University of Maryland Graduate School

Maduo Latlhang, MBA 

After graduating with a Business Administration degree from University of Botswana in 2015 Maduo joined the national stock exchange in a market development role, after which she went for her graduate studies in Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan. Although she enrolled in a Master of Business Administration program, Maduo used her time in graduate school to cultivate her interest in the development sector. She is currently a Risk & Compliance Specialist for Bummhi, a non-governmental organization that provides health system strengthening services to Ministry of Health and acts as an implementing partner to Centers for Disease Control through which the United States government provides funding for U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for HIV Care and Treatment in Botswana. 

Why the Henriatta Selle Tiri scholarship?

Growing up in rural Botswana, I witnessed first-hand that crises like the HIV AIDS epidemic and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic deepen inequalities and lead to reversals in development. I have therefore defined my career objective to be part of an institution that helps communities and countries, especially middle-income countries move in the right direction by advocating for development and shared prosperity by prioritizing health matters. I was excited to learn about the Henrietta Tiri scholarship as it has afforded me an opportunity to pursue my studies in an area I have grown passionate about, public health. It is also an opportunity for me to learn from other scholars whose backgrounds are different from mine, this will solidify my career switch to be part of a workforce that mobilizes resources needed to contribute towards ensuring healthy lives and improving access to quality health care.

 

Mwangala Mwale

In 2012, Mwangala began her education at the University of Zambia with an interdisciplinary program focused on the intersection between the environment, community education, and public health. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in January 2017. She chose this program as it helped her build the foundation necessary to design and implement programs that would create supportive communities and health care systems that would allow vulnerable young women to gain control and advocate for their own wellbeing. After completing her undergraduate training, she quickly realized the need for further hands-on training in qualitative research. While she understood the forces contributing to vulnerability among Zambian women, she lacked a way to characterize the challenges these women faced so that they could be addressed effectively through public health interventions. She subsequently joined Zambart in 2017, an affiliate of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, as a research assistant. During this time, she gained skills in qualitative research by working on the Tikambisane study, which assessed the feasibility and acceptability of well-facilitated support groups for adolescent girls living with HIV in two Lusaka communities. Mwangala then transitioned to the Insaka study which examined the effectiveness of a mobile cell phone application for providing young, pregnant women with health education and support. These experiences allowed her to develop expertise in qualitative data collection.

For the past two years, Mwangala has pursued professional experiences that have helped her grow as a public health researcher while also expanding her understanding of the social and medical challenges faced by young Zambian women. She joined the University of Zambia’s University Teaching Hospital Neurology Research Office where SHE collaborated on two research studies examining barriers to care for patients presenting with signs of meningitis. By interviewing patients, their caregivers, and health care providers at all levels, her team identified individual, community, and health systems barriers that likely contribute to increased mortality. During this time, Mwangala was particularly struck by how vulnerability manifested among young female caregivers. Many were not comfortable providing consent on behalf of their male relatives which would, in turn, delay specialized care. In 2021, She accepted a position at the University of Maryland’s Maryland Global Initiatives Corporation (MGIC) Zambia where she has served as a supervisor for eight qualitative research assistants as part of three separate research studies examining in-patient care to people with advanced HIV infection. These experiences have furthered her expertise as a qualitative health researcher yet have also highlighted the often-significant delays that occur in dissemination of research findings and intervention design and implementation.

Why the Henriatta Selle Tiri scholarship?

I am currently pursuing a Master in Global Health with a focus in Implementation and Dissemination Science so that I can continue to grow as a global health leader improving the health of young Zambian women and their dependents. While I have the expertise necessary to implement and analyze qualitative studies, I still lack the skills required to disseminate research findings. This program will give me the relevant knowledge and skills to translate evidence-based interventions into practice to improve lives. I also require further training in intervention adaptation and implementation so that I can effectively transform research findings we are conducting at MGIC Zambia into public health practice. This Master’s program offers me a valuable opportunity to play a larger role in two ongoing MGIC Zambia implementation studies. When I am not working, I love to cook and food photography. I also love to travel and visit new places.

