About me
I am a global behavioral and implementation science researcher working with mixed methods. I have worked on global health projects in Europe, Nepal, Mozambique, Somaliland, Nigeria, Cameroon and Ethiopia. I research vaccine confidence in Sweden, Nigeria and Ethiopia. I am currently PI of several projects, including: a Forte funded project that investigates vaccine hesitancy in Sweden (2021-2023); a VR funded project investigating vaccine confidence among healthcare workers in Nigeria (2022-2024); a HPV vaccine awareness project in Ethiopia (2023-2026); and a Forte funded project to work on HPV vaccine confidence building using a digital health intervention in Sweden (2024-2027).
Research description
Addressing HPV vaccine hesitancy by co-designing a digital health intervention with and for socioeconomically disadvantaged adolescents and parents/guardians in Sweden (HPV-END-IT) (FORTE funded 2024-2027)
Healthcare worker trust (HCW-TRUST) (VR: 2022-2025): This project investigates healthcare workers' low confidence in new vaccines (COVID19, HPV) in Nigeria, and pilot tests an intervention to address the vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers.
Improving HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening awareness and uptake through a co-designed demand generating intervention with and for women and girls in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (HPV-AWARE) (Einhorn Foundation and Church of Sweden, 2023-2025): This project focuses on strengthening confidence in HPV vaccine and cervical cancer screening in Ethiopia.
GLOBE-HPV (IVI, LSHTM, KI): This is a large scale Gates funded project that focuses on measuring and understanding risk factors for HPV infection in eight countries. My focus area in this project is to support the multi-country qualitative work as well as the HPV vaccine confidence studies.
Rumours and trust in vaccine hesitant communities in Sweden: This is a Forte funded project (2021-2023) that explored rumours and trust in migrant communities, the anthroposophic community and Swedish online communities.
Working with faith-leaders to address gender inequality and intimate partner violence in Ethiopia (IPV-FAITH) (New Investigator Award KI).
In addition to these projects I collaborate with various researchers on projects related to hard-tor-reach populations, adolescent health, sexual and reproductive health and co-design methods, as well as some policy related studies.
Teaching portfolio
- 10 years of teaching experience at undergraduate and postgraduate level in global health from the UK and in Sweden.
- Substantial experience teaching qualitative research methods at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
- Introductory sessions to the politics of global health.
- Health Systems and Policy courses at King's College London and am a Distance Learning Tutor on the Health Policy and Planning Masters at The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
- Supervised various Master thesis and I am currently a co-supervisor on three PhD projects based at Uppsala University.
- At KI I lead the Health Systems and Policy module delivered at LIME.
Education
- PhD Development Studies at The School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London)
- Postgraduate Certificate, Academic Practice in Higher Education at King's College London
- MSc Public Health in Developing Countries at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- BA (Hons.) Development Studies and Social Anthropology at The School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London)
Academic honours, awards and prizes
KI New Investigator Award 2022