Category Archives: Consortium

Victor Daka, Ph.D.

Victor Daka, Ph.D.
Lecturer in the Department of Public Health at the Copperbelt University, School of Medicine

Victor Daka, Ph.D.

Lecturer in the Department of Public Health at the Copperbelt University, School of Medicine

Victor Daka is a lecturer in the Department of Public Health at the Copperbelt University, School of Medicine. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences, Master of Science in One Health Analytical Epidemiology and a PhD in Public Health and Epidemiology. He has worked for 13 years at the National Health and Research Training Institute (formerly Tropical Diseases Research Centre) where he gained extensive experience in applying and implementing collaborative grants especially in malaria clinical trials and 7 years at the Copperbelt University. At the Copperbelt University he has worked on both communicable and non-communicable studies culminating multiple publications in peer reviewed journals. Victor is passionate about community service, serving as President of the Biomedical Sciences from 2016 to 2021. The IS4NCDs project will leverage Victor’s experience and networks to ensure optimum program outcomes.

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

Professor Yoshan Moodley

Professor Yoshan Moodley
Epidemiologist, Senior Lecturer, and Convener of the Master of Philosophy (Cancer Science) Programme at Stellenbosch University

Professor Yoshan Moodley

Epidemiologist, Senior Lecturer, and Convener of the Master of Philosophy (Cancer Science) Programme at Stellenbosch University

Professor Yoshan Moodley is an epidemiologist, senior lecturer, and convener of the Master of Philosophy (Cancer Science) Programme at Stellenbosch University, South Africa (SA). He has shown a strong, sustained commitment to addressing public health problems in SA, particularly the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases such as colorectal cancer (CRC). His research on epidemiological aspects of CRC in KwaZulu-Natal Province, SA spans five years and he has contributed to improving the understanding of the condition in this HIV hyperendemic setting. Through his work on CRC, Prof. Moodley has developed strong collaborations with numerous organizations in SA and the USA. This includes the University of Cape Town (SA), the University of Witwatersrand (SA), the Central University of Technology (SA), the Global Burden of Disease Group (USA) and Columbia University (USA). His ongoing research work includes understanding reasons for failure to engage in oncology care amongst newly diagnosed CRC patients, and studies which investigate links between genetic profiles of CRC tumors in black South Africans with subsequent clinical outcomes in these patients.

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

Professor Lynn Hendricks

Professor Lynn Hendricks
Associate Professor in the Division of Health Systems and Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University

Professor Lynn Hendricks

Associate Professor in the Division of Health Systems and Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University

Professor Lynn Hendricks is an Associate Professor in the Division of Health Systems and Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University (SU) and holds a joint PhD in Social Science and Public Health. She has expertise in methods innovation, stakeholder engagement, and knowledge translation, and leads the Social and Environmental Determinants of Health transdisciplinary interest group at SU. She is the founding director of the research consultancy Research Ambition and founding co-director of the NPO Hearts in Action. She is a fellow of Gilead Public Health as well as a fellow of Microsoft Society & AI. She is a board member of the Centre for HIV/AIDS Management at SU. A long-standing previous executive member of the Psychological Society of South Africa, she now serves as a divisional executive for the Division of Climate and Environmental Psychology. She has a keen interest in creative and co-productive research in communities and works with digital mediums as well as primary arts-based methods. Her work includes co-producing a local and international public art exhibition with the Iziko South African Museum and a community-led documentary about young Cape Flats-based women who contracted HIV perinatally. She has received the 2023 Springer Nature Inclusive Health Research Award, the 2023 Cochrane Thomas C Chalmers Award, and the 2024 PsySSA Community Service Award in recognition of her work.

