Penda is a social scientist within the discipline of medical anthropology at the MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM. Her presentation will focus on the elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus globally, sharing information on preventative methods.

She attained an MSc in Medicine, Science and Society from the Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy at Kings College London in 2015. She recently began her PhD journey in with the London School of Hygiene at Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), exploring the perceptions of women in The Gambia regarding pregnancy, vaccines in general, and vaccines given during pregnancy, as well as barriers and enablers to their uptake of those maternal vaccines.

Her PhD research also aims to identify the preparedness of women and the health system in The Gambia for the uptake of future maternal vaccines. Penda hopes to make a positive impact at national and global levels, by creating awareness and improving the understanding of local perceptions of disease, health, health interventions and health systems in The Gambia.