About me
I am a passionate Global Midwifery Expert and have been working as an Assistant Professor at the University of Gondar (UoG), Ethiopia since 2008. I did my Ph.D. in midwifery and women's health at the UoG in Ethiopia in collaboration with the Karolinska Institute(KI) in Sweden in 2021/22, making me the first Ethiopian midwife to earn a Ph.D. in Midwifery.
My carrier as a midwife, academic, and researcher spans nearly 14 years. I have mentored more than 20 master's students in clinical midwifery and currently co-supervising four Ph.D. students in Ethiopia and Canada. Currently, I am head of the Department of Women and Family Health and the contact person for collaboration between UoG and KI
Research description
My research interest is Midwife-led implementation research focusing on Maternal and Child Health interventions, such as antenatal care, family planning, and comprehensive abortion care. I published more than 25 journal articles, two policy briefs, five manuscripts under review, and 16 scientific presentations. As lead researcher, I have received external/international grants (4) from international funders such as the International Confederation of Midwives Johnson & Johnson, the Laerdal Foundation, and the UK Commonwealth and Development Office.
In terms of research and collaborative experiences, I worked with transnational researchers from low- and high-income counties such as Sweden, Kenya, Malawi, and Somalia. For example, recently I was a team member and coordinator of the MIDWIZE capacity-building training program for public health officials at KI, which was supported by the Swedish Institute in 2020/21. I am still active as an alumnus and representing the program that runs under the umbrella of CESH initiated by Makerere University and the KI. Furthermore, I am working as a researcher at the International Confederation of Midwives African Regional Professional Committee.
Most recently, I have been awarded a large-scale competitive international research grant under Elrha_R2HC funding call for research to strengthen health systems in humanitarian settings funded by the UK FCDO. The University of Gondar is the leading organization, working in collaboration with Karolinska Institutet, McMaster University, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, and the Ethiopian Midwives Association. The project aimed to evaluate the implementation of midwife-led person-centered comprehensive abortion care among internally displaced women in seven war-affected administrative zones of the Amhara region from February 2023 to July 2024. I am very proud to lead this impactful research project with a vibrant transnational team (Ethiopia, Sweden, and Canada).
Teaching portfolio
I teach professional and research courses such as contemporary issues of midwifery and women’s health, family planning, obstetrics, and qualitative research methodology for masters and Ph.D. students.
Academic honours, awards and prizes
2015: Award winner of one of the best research presenters at the national workshop organized by AMREEF Health Africa
2018: ICM Research Award winner at the International Confederation of Midwives
2020: Recognized as “midwife hero 2020” by the Ethiopian Midwives Association and St. Paul's Hospital Millennium-SPHMMC for my contributions to safe motherhood services in Ethiopia.
2022 to date: Member of the African Regional Professional Committee at the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM)
2022 to date: Executive Board Member at Ethiopian Midwives Association
2023 to date: Member of the Research Advisory Council (RMNCAH/N–RAC) at the Federal Ministry of Health Ethiopia
2023: Africa Research Excellence Fund Research Development Fellowship winner