Scholars in Global Women’s Health Research Program
Leadership for Innovation and Excellence in Accelerating Research on Women’s Health
Now open!
2026 Call for Applications
Applications open January 13, 2026 | Deadline February 20, 2026
To learn more about selection criteria and eligibility requirements and submit an application, please visit the below link.
*Please note this program is only open to African applicants, working in Africa, and affiliated to organizations based in Africa.
Announcing the 2026-27 Inaugural Cohort!
Check Out LEA-WH Fellow News and Updates!
About the Fellowship
The program seeks to build capacity and leadership in women’s health research and innovation across Africa. It will leverage NAM’s membership and the extensive international network of the National Academies to attract African mid-career women’s health researchers with high potential to advance into expanded leadership roles and to shape and lead impactful women’s health research and innovation efforts. The Scholars selected for the program will be provided with training delivered by the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), the host institution for the program, as well as mentorship and networking opportunities facilitated by NAM, to help them achieve this goal.
The program’s goals include facilitating professional development for women’s health research leaders across Africa; increasing the visibility of their work on the international stage; sharpening their skillsets to develop successful research grant proposals and lead successful research projects and programs; and equipping them with an enduring network of mentors and peers in their field. Success will be measured by tracking the Scholars’ research outputs and career advancement, including grant proposals submitted and funded; publications; promotions and appointments to government and other committees; expanded professional networks; mentorship of junior colleagues; and practical program outputs such as successful grant applications and the development, patenting, and/or commercialization of research-driven products and innovations.
Working in partnership with KEMRI, NAM will implement this three-year program to engage a cohort of up to 20 Scholars each year for three years in a series of in-person and virtual convenings, to be supplemented by asynchronous professional development activities. NAM’s specific activities will include the following:
Collaboration with KEMRI on Scholar selection.
Structured mentorship opportunities: matching Scholars with experienced mentors and providing them with guidance and an online platform to support their interactions aimed at strengthening the Scholars’ research, career development, and professional networks.
Networking and professional development: engaging the Scholars with key regional and NAM-affiliated networks and providing each with a travel budget to support their participation in NAM-organized events.
Outreach and dissemination of useful information: maintaining an online database of funding and training opportunities and creating a program website and social media presence to facilitate ongoing engagement and information sharing.
Monitoring and evaluation of activities, outputs, and impacts: collecting and analyzing surveys and participant reports.
Meet the Inaugural Cohort
2026-27 Fellows
Aamirah Mussa
Position & Affiliation: Senior Program Manager and Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Botswana Harvard Health Partnership
Country of Residence: Botswana
Advisor: Jillian Pintye, Associate Professor | University of Washington, United States
Airat Adeola Bakare
Position & Affiliation: Lecturer and Researcher, University of Lagos
Country of Residence: Nigeria
Advisor: Maria Rodriguez, Professor and Director | Oregon Health & Science University, United States
Chinelo Cynthia Nduka
Position & Affiliation: Consultant Public Health Physician, Nnamdi Azikiwe University / Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital
Country of Residence: Nigeria
Advisor: Sabrina Assoumou, Associate Professor of Medicine | Boston University/Boston Medical Center, United States
Fezile Bongekile Khumalo
Position & Affiliation: Program Manager and Junior Research Fellow, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town
Country of Residence: South Africa
Advisor: Maria Elena Bottazzi**, Senior Associate Dean and Professor | Baylor College of Medicine, United States
**NAM Member
Gelila Biresaw Sime
Position & Affiliation: Assistant Professor, Arba Minch University
Country of Residence: Ethiopia
Advisor: Deborah Bruner**, Professor and Robert W. Woodruff Chair in Nursing | Emory University, United States
**NAM Member
Helen Habibata Habib
Position & Affiliation: Associate Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research Center
Country of Residence: Kenya
Advisor: Wanda Nicholson**, Professor, Prevention and Community Health | George Washington University School of Public Health, United States
**NAM Member
Joel Alex Olang
Position & Affiliation: Founder and CEO, Urban Tech for Hope
Country of Residence: Kenya
Advisor: Michael Zager, Chief Executive Officer | Cirro Bio (Former Fred Hutch Cancer Center), United States
Joy Ifunanya Odimegwu
Position & Affiliation: Senior Lecturer / Nutraceutical Scientist and Founder, University of Lagos / Gaudium Natural Health Limited
Country of Residence: Nigeria
Advisor: Paule Joseph**, Senior Scientist | National Institutes of Health, United States
**NAM Member
Kadryn Kadasia-Tangai
Position & Affiliation: Founder and CEO, Misala
Country of Residence: Kenya
Advisor: Elizabeth Burnside, Associate Dean of Team Science and Interdisciplinary Research | University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, United States
Kennedy Mulungu
Position & Affiliation: Founder and CEO / Researcher, Ubhwando Group Limited Company / Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust
Country of Residence: Malawi
Advisor: Jenny Liu, Director and Professor of Health Economics | University of California, San Francisco, United States
Kenneth Toby Maduako
Position & Affiliation: Lecturer and Consultant Obstetrician-Gynecologist, University of Benin Teaching Hospital
Country of Residence: Nigeria
Advisor: Echezona Ezeanolue, Professor of Pediatrics and Public Health | IVAN Research Institute, University of Nigeria (Former University of Nevada School of Medicine in Las Vegas), Nigeria and United States
Leonard Naphazi Kambewa
Position & Affiliation: Public Health Physician, Ministry of Health Malawi
