Rita Mudza
Supervisors
Dr. Elise van der Elst
Dr. Elise van der Elst
Elise van der Elst (PhD, University of Amsterdam) is a sociobehavioural scientist with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) – Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP), based in Kilifi, Kenya, since 2003. Her current qualitative social research focuses on two main areas: implementation research of HIV care and prevention involving gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) and female sex workers (including PrEP provision and uptake, oral self-testing, and understanding acute HIV infection); and improving HIV service delivery for key populations. She collaborates with Ministry of Health and county health staff, producing new thinking, evidence and recommendations around strengthening key players’ involvement in health service delivery for key populations in Kenya. This takes forward her prior work and includes significant capacity strengthening elements.
Bernadette Kombo
Bernadette Kombo is a social scientist in HIV Key Population Studies at KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Kilifi, Kenya. Bernadette holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and studied for her MSc Public Health – Health Promotion and MA in Peacebuilding at Leeds Beckett University and Coventry University respectively. Her research interests are in Health Communication and especially within HIV prevention, as well as social science research methodology. She has been involved in HIV early diagnosis research and health systems strengthening for HIV testing, care and treatment for key populations. Her previous work involved HIV prevention interventions, and moving forward she is interested in intersecting HIV research and practice.
Mudza’s great passion about research is driven by its invaluable contribution to new knowledge and solutions to pressing societal problems. She is a socio-behavioural scientist and her key interests are to understand and appreciate the interconnectedness of human society and social relationships that impact health systems functioning using scientific qualitative methods.
Currently, she is working on a study that seeks to assess HIV/STI services to key populations in Kilifi County, under the supervision of Dr. Elise van der Elst in conjunction with socio-behavioral scientists working in the HIV project with Prof. Eduard Sanders.
She strongly believes that the study will contribute critical data towards efficient and appropriate planning and implementation of HIV prevention and care programmes that are inclusive of the key populations to reduce HIV infections and transmission.
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