London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Chido is an epidemiologist with experience developing, coordinating, and evaluating implementation research studies with particular focus on projects evaluating the provision of sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents and young people in facility and community-based settings, HIV testing interventions as well as community based psychosocial support for children and adolescents living with HIV and their caregivers. She was the principal investigator for the STICH trial an evaluation of an STI testing intervention for youth and the Zimbabwe principal investigator for the GIFT study which is an evaluation of a new STI testing device. Her work has also involved validation of oral HIV tests for children and evaluating the use of assisted HIV testing for children by their caregivers. She holds a PhD in Infectious and Topical Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She is based in Zimbabwe and holds a joint appointment with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (UK) and The Health Research Unit Zimbabwe at the Biomedical Research and Training Institute (Zimbabwe).

Rachel’s research reflects her interdisciplinary background, drawing from demography, epidemiology, sociology and public health and using quantitative and qualitative methods. Her work considers how social-contextual factors, locally and cross-nationally, shape individual sexual and reproductive behaviours, particularly abortion and young people’s experiences, and how reproductive health service provision can best meet people’s needs and preferences. She also works on improving data quality and measurement of sexual behaviour and reproductive health outcomes, including abortion, in surveys. She co-Programme Director for the Online MSc in Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy & Programming.

Dr Deda Ogum is a public health professional with specialty in Women and children’s health and nutrition. She has expertise in short courses, development of content in reproductive health, data analysis and M&E of programmes. On behalf of the University of Ghana, worked with the APHRC team to co-develop the Capacity Development on Violence Against Women Prevalence Survey in Eastern and Southern African Region (CaVAWPreS) short course. Deda is the Ghana site PI for twin multi-site studies on “Health system analysis of the barriers to access, availability, utilization and readiness of contraception and abortion/post-abortion services in COVID-19 affected areas” and the Psychosocial study on the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy decisions in Ghana”. She is an honorary assistant professor with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and serves as co-programme director for the Ghana side of the partnership. Deda Ogum holds a MPhil degree in Nutrition and a PhD in Public health and is a Senior lecturer at the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, University of Ghana.