and conducted my PhD, explored the impact of HIV on the everyday lives of young women through ethnographic study in Lusaka, Zambia.
I hold an undergraduate degree in Biological and Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge, an MSc in Sexual and Reproductive Health and a PhD, both from LSHTM.
Dr Edith Majonga
I am a postdoctoral research fellow with BRTI and a lecturer (part-time) in the Department of Medical Physics and Imaging Sciences at University of Zimbabwe-College of Health Sciences. I attained my PhD at LSHTM. I also hold an MSc and BSc in Radiography from National University of Science & Technology and the University of Zimbabwe, respectively. My current work focuses on vascular assessment using non-invasive techniques including vascular ultrasound, pulse wave velocity, flow-mediated dilation and peripheral artery tonometry in collaboration with Institute of Cardiovascular Science, University College London. I am also preparing for a study on myocardial disease characterisation using magnetic resonance imaging in young people with HIV where we will be collaborating with experts from Oxford Centre for Magnetic Resonance (OCMR), University of Oxford.
Dr Mandikudza Tembo
I am a public health specialist with a focus on menstrual health, adolescent sexual and reproductive health service delivery, and public engagement. Currently, I am a Reckitt Global Health Institute post-doctoral fellow leading an innovative project focusing on women and menstruation across the life-course and on the co-creation of a menstrual health toolkit with women, healthcare providers, and other relevant stakeholders in rural and urban communities across Zimbabwe. I am also the public engagement lead for THRU ZIM and am involved in several public engagement research projects including the Youth Researchers Academy (YRA) and Health Ageing. I hold a PhD (Epidemiology) from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, an MSc in Global Health and Development from UCL and a BA in Public Health and Women's Gender Studies.
Dr Rudo Chingono
I am a Social Scientist and global mental health researcher based at The Health Research Unit Zimbabwe at BRTI. I have a PhD, with University College London, which focused on the burden of maternal mental health on mother’s living with HIV and its impact on their parenting abilities. My work has included research on HIV/AIDS, mental health, adolescents’ reproductive health, maternal and child health, antimicrobial resistance and more recently infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases. I am currently the co-investigator on an UKRI funded study exploring the impact of setting up community hypertension groups in Zimbabwe. Recently, I was awarded the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene early career researcher award to co-design a mental health intervention that uses health promotion approaches in improving maternal mental health. I am one of the training and mentorship leads at THRU ZIM.
Dr Constancia Mavodza
I am a public health specialist with research expertise in process evaluations and qualitative methodologies focusing mainly on HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health programs and policies for young people in Eastern and Southern Africa. I am currently on the process evaluation team for the CHIEDZA trial; and I am also a training and mentorship lead at THRU ZIM. I hold a PhD (Public Health and Policy) from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; a Msc. in Public Health specialising in Health Systems and Policy Research from the University of Cape Town; and a BA in Neuroscience from Amherst College.
Dr Cliff Zinyemba
I am a Health Geographer with a PhD in Public Health from the University of Cape Town. My PhD characterized the role of climate change as a health risk perpetuating factor, focusing on pesticide exposure risks and endocrine disruption health outcomes. I have a keen interest in understanding the influence of contextual factors and spatial variations in health, health outcomes and environmental exposures. My research approach integrates qualitative social science methodologies with laboratory and computer-based investigative methods. I am currently a "Peter Piot Fellow for Global Health Innovation: Planetary Health" funded by the Peter Piot Fellowship for Global Health Innovation scheme within the Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health (CCCPH) at LSHTM. I am conducting a One Health study of WASH and Biosecurity interventions for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Zimbabwean urban backyard agriculture using a combination of microbiology and citizen science qualitative analyses. Before joining THRU-ZIM, I was a Lecturer in Occupational and Environmental Health in the Department of Community Medicine, University of Zimbabwe.