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

Professor Taryn Young

Professor Taryn Young
Distinguished Professor, Head of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Health Care at Stellenbosch University

Professor Taryn Young

Distinguished Professor, Head of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Health Care at Stellenbosch University

Professor Taryn Young, Distinguished Professor at Stellenbosch University, has a driving passion to enhance the capacity to advance the conduct of and use of relevant research. She has experience in coordinating international and national collaborative projects which facilitate the use of best evidence in healthcare policy and practice. She leads the Centre for Evidence-Based Health Care and Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and led the Department of Global Health, at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

Judith van de Kamp, PhD

Judith van de Kamp, PhD
Assistant Professor Global Health at University Medical Center Utrecht

Judith van de Kamp, PhD

Assistant Professor Global Health at University Medical Center Utrecht

Judith van de Kamp is a medical anthropologist and assistant professor Global Health Education at the Julius Center for Health Sciences, UMC Utrecht. She is a senior lecturer (SKO) and the coordinator of various global health courses at bachelor and master level at UMC Utrecht and University College Utrecht (UCU). She is author of the Dutch book ‘De derde wereld op je cv’ (The third world on your resume) for Dutch adolescents with an interest in working in LMICs.

Judith is passionate about teaching on health equity and justice, and about building strong institutional educational curricula that allow for students to grow an intercultural and open mindset to tackle complex health challenges, both in The Netherlands and abroad.

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

Naomi de Bruijne, MSc

Naomi de Bruijne, MSc
EU Project Manager at the Research Office, University Medical Center Utrecht

Naomi de Bruijne, MSc

EU Project Manager at the Research Office, University Medical Center Utrecht

Naomi de Bruijne is EU Project Manager at the Research Office from the UMC Utrecht, the Netherlands. She has specific expertise in MSCA and Erasmus+ CBHE projects. She has a background in Biomedical Sciences and Management and Policy Analysis in the Health and Life Sciences, both acquired at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. In the IS4NCDs consortium, she is the project manager and liaison with the European Commission.

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

Clifford Mwamba

Clifford Mwamba
Quality Assurance Manager at the Centre for Academic Development (CAD) at the Copperbelt University

Clifford Mwamba

Quality Assurance Manager at the Centre for Academic Development (CAD) at the Copperbelt University

Mr. Clifford Mwamba is the Quality Assurance Manager at the Centre for Academic Development (CAD) at the Copperbelt University. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Production and Operations Management and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and currently pursuing a PhD. His research interests and experience are in quality assurance and education management.

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

Professor Juliana Kagura

Professor Juliana Kagura
Associate Professor, Division of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits)

Professor Juliana Kagura

Associate Professor, Division of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits)

Professor Juliana Kagura serves as an Associate Professor in the Division of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). She oversees and coordinates the Implementation Science field of study. She also teaches courses in Implementation Science, Monitoring and Evaluation for Health Programmes, NCD Epidemiology and Advanced Epidemiology. Her research expertise and interest focus on life course approach to NCD risk. She served as a technical advisor to WHO/TDR programme on Implementation Research core competencies.

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

Professor Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch

Professor Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch
Head of Global Health, Julius Center for Health Sciences & Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht

Professor Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch

Head of Global Health, Julius Center for Health Sciences & Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht

Professor Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch is an epidemiologist with over 25 years of experience in international research capacity building and mentoring in epidemiology, public and global health. She is the principal investigator of courses and capacity building training programmes such as in the ‘Capacity Strengthening of Transdisciplinary Education for Non-Communicable Disease Care in West Africa (CAPSTONE)’.

Her research focuses on the etiology, prevention and management of cardiovascular disease, double burden of malnutrition and co- and multimorbidity of communicable and non-communicable disease in a global context. This includes implementation science projects that aim to improve and scale-up care for hypertension and diabetes in Africa, Asia and Europe such as the ‘Integrating heart health in HIV care in South Africa (iHEART-SA)’, ‘Scaling-up diabetes and hypertension in vulnerable populations (SCUBY)’ or ‘Optimizing care pathways and quality of care for moderate-to-severe hypertension, diabetes and common mental health multimorbidity in Mozambique (PEN-CONNECT)’ initiatives.