Country of Residence: Malawi
Advisor: Corrina Moucheraud, Associate Professor and Interim Department Chair | New York University School of Global Public Health, United States
Marie Therese Esengwa Keka
Position & Affiliation: Founder and CEO, Tekhi Global for Menopause Health
Country of Residence: Cameroon
Advisor: Alessandra Bazzano, Professor and Chair, Maternal and Child Health | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States
Mbah Clarisse Engowei
Position & Affiliation: Researcher and Microbiologist, Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants Studies
Country of Residence: Cameroon
Advisor: Jeannette Guarner, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine | Emory University School of Medicine, United States
Nyasha Manyeruke
Position & Affiliation: Digital Health Consultant and Research Fellow, African Center of Excellence in Population Health and Policy / Early Childhood Development Action Network
Country of Residence: Zimbabwe
Advisor: Claire Brindis**, Distinguished Emerita Professor | University of California, San Francisco, United States
**NAM Member
Onyekachi Ewa Ibe
Position & Affiliation: Lecturer and Medical Laboratory Scientist, Ebonyi State University
Country of Residence: Nigeria
Advisor: Nancy Lane**, Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Rheumatology | University of California, Davis, United States
**NAM Member
Rogers Kajabwangu
Position & Affiliation: Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist / Honorary Associate Professor, Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital / Mbarara University of Science & Technology
Country of Residence: Uganda
Advisor: Friday Okonofua**, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology | University of Benin, Nigeria
**NAM Member
Sitsofe Gbogbo
Position & Affiliation: Research Fellow and Lecturer, University of Health and Allied Sciences
Country of Residence: Ghana
Advisor: Anne (CC) Lee, Professor of Pediatrics | Brown University, United States
Uduak Adiakot Okomo
Position & Affiliation: Clinical Assistant Professor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and MRC Unit
Country of Residence: The Gambia
Advisor: Audrey Pettifor, Professor and Associate Chair of Epidemiology | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States
Wepnje Godlove Bunda
Position & Affiliation: Researcher and Lecturer, Redemption Higher Institute of Biomedical and Management Sciences
Country of Residence: Cameroon
Advisor: Jennifer Downs, Associate Professor of Medicine | Weill Cornell Medicine, United States
Program Administration
Inquiries about the Scholars in Global Women’s Health Research Program should be directed to:
Kelly Robbins
Senior Program Officer
Komal Syed
Program Officer
Caroline Moses
Senior Program Assistant
Health Policy Fellowships and Leadership Programs
National Academy of Medicine
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 334-1506
Email: [email protected]
Program Advisory Committee
LEA-WH Fellow News & Updates
JUL 2026
LEA-WH Fellow Participates in Excellentium 2026 (France)
From July 7–9, 2026, LEA-WH Innovation Track FellowKennedy Mulunguattended, held atEmlyonBusiness School in Lyon, France. The program brought together 100 emerging biotechnology leaders from more than 40 countries with senior executives from academia, industry, venture capital, and global health organizations to explore leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, and the responsible translation of science into societal impact.
Kennedy contributed perspectives on women’s health innovation and translational science from Malawi and Africa while connecting with representatives from organizations includingThermoFisher Scientific, Sanofi, QIAGEN,bioMérieux, McKinsey & Company, International Agency for Research on Cancer, among others.Reflecting on the experience, Kennedy shared,“This experience has strengthened my belief that leadership is the bridge between scientific discovery and lasting impact, and I am grateful to LEA-WH for making this opportunity possible.”
JUL 2026
LEA-WH Fellow Presents at the Menstruation Research Conference (United Kingdom)
On July7–8, 2026, LEA-WH Reproductive Health Research Track Fellow Dr. Sitsofe Gbogbo attended thein Brighton, United Kingdom, where she delivered an oral presentation titled “Beyond the Pain: Understanding Lived Experiences and Mental Health Impacts of Menstrual Pain among Adolescent Girls in the Volta Region, Ghana.” Her presentation shared findings from a qualitative study involving adolescent girls from five districts in Ghana’s Volta Region,demonstratinghow menstrual pain affects mental health, school participation, and overall well-being.
She also connected withexpertsand organizational leaders fromvarious global institutions, includingthe University of Bath in the United Kingdom, and the African Empowerment Hub Uganda, exploring opportunities for future research collaboration, regional partnerships, and menstrual health interventions aimed at supporting girls’ health and education across Africa.Reflecting on the experience, Dr. Gbogbo shared,“I returned inspired, encouraged, and even more committed to ensuring that the voices and experiences of adolescent girls are heard and reflected in research, policy, and practice.”
JUN 2026
LEA-WH Fellow at Africa Digital Health Summit (Nigeria)
From June 24–26, 2026, LEA-WH Fellow Nyasha Manyeruke attended the(ADHS), themed “Moving from Pilots to Scale: Growing Africa’s Digital Health Ecosystem.” The summit brought together more than 100 government leaders, innovators, researchers, and industry representatives to discuss innovations that can be scaled across Africa’s digital health ecosystem.
At the summit, Nyasha strengthened relationships with existing collaborators at theAfrica Center of Excellence for Population Health and Policy, Nigeria, and connected with potential new collaborators fromBES International, Australia. Following the summit, she continued discussions about potential collaborations in the women’s digital health space while gaining exposure to approaches ranging from supply-chain management to the use of renewable energy to support rural hospitals. Reflecting on the experience, Nyasha shared,“Through the LEA-WH travel grant, I was able to attend the ADHS in person, present my work in developing digital surveillance tools in women’s health to colleagues across the continent, deepen relations with existing collaborators, and gain exposure to new ideas on the role of digital health within the women’s health space.”