Kenyan Fellows

[cbox title=”Symon Kariuki” image=”289″]I am from Kenya and I obtained a degree in Nursing Sciences from the University of Nairobi in Kenya, MSc in Clinical Neurosciences of Epilepsy from Kings College London in the UK, and a DPhil in Neuropsychiatric epidemiology from the University of Oxford in the UK. I have a broad interest in the epidemiology of neurological and mental disorders in people living in sub-Saharan Africa, including their genetic susceptibility to these disorders. I am currently working on neurodevelopmental disorders such as behavioral and emotional problems in young children, examining their association with seizure disorders. In five years I hope to (i) lead a research group working on genetics of neurological and mental disorders and (ii) be a faculty member of a leading teaching university from where I can mentor young African researchers interested in Neuro-genetics. I enjoy reading autobiographies and memoirs when not working on my primary research.[/cbox]

[cbox title=”Felicita Omari” image=”290″]I’m Felicita Omari from Eldoret Kenya, East Africa. I received my bachelor of medicine and surgery degree from Moi University College of Health Sciences, Eldoret Kenya and my Masters degree in Psychiatry at the same school of medicine. My research involves inpatient outcomes of psychiatric treatment for patients with mood disorders, specifically Bipolar mood disorders. More recently I completed a two year follow up study for adult patients with first episode Bipolar Mania. In five years I hope to be a faculty member at a teaching university involved in early development neuropsychiatry research and more so working with children and adolescent cohorts. I do love travelling a lot with family and enjoy gardening whenever I’m not working.[/cbox]

[cbox title=”Linnet Ongeri” image=”291″]I am from Nairobi, Kenya and obtained both my Bachelors of Medicine & Surgery and Master of Medicine in Psychiatry from the University of Nairobi, School of Medicine. I am a Fogarty Fellow having undertaken a global health research fellowship program with the University of California, San Francisco. My research interests are in the epidemiology of common mental disorders, with particular interests in PTSD and Substance Use Disorders. I am currently working on a study that seeks to examine genetic and environmental risk factors for psychotic disorders in the coastal region of Kenya. In five years I hope to be steering a well-established neuropsychiatric unit in my research institute, a center that can build capacity for upcoming young researchers interested in working in the field of neuropsychiatry and genetics. Outside research, I enjoy playing scrabble. I started a scrabble club where a group of friends meet up in different interesting locations and enjoy a night of scrabble and dining[/cbox]

[cbox title=”Jackline Walumbe” image=”292″]I am from Kenya, East Africa and am currently a third-year postgraduate student at Moi University. I am pursuing a master’s degree in Psychiatry and am interested in women’s mental health. In this regard, I am working on research that assesses factors are associated with postpartum depression (depression of postpartum onset). Given my primary interest, I would stop at nothing in studying all variables that make women prone to mental illness. In the next five years, I hope to be a lecturer at Moi University while continuing to work on my research and mentor undergraduate and postgraduate students. Aside from academia, I like traveling and discovering new places. Once in a while, I follow new recipes to make delicious meals for my family.[/cbox]