We are excited to announce the 2020 Global Digital Health Network academic year fellows. The fellowship aims to offer an inspiring environment for valuable hands-on experience while supporting the operations of the Network. Elizabeth Oseku will support the project management function and Anne Nattembo will support the communications function. Learn more about their backgrounds below and please join us in giving our fellows a very warm GDHN welcome.
Elizabeth Oseku, Project Management Fellow
Elizabeth (Liza) is a Ugandan Medical Doctor who gained interest in digital health while working at the Academy for Health Innovations, Uganda within the Infectious Diseases Institute. For three years, she has coordinated a research project that leveraged mHealth and interactive voice response to offer remote treatment support to patients with HIV and Tuberculosis. More recently, her team rapidly scaled up support towards the National COVID-19 response in Uganda. She has authored and co-authored five abstracts, presented at international conferences and has published a paper in a peer reviewed journal. She is trained in implementation research and project management. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Liza is passionate about empowering people to take charge of their wellness. “I adopt digital health technologies in my work as much as possible because they not only give patients more responsibility and control over their health practices, but they are also cost-effective,” Liza says. She is thrilled to enhance her skills in project management and to draw on her experience to contribute to digital health service delivery management. “This fellowship aligns very closely with my experience, my current studies and my career interests,” Liza adds. She hopes to use her fellowship experience as a perfect step to consolidate all the experience and knowledge she has gained this far, and to grow, to be able to add value to the global health sector.
Anne Nattembo, Communications Fellow
Anne is a Ugandan health communicator and researcher with professional experience spanning from digital health education and promotion, health policy advocacy, and action research. She has a keen interest in harnessing new media technologies for health education and social change. She previously served as the Chairperson of the ICT4D Sub-working Group in Uganda and has worked on numerous multi-media health education projects. Anne is trained in media and development communication. She has presented at conferences and published in peer reviewed journals. She is currently a media and communication Ph.D. candidate at the University of Adelaide, Australia. Her research project aims to identify best practices of mental health promotion on social media platforms through examining platform designs, communication approaches, and user experiences.
Anne is motivated by a desire to create impact. “I feel a sense of fulfillment when I know that my work directly makes some else’s life better. Using digital technologies for health education and promotion gives me that fulfillment because they break many communication barriers,” Anne says. She is particularly excited to support and learn from the tremendous work that we are all in the midst of and to immerse herself in a diverse community. “I look forward to an intellectually rewarding experience. I hope to gain new skills and to use my existing skills to contribute positively to the Network and beyond,” she adds. Anne plans to use the lessons from this fellowship to consolidate her career in global digital health communication by transforming research into products and services.