Shareefa is a Specialist Scientist at the SAMRC’s Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform. In 2015, she earned a PhD in Human Genetics at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship at UCT’s Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health and co-led the Psychiatric Neurogenetics Group of the Brain-Behaviour Unit. From 2017-2020, […]

Lerato has a background in Medical Microbiology, having completed her undergraduate and MSc degrees in the field. She shifted slightly to pursue a PhD in Human Genetics at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Her PhD thesis investigated the genetic risk factors associated with schizophrenia in the South African Xhosa population. Lerato is currently pursuing […]

Emmanuel is a psychiatrist and lecturer at Makerere University in Uganda. His clinical interests revolve around ensuring patients with severe mental illnesses come into care early and receive treatments that are effective for their individual cultural, racial, and personal needs.

A psychiatrist based in a county Hospital in Kenya, Jackline was recently promoted to a full consultant position. She consults with Kenya’s Retirement Benefit Authority, working to train retirees on the psychological issues they so often face. This work has allowed her to interact with people from different walks of life, building her confidence in […]

Melkam has served as a mental health researcher at Addis Ababa University’s Department of Psychiatry for nearly a decade. She studied Medical Laboratory Science and earned her masters in General Public Health. Melkam is currently working on her PhD on Mental Health Epidemiology, focusing on substance use and mental health at Addis Ababa University. She’s […]

Abebe is an Assistant Professor and PhD student at the Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Addis Ababa University. He completed his three-year GINGER fellowship program in 2020. Abebe’s research interests include evaluating the clinical outcome of currently used drugs and understanding the mechanisms and development of novel drugs for the treatment of central nervous […]

Benedict is a medical practitioner and psychiatrist with many years of working experience in psychiatric practice in both governmental and non-governmental institutions in developing countries. Additionally, he serves as an academic lecturer and researcher in various institutions in Uganda. Benedict is a mental health advocate, and works to create mental health awareness through video clips […]

Engida was born and raised in Zeway, Ethiopia. He attended Addis Ababa University (AAU) for his Doctor of Medicine degree and specialty certificate in Psychiatry. Currently, he serves as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and a newly admitted Ph.D. candidate in Mental Health Epidemiology at AAU. Engida’s main research involvement has been leading an innovative […]

Barkot is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. She completed both her MD and Psychiatry Specialty training at Addis Ababa University in 2011 and 2015, respectively. She is an educator, clinician, and researcher with a particular interest in mood and anxiety disorders.  Her clinical experience across different […]

Megan completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Cape Town in genetics and psychology in 2017. In 2018, she went on to earn on honors degree in Human Genetics, examining the genetics of bipolar disorder in a South African cohort. Megan is currently working on her master’s degree in the same division, investigating the […]