Through the LEA-WH Fellowship, the National Academy of Medicine and Kenya Medical Research Institute are nurturing a network of emerging leaders working to transform women’s health research and innovation across Africa.
By Komal Syed
Leaders and staff from KEMRI and NAM, together with LEA-WH fellows and distinguished guests, gather to mark the start of Immersion Week and a shared commitment to advancing women’s health research and innovation across Africa.
In May 2026, the inaugural cohort of the , known as LEA-WH, gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, for an intensive Immersion Week designed to launch a year of training, mentorship, collaboration, and leadership development. Fittingly, “lea” means “nurture” in Swahili — a reflection of the fellowship’s goal to nurture a new generation of women’s health research and innovation leaders across Africa.
A collaboration between the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), with support from the Gates Foundation, the LEA-WH Fellowship brings together emerging leaders from across Africa who are working to advance women’s health through research, innovation, policy, and systems transformation. The 20 fellows in the first of the three planned annual cohorts represent a dynamic community of researchers, clinicians, biotechnologists, public health professionals, entrepreneurs, and innovators in Africa committed to addressing women’s health challenges that remain underfunded, underrecognized, and often insufficiently informed by local expertise.
The Immersion Week marked the first time the fellows met in person. More than an orientation, the week was designed to help fellows build relationships, understand the fellowship’s structure and expectations, engage with key themes in women’s health research and innovation, and begin developing peer and mentor networks that will support them throughout the program
“One of the most important goals of Immersion Week was to bring this cohort together as a community. The training and information were essential, but the relationships formed among the fellows and with program staff will be just as valuable. By the end of the week, there was a real sense of connection, shared purpose, and excitement for the journey ahead.” — Kelly Robbins, Senior Program Officer, NAM Health Policy Fellowships and Leadership Programs
LEA-WH fellows celebrate their cultural identities during the evening gala.
From Individual Leaders to a Cohort
LEA-WH fellows, KEMRI staff, and NAM staff celebrate connection and collaboration after an afternoon of team-building activities during the Immersion Week.
The week opened with welcome remarks from program leadership and partners, followed by a “Why I Am Here” fellow showcase that invited each participant to share their background, motivations, and aspirations. Throughout the week, fellows engaged in sessions that reflected the full scope of the LEA-WH program: research and development, health systems strengthening, policy and governance, human-centered design, funding ecosystems, communication, personal branding, mentorship, and leadership development.
The central goal of Immersion Week was to help fellows move from individual excellence to collective purpose. Sessions emphasized collaboration across countries, disciplines, and professional tracks, reinforcing that transformative progress in women’s health requires networks as well as knowledge.
The week also included lived experience panels that grounded the program in the realities of women and communities affected by women’s health conditions. These sessions underscored a core principle of the fellowship: that meaningful research and innovation must be shaped by the people and communities it is intended to serve.
Leadership at the Center
LEA-WH fellows engage in interactive discussions during the Vitae Leadership Development Workshop, facilitated by Dr. Ama de-Graft Aikins.
A highlight of Immersion Week was a leadership development workshop organized through and led by Dr. Ama de-Graft Aikins, a NAM member, Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Ghana, and Professorial Research Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The workshop invited fellows to reflect on leadership identity, resilience, career mapping, and the kind of leadership needed to advance women’s health research and innovation across Africa.
The session also introduced fellows to individual development planning, peer coaching, and the habits of reflective leadership that will continue throughout the fellowship year.
Reflecting on the session, Dr. Ama de-Graft Aikins said “I spent a revelatory day with a dynamic group of fellows who had already bonded over shared career experiences and goals, and were primed for critical self-reflection, professional growth and—to paraphrase Dr. Fezile Khumalo, a LEA-WH Fellow— ‘finding and using their voices’ to advance women’s health in Africa. It was an honor to contribute to this forward-thinking fellowship program as a Vitae Associate and NAM member.”
In addition to formal leadership training, the week included a fireside conversation with Dr. Yaw Bediako, CEO and Co-Founder of Yemaachi Biotech and Dean of Research and Innovation at Asheshi University in Ghana. The conversation encouraged fellows to consider how science, entrepreneurship, and innovation can work together to address health challenges in Africa.
Dr. Yaw Bediako speaks with LEA-WH fellows during a fireside conversation.
A Mentorship Network to Support the Journey
A defining feature of LEA-WH is its mentorship model. Each fellow has been matched with a leadership development mentor by NAM staff who will provide guidance, support, and perspective throughout the fellowship year. Many mentors are members of the National Academy of Medicine, while others were recommended by NAM members for their expertise and commitment to advancing health, science, and leadership.