Academic and societal activities include memberships of institutional committees and academic/research networks. Amongst others, she is Deputy Editor of the World Health Federations’ scientific journal Global Heart and Executive Board Member of the European Global Health Research Institutes Network (EGHRIN).

In her current position as Head of Global Health her focus is on the development of global health research and capacity building (https://www.globalhealth.eu) at the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands.

LINKS:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerstin-klipstein-grobusch/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=klipstein-grobusch&sort=pubdate

https://www.globalhealth.eu/?r3d=global-health-magazine-2023

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

Dr. Martin Heine

Dr. Martin Heine
Principal Investigator for the IS4NCDs Project, Assistant Professor in Implementation Science & Global Health at the University Medical Center Utrecht, Research Fellow at the Institute of Sport and Exercise Medicine, Stellenbosch University (South Africa)

Dr. Martin Heine

Principal Investigator for the IS4NCDs Project, Assistant Professor in Implementation Science & Global Health at the University Medical Center Utrecht, Research Fellow at the Institute of Sport and Exercise Medicine, Stellenbosch University (South Africa)

Dr. Martin Heine is the principal investigator for the IS4NCDs project, assistant professor in Implementation Science & Global Health at the University Medical Center Utrecht, and research fellow at the Institute of Sport and Exercise Medicine, Stellenbosch University (South Africa). His portfolio integrates implementation science, research, and capacity building to reduce the global burden of chronic diseases, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and among vulnerable populations in high-income settings. He leads two Erasmus+ funded projects — IS4NCDs (Principal Investigator) and CAPSTONE (Co-Investigator) — focused on strengthening implementation science education and institutional capacity for non-communicable disease (NCD) care in Africa. He has worked on international projects such as SCUBY (EU Horizon) and iHeart-SA (NIH) to inform integrated care policy and practice across multiple health systems. Currently, Martin co-coordinates PEN-CONNECT (EU Horizon), launching in 2025 to enhance continuity of care for hypertension, diabetes, and mental health in Mozambique and the broader WHO Africa Region.

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

Dr. Grace Marie V. Ku

Dr. Grace Marie V. Ku
Public Health Expert, Family and Community Medicine Physician-Specialist, Health Researcher and Academician

Dr. Grace Marie V. Ku

Public Health Expert, Family and Community Medicine Physician-Specialist, Health Researcher and Academician

Dr. Grace Marie V. Ku is a public health expert, a family and community medicine physician-specialist and a health researcher and academician with background and experience in health systems, health policy & health development research & implementation; in strategic and quality management systems; and in bioethics. She is a senior researcher at the Health Policy Unit, with main focus on chronic conditions. Grace leads a capacity strengthening programme for Cambodia and is course leader of the MPH advanced course on NCDs and the Challenges in International Health core course on Health Systems and Policies for UHC at ITM.  Grace is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Gerontology of the Faculty of Medicine & Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Associate Professor at the Department of Preventive Medicine,  Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Santo Tomas, the Philippines.

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

Dr. Lisa Pfadenhauer

Dr. Lisa Pfadenhauer
Senior Researcher, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research at Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich

Dr. Lisa Pfadenhauer

Senior Researcher, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research at Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich

Dr. Lisa Pfadenhauer is a senior researcher at the Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research at Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Germany and an adjunct assistant professor at Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, Atlanta, USA. She holds a B.A. in International and Cultural Business Studies, a Master of Public Health (MPH), and a Ph.D. in Epidemiology and Public Health. Her research focuses on the intersection of evidence, practice, and policy, with particular interest in methods such as evidence synthesis and primary qualitative research. Lisa is involved in developing and applying theories and hands-on approaches to exchange and translate knowledge into practice and policy. For example, she co-developed, supported the implementation and evaluated an integrated knowledge translation approach implemented across five countries (Ethiopia, Malawi, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa) and eight institutions. In addition to her research, Lisa is passionate about teaching and has developed, implemented and evaluated several innovative teaching formats at LMU.

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511

The IS4NCDs project has received funding from the European Union's Erasmus+ programme under Grant Agreement no. 101179511