I am a PhD student and a recipient of the Commonwealth Scholarship. My research investigates how cortisol production (the stress-hormone in the body) is related to structural and behavioral factors such as violence exposure, mental health disorders, including substance abuse and poverty, as well as how cortisol levels relate to systemic inflammation among female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya. It is a longitudinal mixed methods study, nested within the “Maisha Fiti” study of women in Nairobi.

Prior to commencing my PhD, I worked for 1.5 years as a research assistant in the Department of Community Medicine and Public Health at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. My work focused on conducting literature review, data cleaning and analysis as well as article writing on various research projects. One of the projects I worked on was an evaluation of a nationwide mental health support intervention for refugees in Sweden.  I was also a former laboratory Technician at the Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia@LSHTM  (2010-2013).

I completed my MSc in Global health at the University of Gothenburg, attained a BSc in International Health and Nursing administration at The National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taiwan and hold a Diploma in Biomedical Sciences at St. George’s University of London, UK.