The fellow-mentor pairings for leadership development include:
- Aamirah Mussa, Botswana Harvard Health Partnership (Botswana) — Jillian Pintye, University of Washington (United States)
- Airat Adeola Bakare, University of Lagos (Nigeria) — Maria Rodriguez, Oregon Health & Science University (United States)
- Chinelo Cynthia Nduka, Nnamdi Azikiwe University / Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (Nigeria) — Sabrina Assoumou, Boston University/Boston Medical Center (United States)
- Fezile Bongekile Khumalo, University of Cape Town (South Africa) — Maria Elena Bottazzi (NAM), Baylor College of Medicine (United States)
- Gelila Biresaw Sime, Arba Minch University (Ethiopia) — Deborah Bruner (NAM), Emory University (United States)
- Helen Habibata Habib, African Population and Health Research Center (Kenya) — Wanda Nicholson (NAM), George Washington University School of Public Health (United States)
- Joel Alex Olang, Urban Tech for Hope (Kenya) — Michael Zager, Cirro Bio (United States)
- Joy Ifunanya Odimegwu, University of Lagos / Gaudium Natural Health Limited (Nigeria) — Paule Joseph (NAM), National Institutes of Health (United States)
- Kadryn Kadasia-Tangai, Misala (Kenya) — Elizabeth Burnside, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (United States)
- Kennedy Mulungu, Ubhwando Group Limited Company / Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust (Malawi) — Jenny Liu, University of California, San Francisco (United States)
- Kenneth Toby Maduako, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (Nigeria) — Echezona Ezeanolue, IVAN Research Institute, University of Nigeria (Nigeria and United States)
- Leonard Naphazi Kambewa, Ministry of Health Malawi (Malawi) — Corrina Moucheraud, New York University School of Global Public Health (United States)
- Marie Therese Esengwa Keka, Tekhi Global for Menopause Health (Cameroon) — Alessandra Bazzano, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (United States)
- Mbah Clarisse Engowei, Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants Studies (Cameroon) — Jeannette Guarner, Emory University School of Medicine (United States)
- Nyasha Manyeruke, African Center of Excellence in Population Health and Policy / Early Childhood Development Action Network (Zimbabwe) — Claire Brindis (NAM), University of California, San Francisco (United States)
- Onyekachi Ewa Ibe, Ebonyi State University (Nigeria) — Nancy Lane (NAM), University of California, Davis (United States)
- Rogers Kajabwangu, Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital / Mbarara University of Science & Technology (Uganda) — Friday Okonofua (NAM), University of Benin (Nigeria)
- Sitsofe Gbogbo, University of Health and Allied Sciences (Ghana) — Anne CC Lee, Brown University (United States)
- Uduak Adiakot Okomo, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and MRC Unit (The Gambia) — Audrey Pettifor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (United States)
- Wepnje Godlove Bunda, Redemption Higher Institute of Biomedical and Management Sciences (Cameroon) — Jennifer Downs, Weill Cornell Medicine (United States)
During Immersion Week, fellows were introduced to the program’s mentorship and coaching approach. In addition to their NAM-assigned leadership development mentors, each fellow will be assigned a technical mentor by KEMRI to support their specific research or innovation project throughout the fellowship. Together, these mentorship structures are designed to help fellows clarify their goals, strengthen their leadership capacity, and translate fellowship learning into action.
From Immersion to Action
The week concluded with reflection, practical planning, and a focus on the first 90 days of the fellowship. Fellows identified insights they were taking forward, commitments they wanted to make, and questions that would guide their work in the year ahead.
By the end of the week, the fellows had not only completed an orientation; they had begun building a network. Through LEA-WH fellowship, NAM, KEMRI, and a global community of mentors and faculty are investing in a new generation of leaders who will generate evidence, develop innovations, and drive solutions to improve women’s health across Africa.
“The challenges facing women’s health are complex, but our collective expertise is stronger. Uniting fellows from 11 countries under the LEA-WH banner allowed us to cross-pollinate on ideas around local insights and scale up pathways that work. Immersion Week was the catalyst for equipping a network of leaders to produce rigorous evidence, shape life-saving policies, and bring innovative products to market. The vision is to ensure every African woman is thriving and healthy.” — Dr. Nyawira Gitahi, LEA-WH Program Coordinator; Clinical Research Scientist, Kenya Medical Research Institute
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Komal Syed, PhD, is a program officer at the National Academy of Medicine, where her work focuses on international programs and leadership initiatives that advance health research, policy, and diplomacy.