 

OluGbenga Odeyemi

In 2005, at 19, OluGbenga became a Sun Certified Java Programmer.  He was introduced to computer programming two years earlier at 17, and committed to doing everything that would advance his career. In 2019, after 14 years of professional industry experience in software engineering and 7 different international professional certifications, OluGbenga joined the Center for International Health Education and Biosecurity's Nigeria office as a software developer.

In prior organizations where he worked before joining CIHEB's Nigeria office, he collaborated in building data-centric computer-based business applications. Since then, he has gained new knowledge and expanded his capacity in several areas of healthcare through his work as a regional software developer with CIHEB, supporting Nigeria, Zambia, Kenya, Malawi, and Botswana to execute PEPFAR programs.

OluGbenga’s role has allowed him to work on several projects involving research, surveys, data analysis, data analytics, data validation, data cleaning, EMR system design, EMR system scaling, monitoring and evaluation, as well as other areas of health information systems.

Why the Henriatta Selle Tiri scholarship?

Through a graduate study in Global Health (MS), I can understand the global burden of disease, the globalization of health and health care, the social and environmental determinants of health, global health ethics, professional practice, and various other proficiencies. These, I hope, will equip me with the essential tools needed to understand and judge the impact that global health interventions and policies have on communities and the capacity to implement these in Nigeria and across Africa. This, I strongly feel, will influence my work and contributions to humanity over the next 30 years.

 

Sarah Shamoya

In 2013,  Sarah obtained a Diploma in social work from the National institute of public administration (NIPA) in Zambia and completed her Bachelor of Science in Development Studies at Cavendish University in 2020.

Sarah has worked for the Centre for International Health and Biosecurity (CIHEB) in Zambia for the past six years and is currently a DREAMS Site Connector for the CIRKUITS DREAMS Project, which began in October 2020. Sarah is passionate about enhancing adolescents' access to sexual reproductive health and other health services.

OluGbenga’s role has allowed him to work on several projects involving research, surveys, data analysis, data analytics, data validation, data cleaning, EMR system design, EMR system scaling, monitoring and evaluation, as well as other areas of health information systems.

Why the Henriatta Selle Tiri scholarship?

The Tiri Scholarship is one of the greatest opportunities I have ever had, and I am extremely grateful for the chance to pursue a master's degree in Global Health with a Monitoring and Evaluation specialization. The scholarship will significantly enhance my understanding of Global Health, scientific writing, and data analysis and utilization. Despite my busy schedule from work and being a mother at home, I am putting out my best effort to get the most from the program.

 

Mbokile Waitolo

Mbokile is a qualified state registered nurse (RN), HIV Nurse Practitioner (HNP), and holder of Bachelor of Science in Public health. She has certificates in Monitoring and Evaluation, Leadership, and management in global health and Global Mental Health from the University of Washington. Mbokile currently works for the Centre for international Health Education and Biosecurity in Zambia (Ciheb – Zambia) where her role is mainly to manage the Determined Resilient Empowered Mentored AIDS Free and Safe (DREAMS) a community HIV/AIDS prevention project which is targeted at reducing rates of HIV among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in the highest HIV burden communities of Zambia. Mbokile leads a team of over 10 connectors and mentors in supporting AGYW with social assets building to promote risk reduction and behavioural change intervention; provision of HIV biomedical intervention including Pre/Post Exposure Prophylaxis, contraceptive, condoms as well as linkage to post gender-based violence and economic strengthening.

Why the Henriatta Selle Tiri scholarship?

The Tiri scholarship in Global Health has helped me to improve my ability to comprehend how local community health affects the global community. This has helped me to appreciate the role of Multidisciplinary teams in managing Global health conditions with the goal of having an eye on the equity lens for the global population while ensuring equal access to healthcare for all. My understanding of the need of applying evidence-based interventions to public health-related situations has improved because of the course, I now realize how important it is for any research to consider contextual elements affecting a community if considering sustainability.

Furthermore, the scholarship will help me in expanding my knowledge in global health skills that I am currently developing. Therefore, help me to better understand and protect the safety and improve the health of communities through education, policy making and research for disease and prevention.