Affiliates

Beatrice Mkubwa

PhD fellow at the Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University
PhD Focus – Mental health of children and adolescents
Funded by the SPARK programme affiliated to the ALMA programme

Ms. Mkubwa is pursuing a doctorate at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands). Her project focuses on improving the mental health of children and adolescents in Kenya. She is using a program called the Mental Health Gap Action Programme Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG), developed by the World Health Organization. Specifically, she is working on adapting and testing a module called ‘Child and Adolescent Mental and Behavioural Disorders (CMHs)’ to fit Kenya’s needs.

The project involves three main steps:

1. Adapting the CMHs module: Customising the module to suit Kenya’s unique situation, ensuring that it provides the best possible mental health services for children and teenagers.
2. Training healthcare providers: The pilot testing phase will incorporate training and equipping healthcare providers with the necessary skills to assess, diagnose, and treat mental health problems in young people. This training will help them identify and address mental health issues early on.
3. Advocating for change: The evidence gathered can be used to persuade policymakers to improve child and adolescent mental health services in Kenya, leading to better resources and support.

Esther Chongwo

PhD fellow at the Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University
Funded by the Hilton Foundation affiliated to the ALMA programme
PhD Focus: Early Child Development

Ms. Chongwo is pursuing her doctorate studies at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands), where she seeks to understand the risks and resilience in children from arid and semi-arid regions of Kenya. She plans to investigate psychosocial and climatic factors that impact on pregnancy, neonatal and child outcomes in children aged 0-3 years in ASAL regions in Kenya. The study will generate new knowledge that will inform policies as well as context relevant and culturally appropriate interventions for children in Kenya’s ASAL regions to support their well-being and development.

Faith Neema

PhD fellow at the Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University
Funded by the UZIMA programme affiliated to the ALMA programme
PhD Focus – Applied Machine Learning

Ms. Neema is pursuing her doctorate studies at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Her project deals with Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.

PhD in Applied Mathematics (Applied Machine Learning) ) is a comprehensive program that merges advanced mathematical techniques with practical applications in machine learning. It equips students with the skills to develop innovative algorithms, models, and solutions that harness the power of machine learning for solving complex real-world challenges.

Her pursuit of this PhD program will significantly contribute to the promotion of Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health in Kenya. By leveraging the expertise gained in applied machine learning, she will be better equipped to develop predictive models, identify trends, and uncover correlations within healthcare data. This, in turn, will enable more accurate and timely interventions, improving healthcare outcomes for mothers and children across the country and ultimately advancing the overall health landscape in Kenya.