Frederick Murunga Wekesah

Associate Research Scientist

Dr. Frederick Murunga Wekesah is a chronic disease epidemiologist who is currently researching child and adolescent mental health at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), in Nairobi, Kenya. Frederick has extensive research experience from the conceptualization of research projects to evaluation and publishing, designing, and implementing scoping and systematic reviews, clinical trials, implementation research, and surveys. He applies mixed research methods to evaluate and implement public health interventions. He is a co-investigator on various research projects and has authored scientific publications in international peer-reviewed journals. Frederick holds a PhD in Epidemiology from the University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, the Netherlands (2019), and a Master of Science degree in Medicine in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa (2010). He is a 2019 Bernard Lown Scholar in the Cardiovascular Health Program at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University. He is an associate research scientist, having worked previously as a research officer and a postdoctoral research scientist.

Frederick strongly believes that young people should be empowered and provided with the necessary resources to participate actively and meaningfully in all areas of society. To achieve this, it is essential to safeguard their mental health and wellbeing by understanding the factors that influence youth mental health and implementing effective interventions to promote their overall wellbeing. Frederick is a leader, mentor, and trainer in health research, with strong people skills, facilitation abilities, and effective communication.