This podcast series features interviews with researchers at different stages of their careers, sharing real-world experiences of taking research beyond publication. Through practical case studies, contributors reflect on lessons learned, challenges faced, and strategies used to influence policy and practice.
Bridging the gap between research and policy remains a persistent challenge, particularly for PhD students, early-career scientists, and locally embedded research teams. By showcasing personal journeys from research to action, this series aims to support scientists across career stages and countries in translating evidence into meaningful impact.
Dr Guétawendé Job Wilfried Nassa from WANETAM and The Global Health Network speaks with Dr Rachel Obonose Titus
Dr Rachel Obonose Titus is a Lecturer in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, Faculty of Pharmacy, and an affiliate of the Institute of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria where she is the Desk Officer for the Health Research Ethics Committee. She was a visiting fellow collaborating with Dr Louise Sigfrid at the Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford under the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) Visiting Fellowship programme in 2024.
Dr Titus specializes in pharmacy administration, public health, and health advocacy, with a recent focus on managing community pharmacies during public health emergencies. Her PhD research at Obafemi Awolowo University explored innovative strategies for managing community pharmacies during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for managing community pharmacies during public health emergencies. She has received recognition for her contributions, including the IREX fellowship for enhancing university research administration, and an award for the best poster presentation at the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria’s Annual Conference.
Dr Tuelo Mogashoa from TESA and The Global Health Network speaks with Dr Bernard Kikaire
Dr Bernard Kikaire (MBChB, MSc Epi, PhD) is a medical epidemiologist. He received his medical training from Makerere University, before joining the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine at the University of London for an MSc in Epidemiology. Bernard, has a PhD from Trinity College, in which he explored the effect of nutritional status and nutritional supplementation on clinical, nutritional and immunological outcomes of HIV infected adults initiating ART in Uganda.
Dr. Kikaire’s passion in the area of HIV care research. He has over 15 years of experience in HIV care research having worked as in several research positions at the MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Research Unit. He worked with the Development of AntiRetroviral Therapy for Africa (DART) study which was funded by the Medical Research Council, UK. This was ground breaking study in the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource limited settings such as Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr. Kikaire, has interest in Implementation research, which he picked while he worked with The Regional integration of Health Services in East Central Uganda (RHITES –EC), a USAID funded project.
Dr Leonard Numfor from CANTAM and The Global Health Network speaks with Dr Francis Zeukeng
Dr. Francis Zeukeng is a molecular epidemiologist with a background in Biochemistry. He holds MSc and Ph.D. degrees from the Biotechnology Centre of the University of Yaoundé 1 (BTC/UY1) in Cameroon. He is a Lecturer of Biochemistry at the University of Buea in Cameroon and an Affiliated Researcher at the Biotechnology Centre of the University of Yaoundé 1, where he has conducted molecular biology research on infectious diseases since 2012, focusing on local endemic diseases such as malaria, helminth infections and skin-NTDs. His research emphasizes utilizing genomics and bioinformatics tools to study emerging and neglected tropical diseases.
Dr. Zeukeng has enriched his expertise through international collaborations, including a two-year EDCTP-funded postdoctoral fellowship at Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Ghana and a three-year Gates Foundation-funded career development program in pathogen genomic surveillance between BTC/UY1 and the Wellcome Sanger Institute in the UK.