TDR's postgraduate training scheme and implementation research (IR) leadership programme aim to enhance the capacity of public health practitioners and researchers in low- and middle-income countries to address critical health challenges through implementation research. Following a call for applications, TDR and training partners in Ghana and Senegal have selected 29 fellows who will begin their fellowships this year.
The fellows will be hosted at the School of Public Health at the University of Ghana and the Institut de Santé et Développement at Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Senegal.
Both training programmes have a strong focus on implementation research, strengthening participants’ capacity to generate, apply and translate evidence into effective policies, programmes and service delivery within real-world health systems.
The postgraduate training scheme supports master’s level training in public health while embedding trainees within applied research and health system environments. The IR leadership programme builds on this foundation by strengthening leadership capability, advanced implementation research practice and professional networks among early- and mid-career professionals working in service delivery, policy and research institutions.
For the 2025-2026 academic year, the University of Ghana and Université Cheikh Anta Diop are hosting a diverse group of participants representing multiple countries, professional backgrounds and institutional contexts. Participants are drawn from ministries of health, hospitals, research institutions, regional health directorates and international development organizations, reflecting the multidisciplinary and practice-oriented nature of the TDR training portfolio.
A summary of the selected fellows is presented below.
Fellows hosted at the University of Ghana:
Name | Gender | Home country | Training programme | Employment background |
Matshidiso Kegodile | Woman | Botswana | Postgraduate | Botswana National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory |
Fatoumata S. Bah | Woman | Gambia | Postgraduate | Western One Regional Health Directorate, Kanifing |
Joseph Ganizani | Man | Malawi | Postgraduate | Ministry of Health, Department of Rehabilitation |
Ernestina Goka | Woman | Ghana | Postgraduate | Dodowa Health Research Centre |
Kade Tereziana Dila Bungu | Woman | South Sudan | Postgraduate | University of Juba |
Isaac Sahera | Man | Tanzania | Postgraduate | PATH, United States Agency for International Development, German Agency for International Cooperation, Rockefeller Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation |
Edwin Bakiza | Man | Uganda | Postgraduate | Global Research Administration and Management Services Limited |
Rachel Afaayo Nakatugga | Woman | Uganda | IR leadership | East Africa Centre for Vaccines and Immunization |
Khadijatu Adiss Yusif | Woman | Ghana | IR leadership | Ga West Municipal Hospital |
Emmanuel Lemorijo Tobiko | Man | Kenya | IR leadership | Country Government of Kajiado |
Alex Franco Maseko | Man | Malawi | IR leadership | Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme |
Fellows hosted at Université Cheikh Anta Diop:
Name | Gender | Home country | Training programme | Employment background |
Daouda Thioub | Man | Senegal | Postgraduate | Centre Hospitalier National Universitaire de Fann / Université Alioune Diop |
Mariama Toure | Woman | Senegal | Postgraduate | Centre international de recherche et de formation en génomique appliquée et de surveillance sanitaire |
Mame Awa Ndoye | Woman | Senegal | Postgraduate | Ministère de la Santé et de l'Hygiène publique |
Aya Séverine N'da | Woman | Côte d'Ivoire | Postgraduate | Programme National de Lutte contre la Tuberculose
|
Gobou Lolahara | Woman | Guinea | Postgraduate | Direction Régionale de l'Agriculture et de l'Elevage (DRAE)/Mamou |
Ruffine Kahashi Mutabazi | Woman | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Postgraduate | Université de Goma |
Murielle Somitondji | Woman | Benin | Postgraduate | Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Zone Suru Léré |
Souleymane Adoum Fils | Woman | Niger | Postgraduate | Société Nigérienne de Pathologie Infectieuse |
Fatoumata Adama Diallo | Woman | Guinea | Postgraduate | Centre International pour l'Excellence dans la Recherche ICER-Mali |
Sifa Alexandrine Marayo | Woman | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Postgraduate | Centre Hospitalier Bisengimana Goma |
Akioua Jimmy Aimé William Nignan | Man | Burkina Faso | Postgraduate | Ministère de la santé, District Sanitaire de Kongoussi |
Amadou Moussa Gariko | Man | Mali | Postgraduate | Centre de Recherche et de Formation sur les Pathologies Moleculaires (CREFPAM) |
Emmanuel Tayou | Man | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Postgraduate | Université Président Joseph KASA-VUBU |
Jérémie Namoano | Man | Burkina Faso | Postgraduate | Centre des Opérations de Réponse aux Urgences Sanitaires (CORUS) |
Jys Ryschel Ngoyomi Alist | Man | Republic of the Congo | Postgraduate | Ministère de la santé |
Leonard Doumgo N’Ditome | Man | Chad | Postgraduate | Ministère de la Santé Publique et de la Prévention |
Nour Bigna Mahamat | Man | Chad | Postgraduate | District Sanitaire de Melfi |
Sorel Levi Nahim Yoboue | Man | Côte d'Ivoire | Postgraduate | Institut de recherche Pierre Richet (IPR) |
For more information, please contact Dr Mahnaz Vahedi.